Collis Heritage Spa is born, from the merger of Cantine Riondo and Casa Vinicola Sartori 1898

2023, as has been the case for some time, also closes with several important mergers & acquisitions. And, after the ownership reorganization within Allegrini announced a few days ago, again from Valpolicella comes the news of the birth of Collis Heritage SpA, from the merger between Cantine Riondo and Casa Vinicola Sartori 1898, which will manage the marketing of the brands worldwide: technically the operation, explains a note, is configured as a “merger by incorporation” within Collis Veneto Wine Group, the wine group with more than 200 million in turnover and among the top 10 realities in Italy for volumes produced and marketed. The operation involves the realities of Cantine Riondo, a company devoted to the production of sparkling wines, and Casa Vinicola Sartori 1898, a historic producer of Valpolicella wines: from the union of these realities, precisely, Collis Heritage Spa is born, which will be controlled by the group with a percentage of 75% (while 25% of the new company, as WineNews learns, remains in the hands of the Sartori family, which remains, therefore, in the company, ed.)
“This operation marks the completion of an ambitious growth path that began 15 years ago, which has seen the Veneto Cooperative invest more than 100 million euros over the past 10 years and which envisages major new investments of more than 50 million euros over the next five years. The goal”, the Group explains, “is to grow, to improve further, building, through the newco, a new sustainable, innovative and future-oriented reality, capable of uniting two different souls of the territory, both representing a heritage received as a legacy to be enhanced: on the one hand the young and modern reality of Cantine Riondo with world-renowned brands, and on the other Casa Sartori 1898, founded by a historic family, an icon of Valpolicella with products that are the expression of the best Italian enology”.
The newly formed Collis Heritage Spa is therefore “born big” with a turnover of 100 million wall (the sum of the turnovers of Casa Sartori and Cantine Riondo), 40 million bottles, presence in 70 countries on all sales channels. The new reality has 140 people and more than 100 agents operating worldwide and aims to bring the main brands to grow commercially worldwide. The main brands are: Sartori di Verona, I Saltari, Mont’Albano, organic since 1985, Murari 1899, Casalforte, the best-selling Prosecco in Sweden and the best-loved in Scandinavian countries, and Riondo, among the first Proseccos in the star-spangled land. The governance of Collis Heritage Spa will see Claudio Tamellini (formerly vice president of Collis Veneto Wine Group) as president and Pierluigi Guarise (formerly CEO of the Group) as managing director. The newco’s headquarters will be in Negrar in Valpolicella (Verona) in the historic Villa Maria.
“The project well represents our desire to collect the precious legacy of all the entities that are part of it”, comments Collis Heritage Spa President Claudio Tamellini, “and that have contributed to making our wine great in the world. We propose ourselves as custodians of our land and with united forces we aim to elevate our presence in international markets. The Sartori family has been and is a key player and partner thanks to which this growth path has been made possible”. “The transaction enhances existing business relationships with new growth projects around the world”, adds Collis Heritage CEO Pierluigi Guarise, “with particular attention to the U.S. and Eastern European markets. We will aim at product innovations, organizational, industrial and logistic synergies of the two realities now united. The important investments we foresee will also affect human resources to increase our commercial capacity. Our intention is to integrate the current sales network with professionals residing in the most strategic markets. We are confident of further international growth for the Group”.
Director of the operation, as mentioned, the parent cooperative Collis Veneto Wine Group, which, with an annual turnover of more than 200 million euros, 75 million bottles, 6,000 hectares of vineyards in the most vocated areas of Verona, Vicenza and Padua, 2,000 associated winegrowing families, 370 employees and 32 wine shops in Italy, is now among the top ten Italian wine companies “and boasts the best environmental certifications, completely controlling the entire wine production chain. By grouping together the founding wineries and their subsidiaries, Collis Veneto Wine Group maintains strong ties with its members through a direct relationship”.
With five wineries dedicated to grape processing and winemaking, it is a major player among Amarone producers with 3,000 tons of grapes drying each year, 24 agronomists and oenologists working daily in collaboration with leading national research centers. Sustainability is a driving force behind the Group, which keeps a keen eye on respecting people and the environment by adopting sustainable agricultural practices, from water conservation to waste management. “The transaction announced today is very important for our Group because it heralds a new phase of growth internationally. What remains steadfast is our vision to honor the rich winemaking tradition of our region, while maintaining an authentic link with the history and culture of the area”, concluded Pietro Zambon, president of parent company Collis Veneto Wine Group (a first-tier cooperative, which also holds a 51& stake in the Cielo & Terra 1908 winery).