Antonio Galloni
OccupationWine critic
NationalityAmerican
SubjectWine

Antonio Galloni is an American wine critic. He is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Vinous for which he is also the lead critic covering the wines of Bordeaux, California, Italy, and Champagne.[1]

From 2006 to 2013, Galloni was a tasting staff member of Robert Parker's publication The Wine Advocate.

In May 2013, Galloni founded Vinous.[2][3]

Early life and education

Galloni was born in Caracas, Venezuela to an Italian father and American mother. When he was eleven the family moved to Sarasota, Florida where his parents sold Italian wines at retail. This early exposure to wine began a lifelong fascination with wine. Galloni's maternal grandmother introduced him to the wines of Burgundy, while his father instilled in him that "there are two great wines in the world: Barolo and Champagne".

Galloni received a degree from Boston's Berklee College of Music in jazz composition and guitar.[4] After a stint as a musician and waiter, which led him to get to know many of the new California wineries of the time, he took a job with Putnam Investments and was soon after sent to Putnam's Milan office.[5] This opportunity was a total immersion in Italian wine and culture. Galloni returned to the United States to acquire a formal business education, where he earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.[4]

Career

In 2004, while studying for an MBA at MIT's Sloan School of Management, Galloni began publication of the Piedmont Report newsletter profiling the wine of Piedmont. At the time the only critic who had been writing about the wines of Italy in English was James Suckling. Within weeks Piedmont Report had subscribers in more than 25 countries and quickly established itself as the premier guide in the world for Piedmont wines. Galloni turned down an offer to write for Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate to work for a brief stint at Deutsche Bank in New York City.

In 2006, he accepted Parker's offer to join The Wine Advocate as a reviewer of Italian wine,[6] and became a contributor to Parker's Wine Buyer’s Guide.[7]

In January 2011, as Parker restructured the coverage of his staff of reviewers and announced he would no longer review California wine, Galloni's area of coverage was expanded to include California, Champagne, Chablis and the Côte d'Or.[2][8]

Galloni has stated in The Wine Advocate issue 186 that he will only review Champagne that provides a disgorgement date so he may accurately rate a Champagne by its release.[2][9]

In 2013, Antonio left The Wine Advocate to start his own website, Vinous.[4] At the time of his departure, Galloni was the lead critic at The Wine Advocate, and had authored one-third of the reviews published by TWA in 2012. Galloni also ran the world's most followed bulletin board on Italian wines and spearheaded TWA’s production of video content. He developed tailored public events & seminars such as the highly-anticipated “La Festa del Barolo,” vertical tastings focused on the benchmark wines of Italy, and numerous charity dinners.

Vinous

In February 2013, following the announcement by Parker that he was stepping down as editor-in-chief of The Wine Advocate and had sold a controlling stake to a Singapore investor, Galloni announced himself that he would leave the publication and establish his own internet publication,[10][11][12] launched under the brand Vinous. Aimed towards a broader demographic of wine consumers, Galloni has stated he would continue to report on the wines of Italy, Champagne, California and Burgundy and will cover wines from Bordeaux from the 2013 vintage, as well as craft spirits.[12]

Vinous has since acquired Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar and the apps Delectable and Banquet.

Lawsuit

In March 2013, it was reported that The Wine Advocate had filed a federal lawsuit against Galloni five weeks after his departure for breach of contract, fraud and defamation.[13][14][15] The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland, advancing the complaint, was never served.[16] All the articles cited in the case have subsequently appeared on Galloni's Vinous Media website.[17]

According to Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate’s efforts were “simply a matter of retrieving a service we paid for,” rather than “an attempt to stop Antonio from moving on; we continue to wish him our very best.”

See also

References

  1. ↑ "This Ex-Banker Has Wall Street-Sized Ambitions as a Wine Critic". Bloomberg.com. 15 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Bonné, Jon, San Francisco Chronicle (February 7, 2011). Robert Parker passes the California torch
  3. ↑ Official Vinous website (May 20, 2013). About
  4. 1 2 3 critic, S. Irene Virbila S. Irene Virbila is a former restaurant; in 2015, wine columnist for the Los Angeles Times She left (February 12, 2013). "Antonio Galloni leaves Wine Advocate to start his own wine site". Los Angeles Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Wachtel, Katya. "This Former Deutsche Banker Now Has The Best Job Ever". Business Insider.
  6. ↑ Goldberg, Howard G., Decanter.com (September 1, 2006). "Parker announces new staff".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ Comiskey, Patrick, Los Angeles Times (October 15, 2008). "Robert Parker shares his soapbox World of wine scores". Los Angeles Times.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ Yarrow, Alder, vinography.com (February 5, 2011). The End of an Era: Robert Parker Stops Reviewing California Wine
  9. ↑ Colman, Tyler, drvino.com (December 29, 2009). SIPPED: upgrading label info?
  10. ↑ Asimov, Eric, The New York Times (February 12, 2013).A New Web Venture for Antonio Galloni
  11. ↑ Barmann, Jay, GrubStreet.com (February 12, 2013). Robert Parker Protégé Antonio Galloni Leaves The Wine Advocate to Launch New Web Venture
  12. 1 2 Woodard, Richard, Decanter,com (February 14, 2013). Galloni leaves Wine Advocate
  13. ↑ Bonné, Jon, San Francisco Chronicle (March 20, 2013). The Wine Advocate sues Antonio Galloni
  14. ↑ Lechmere, Adam, Decanter.com (March 21, 2013). Robert Parker's Wine Advocate sues Antonio Galloni for fraud and defamation
  15. ↑ Asimov, Eric, The New York Times (March 21, 2013). Robert Parker vs. Antonio Galloni
  16. ↑ Shanken News Daily (March 21, 2013). Parker’s Advocate Suing Former Contributor Galloni In Federal Court
  17. ↑ Official Vinous website. Articles
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