About Italian Wine Merchants (IWM)

About Us

Who knows Italian Wine?
With more than 2,000 grape varietals and 27,000 producers, the Italian wine world confounds wine professionals and enthusiasts alike. Since 1999, Italian Wine Merchants (IWM) has worked diligently to demystify Italian wine through its detailed website and weekly E-letter, Wine Clubs, educational tasting events and a carefully selected portfolio of current and vintage Italian bottlings. Under the direction of owner Sergio Esposito, IWM is widely considered the leading authority on Italian wine today.

Sergio represents an invaluable resource to collectors, enthusiasts, and wine writers. He travels to Italy up to ten times per year and personally sources 100% of IWM’s selection. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, comprising roles of sommelier, vintage broker, and his present position as head of his brainchild, Italian Wine Merchants, Sergio has established a network of Italian connoisseurs in every region who aid him as he unravels many of the complex issues regarding Italian wine.

In addition to IWM’s portfolio of current releases, Sergio has amassed one of the greatest collections of vintage Italian wine in the world. These gems can be obtained through direct consultation with an IWM Portfolio Manager, by joining “Sergio’s Cellar” Wine Club, or by scheduling a private tasting in IWM’s Vintage Tasting Room or Studio del Gusto. Each lot has been pretasted by Sergio himself and all of the wines are stored on-site in IWM’s temperature-controlled cellar, ensuring the quality and integrity of every bottle.

Why Italian Wine?
Americans have long had a love affair with Italy, but even those with the most sophisticated palates—who have become adept at decoding labels of New World wines and who are well-versed in the cru systems of Bordeaux and Burgundy—have been daunted by Italy’s extraordinary array of regions, varietals, and producers. Italy boasts 900 indigenous varietals and no other wine-producing country in the world offers a wider or more varied selection of wines, winemaking styles, and diversity of terroir. From the semi-dried grape wines of Veneto to the cru wines of Piemonte, from the pioneering Super-Tuscans of Bolgheri to the famed Brunellos of Montalcino, every Italian bottling is a pure expression of its region, terrain, and the culture and people who have produced it.

Why Italian Wine Merchants?
In the spirit and tradition of an old world merchant, Italian Wine Merchants caters to collectors and enthusiasts nationwide by specializing in hard-to-find Italian wines and by providing personalized attention throughout each client’s discovery and selection process. Sergio’s vision is to provide the highest quality-to-dollar ratio in each price point and to offer the best customer service in the wine industry. IWM’s inventory is stored in a specially designed climate-controlled cellar, guaranteeing that each bottle purchased has enjoyed optimal storage conditions. IWM Portfolio Managers work directly with every client, creating cellar strategies best suited for individual taste preferences and investment objectives. Sergio’s unique Italian wine market relationships ensure the provenance of every bottle from IWM.

Sergio Esposito
Founder & CEO
With more than 20 years of experience in the world of Italian wine,Sergio is recognized by industry insiders as the premier Italian wine consultant in the United States. In 1999, Sergio founded Italian Wine Merchants in New York City and continues to lead the store in raising the profile of Italian wine in this country and influencing both colleagues and collectors with cutting-edge selections and services. Journalists, writers and wine enthusiasts regularly consult with him, and he is frequently featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, and SmartMoney. Sergio spends three months of the year in Italy, where he meets with producers, tastes new vintages, and brokers the sale of wines. He travels around the United States monthly, giving lectures and presenting tastings. Sergio is also the author of Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy. The colorful narrative takes the reader on an illuminating exploration of Sergio’s native land and its remarkable vintners.

Perry Porricelli
President
While sales constituted Perry’s primary focus for several years, recently he has undertaken a more supervisory role, dedicated to safeguarding the fundamental tenets of IWM. It is Perry’s ultimate goal to ensure that IWM's identity is not altered in any way during the company’s continued growth into various segments of the wine industry and beyond. Having been with the company since its inception in 1999, Perry’s foundation is rooted in the financial services industry beginning at Elms Capital Management, a private investment group. Perry moved on to Salomon Brothers, where he specialized in securities, serving as the primary liaison between the US trading desk and both England and Japan. Thus, on an almost intuitive basis, his financial services experience began shaping his personal engagement with wine, beginning with a French wine import company in New York City.

Christy Canterbury
Wine Acquisitions Director
Christy Canterbury returns to Italian Wine Merchants as Wine Acquisitions Director, overseeing global purchasing for IWM and spearheading IWM’s Cellar Management selections of fine wines outside Italy. During her previous tenure from 2001-2004 as IWM’s Director of Business Development, she developed her buying philosophy under the tutelage of IWM founder Sergio Esposito. In addition, she oversaw marketing strategies, researched and wrote wine related material and led seminars and worked as a Sommelier/Wine Concierge. During her five year hiatus from IWM, Christy held positions as the Corporate Beverage Director for Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, the National Wine Director of Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and the Eastern USA Public Relations Director for New Zealand Winegrowers. Christy is the Contributing Editor for Italy for The Professional Wine Reference and occasionally writes articles for TASTED Magazine and various wine trade publications. She is a candidate for the Master of Wine title, holds the Diploma of Wine & Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) of London and is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Wine Portfolio Managers:
Renee Skubish: renee@italianwinemerchants.com
Will Di Nunzio: wdinunzio@italianwinemerchants.com
John Camacho Vidal: jcamacho@italianwinemerchants.com
Frank Sansotta: fsansotta@italianwinemerchants.com
Justin Kowalsky: jkowalsky@italianwinemerchants.com

VP of Sales:
Rob Allen: rob@italianwinemerchants.com

Cellar Management:
John Ritchie: john@italianwinemerchants.com

Business Development:
Chris Deas: cdeas@italianwinemerchants.com

Marketing:
Jen Esposito: jen@italianwinemerchants.com

Creative Director:
Melissa Sutherland: melissa@italianwinemerchants.com

E-Commerce and Website:
Kathy Rushforth: kathleen@italianwinemerchants.com

About IWM