Portraits

Founded by Christopher Vanpoulle in 2010 to promote Iberian wines worldwide, in just a few years Very Fine Vinos has successfully carved out a prime position for itself in the Spanish wine arena. It has even become the official wine distributor of MasterChef, an institution in the country. Despite its success, the company has always favoured quality over quantity and demonstrates a new way of viewing distribution, one that is based on trust, interaction with people and good wine. After the untimely passing of its founder, the company is determined more than ever to continue on its journey.

The world of Italian wine is increasingly 'female'. In fact, one in four farms is now run by a woman, as are 30% of wineries. Enrolments at viticulture and oenology faculties are also increasing, as is the number of female winemakers across the country. We have selected eight of them to illustrate the fundamental roles played by women in the Italian wine industry.

Roederer Champagne, Louis Jadot, Famille Perrin, André Lurton, Ramos Pinto, Sassicaia, Marqués de Murrieta, Bodega Norton, Coppola… The impressive line-up in the Wine4You portfolio makes it seem the perfect match for one of the world’s more mature wine markets. Its founder, wine collector and expert Jaroslaw Cybulski, describes how the Polish wine market has come on in leaps and bounds.

The 72-year-old Dane answers our questions in impeccable French, in the car driven by his wife.

Philippe Carrant and Michael Rogers are two like-minded partners who created Wines Overland to help European winegrowers export their wines to the Asia-Pacific region.

What started off in 1978 as a hobby for Anna-Marie and Karsten Søndergaard, who sold wines to friends and family from their garage in a small village in Denmark, has evolved into a multi-million-bottle business spanning 9 North European countries. Their son and current AMKA CEO Frank Søndergaard outlines the company’s ethos and growth prospects across the region.