NAPA VALLEY, Calif. – August 6, 2019 – Steve Tamburelli and Gordon Waggoner are excited to announce the founding of Vinitas Wine Group (www.vinitaswinegroup.com). The Vinitas Wine Group is a full-service wine industry consultancy firm that specializes in strategic winery guidance, portfolio strategy, marketing, operations strategy, financial planning, DTC strategy, and 3-Tier strategy and implementation. Based in Napa Valley, Vinitas Wine Group offers a turnkey solution for small-to-mid-size West Coast wineries, with a focus on family-operated businesses. The current Vinitas client portfolio already includes Schug Winery, Lasseter Family Winery and Saintsbury.
Gordon Waggoner and Steve Tamburelli
Prior to co-founding Vinitas Wine Group, Steve Tamburelli earned acclaim as one of the most respected executives in the wine industry, helping to write exciting new chapters in the stories of some of California’s most iconic wineries. A Napa Valley native, Steve began in the industry at his family’s wine distribution business, and went on to serve as the COO for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, general manager of Chappellet, and CEO of Clos Du Val. “In today’s market, small to mid-sized wineries are facing challenging headwinds,” says Tamburelli. “Wineries navigating these headwinds need more than just a great plan. They need the expertise and support necessary to implement and make that plan succeed. We don’t just come in and tell clients how to make things better; we roll up our sleeves and help our clients achieve their goals.”
Cofounder Gordon Waggoner brings equally impressive credentials to Vinitas. Following management positions at the Park Hyatt in Los Angeles, and at Park Grill at The InterContinental Los Angeles, where he served as general manager, Waggoner joined Regal Wine Company, where he represented such acclaimed wineries as Cardinale, Lokoya and Mt. Brave. Waggoner also worked at Chappellet, where he worked alongside Tamburelli, before serving as the director of consumer sales and hospitality for Ladera Vineyards, and the director of sales for Acumen Wines. Waggoner is an expert at product development, COGs analysis, packaging/collateral design, path-to-market planning, and building highly-respected 3-Tier sales and hospitality programs
“Most consultants specialize in specific areas like 3-Tier strategy or marketing,” says Waggoner. “But issues in these areas are often not the cause of a winery’s problems—they are symptoms. Our backgrounds allow us to apply a more holistic approach that strengthens wineries, while helping them to stand out and succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Because the needs of every client are different, our approach starts with a conversation. What are you trying to achieve? What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? Then we do more than just provide a plan—we work alongside our clients to make those plans succeed.”
ABOUT VINITAS WINE GROUP
Founded by acclaimed wine executives Steve Tamburelli and Gordon Waggoner, Vinitas Wine Group is a wine industry consultancy firm based in Napa Valley, California. Designed to provide clients a turnkey solution, Vinitas is a full-service firm that provides strategic winery guidance, portfolio strategy, marketing, operations strategy, financial planning, DTC strategy, and 3-Tier strategy and implementation. To learn more about Vinitas Wine Group, please visit www.vinitaswinegroup.com, or call 707-699-2125.
