Introducing Northern California’s newest distributor of fine wines: VNO. Based on a commitment to provide only the most exciting artisan producers, VNO has placed a focus on terrior-driven wines of exceptional quality and value. We take pride in the contents of each and every bottle not merely as a wine, but indeed an experience. With the satiation of the discerning palate in mind, we offer you the selections of VNO. Cheers.
For over 300 years, the Scarpone family has maintained farms and vineyards
in Guardia Vomano, Abruzzo, and in fact, has a "contrada" (suburb)
named for them. Lorenzo Scarpone was one of six siblings who grew up and worked
on the family farm here. When the opportunity arose to purchase an ideally-situated
15 acres of land and olive grove, with the potential of planting a 5 acre vineyard
on the hillside across the river from Guardia Vomano, Lorenzo and his family
jumped at the chance. His wife and sister have renovated the farmhouse into
a very comfortable 4 bedroom "agriturismo", with spectacular views
of rolling farmland, the snow-capped Gran Sasso and the blue waters of the
Adriatic.
www.locandascarpone.com
Always passionate about food and wine, Lorenzo went to a prestigious restaurant
and hotel school in Giulianova, Abruzzo and opened a top quality seafood restaurant
on the Adriatic coast with his chef brother, Marcello. Anxious to see the world,
Lorenzo worked on several international luxury cruise liners, and in top Italian
restaurants in London (to perfect his English!). Lorenzo followed his mentor,
renowned restaurateur Giancarlo Paterlini, to San Francisco, and worked for
him as manager and sommelier at the landmark, Donatello Restaurant. Here Lorenzo
married his wife Susy, and began raising their three children. Anxious to maintain
his ties with his extended family in Abruzzo, and to bring the wonderful food
and wines of his home region to the U.S., Lorenzo established Villa Italia
in 1989 as an Italian wine importing company. Villa Italia represents some
of the finest terrior-driven wines of Italy and has become a leader in its
category, know for exceptional quality and value, importing the wines of some
37 artisan winemakers to the U.S.
www.villaitaliawines.com
Lorenzo Scarpone is a native of the Abruzzi region in central Italy. Raised
on a farm where his family produced their own food and grew their own grapes
to make wine, Lorenzo was introduced to the importance of culinary and wine-making
traditions at a very young age. From his earliest farming experiences with
his father Vincenzo, he was always been a staunch advocate of small-scale,
sustainable agriculture and hands-on artisan wine-making. This environment
nurtured his passion for food and wine and inspired a career path that would
eventually lead to the creation of Villa Italia as well as being an early leader
of the Slow Food movement, opening San Francisco's first "convivium" in
1990. Slow food, founded in 1986, is an international organization whose aim
is to protect the pleasures of the table from homogenization of modern fast
food and life. Through a variety of initiatives, it promotes gastronomic culture,
develops taste education, conserves agricultural biodiversity and protects
traditional foods at risk of extinction.
www.slowfoodsanfrancisco.com