Who we Are:
Montecastelli™ Selections began in 1997 with German/American husband and wife team Jens and Ruth Schmidt developing a brokerage service for a number of small Italian wineries and gourmet foods. Jens and Ruth, both with backgrounds in architecture and art, found their joint passion for Italian wines quickly catapulted onto an international platform by specializing in Italian indigenous varieties. Montecastelli, a farm in Tuscany, where the Schmidts were making their organic olive oil, Primo Olio, soon became the hub for wine exploration throughout Italy.
Jens Schmidt is responsible for making Montecastelli's wine and food selections, maintaining close touch with all producers and transmitting his experience to our clients. Ruth, as Operations Director, is responsible for financial direction and the design and programming of our extensive database tracking system.
In the fall of 2002, Montecastelli Selections expanded its activity by adding a national importing branch in the US to our responsibilities with the express aim to make it possible for wine lovers in the US to be able to enjoy these wonderful limited production wines that recall the sense of history and place that are the beauty of Italy.
What we do:
As international Brokers, US nationwide Importers and Distributors in the States of New York and New Jersey, we have developed a structure where the vision of the vintner's craft is first and foremost, and where wine education expands the horizon of knowledge into the markets. Ours is a new approach in the selling of wines of Italy, an approach driven by education on the new Italian viticulture geography and the people behind it.
These claims are no empty promise, as our 'Il Libretto' program sponsoring Italian indigenous variety research and production of wine has enabled many of our Producers to bring lost varieties back into production.
Our meticulous approach in the selection of wine carries the technical seal of approval by an enologist as well as the stylistic approval of Wine Director, Jens Schmidt, a combination that has quickly earned the trust of many major international importers. Montecastelli Selections is the link between winery and market, between the hands that craft the wines and those that hold the glass.
NEW YORK:
Our New York Head Office, located in Manhattan, is the central hub for all incoming and outgoing orders and shipments. Our NY and NJ sales staff is coordinated here via a central database that is also linked up to our website. From here we also coordinate our educational and promotional events and maintain contact with the press.
NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION:
As national importers we import all Montecastelli Selections wines in temperature controlled (called "reefer") containers and store these wines in a well serviced and also temperature controlled warehouse in NJ. With inventory in NJ, we function as direct suppliers to licensed distributors across the United States. Thus our wines can be made available in most states of the US in very short time.
NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY:
Montecastelli offers local distribution to Restaurants and Retail Stores in the New York and New Jersey area from our warehouse in New Jersey. Educational and staff training is offered through our sales manager, Daniel Swinford, in New York. Our "Al Salone" wine presentations in our New York Brownstone office serve as an introduction to some of the newest producers and cutting edge activity of the Italian wine scene.
ITALY:
Our Italian office is located near Siena in Montecastelli in Tuscany. Centrally located for exploring the vineyards of Italy and in the midst of vineyards itself, the Italian office serves as the point of coordination for our Producers. Giulia Bicchi personally manages every shipment leaving the country, with all of the prerequisite legal and compliance work necessary to make sure that the wines arrive at their final destination in optimal condition and timely fashion. Montecastelli is also a frequent destination for our customers for tastings, and is a logistical departure point for producer visits organized with Giulia's help. We value maintaining personal relationships which ensure that the Montecastelli wines are the best in their categories and represented by the best importers in each market.
EUROPEAN DISTRIBUTION:
With Jens' German background, we began Montecastelli Selections as Brokers to Northern and central Europe, as well as to the United States. This work is continuing with the support of Jem Macy, who is developing and servicing markets for the Montecastelli Portfolio in Europe.
Our Portfolio:
We are at home in Tuscany and this is where our strength was born: with Tuscan wines and a special focus on Sangiovese. Our target is the undervalued vine growing areas and promising indigenous varietals. It is through these truly outstanding wines that we believe the Italian viticultural map will be revolutionized in future years. In cooperation with Italy's young, leading enologists and viticulturist we carry on every day to encourage vintners to define the best expression of their own vineyards. The success of our work has brought us now into most of the regions of Italy to bring forth a true representation of the diversity of Italian wines.
Our Platform:
Our aim in marketing is to expand the boundaries of knowledge for each wine. The better informed our wine drinking customers are, the more our offerings turn into a journey of discovery through the vineyards these wines derive from. During the calendar year, Montecastelli Selections travels around Europe and the US to various annual events and fairs in order to create as many contacts and platforms as possible. More than sales, our wines function as a tool of cultural exchange between those who craft the glass, and those who drink it! Salute!
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Jens and Ruth Schmidt
Jens in Cantina
Amie Rogosin, New York Office Manager
Daniel Swinford, New York Sales Director
Giulia Bicchi, Italian Operations Director
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