Expansion Made In Piedmont Wines with three new forces!

EXPANSION OF MADE IN PIEDMONT WINES WITH THREE ADDITIONAL FORCES

That since the tasting of April 26 & 27, 2025 we have partnered with Mise En Place who provide sommeliers on the spot, that was already known.

The system we apply, namely with up to three large event screens where the wine producers present "live" their range (coordinated by our IT manager), numbered price list and numbered bottles, ensures that we don't have to give a course of a week or more to our sommeliers on duty behind the buffets which, by the way, is not realistic.

We do not ask wine producers to attend. Most (85%) of our winemakers produce only 10 000/20 000 bottles with sometimes 7 labels. They cannot leave their cantina and vineyard to just travel internationally as they manage all the tasks themselves. Of course, these wines from the small winegrowers up to 20,000 bottles are equal and most of them better in quality. At least these are the reactions of the Piedmont Wine Lovers who visited our wine tastings and also went to several parties with almost the same offer. So certainly not my opinion because of course I have not tasted the other wines.

The fact that 2025 was the year of immense growth certainly boosted our ego. All this without any help from external people....

Although....

Since mid-October, we have partnered with a new, dynamic marketing & communications agency. PunchCom is creatively living it up on our brochures, leaflets, business cards, etc... Starting in March, our social media strategy will be added.

Since May 2025, three team members have joined Made In Piedmont Wines sales.

First in line was Michela - independent representative - who takes our wines in her tour to catering establishments with non-competitive products. Second is Alexander who took care of the wine tastings in July, August and September 2025 that went on at the Méan Estate. Due to acute chronic pneumonia, I was out. I myself did exactly one tasting during that period. Alexander now takes care of the wine tastings in restaurants. Michele and Alexander have been customers themselves for over5 and 7 years, so the know-how is present.

On top of these two ambitious independent employees, a third force - Mike Jacobs - was recruited for B2B business other than catering. This mostly concerns business gifts and from the beginning of March 2026, the sale of wines will be added for corporate events where the wine will no longer be included in the package of the caterer (savings). With my very extensive knowledge of wine and food, I assist caterers, I supply sommeliers (through Mise En Place for Belgium) and one gets a total package together with a QR scan explaining the wines. As far as possible, the same sommeliers are always provided for each event.

Mike Jacobs - also a self-employed top salesman - includes our wines in his presentation package at companies in Flanders, Wallonia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and part of France, where he already has contracts with his own wares varying between annual sales of 5,000, 50,000 to 1,000,000€ per customer. Trump he has direct contact with the CEOs...I myself manage this with a phone or email....By dining directly with the CEO - note CEOs he has worked with for years - he can get immediate approval.

Oct. 21, 2025 Mike was thrown to the lions at the Barolo & Friends event at the Africa Palace in Tervuren. With his "Leonardo di Caprio" look - almost exact copy - when first introduced to our wineries Montalbera, Rizieri, Cascina Gavetta, Casalone, he came across on the spot as if he had known all of them for years. Even to the extent that I disappeared from the scene in their one on one conversation. I stood by and watched how smoothly Mike got along with everyone and was able to instill everyone's confidence in 1-2-3. A talent not everyone is given to click within the second.

But with regard to the Barolo & Friends event, organized by I Vini del Piemonte, I must make a comment: I, who ran an events agency as a business and creative director for 16 years before I went to the Piedmont, was embarrassed by the way Belgium, or more precisely Flanders (almost only Flemish people were present as an audience) presented themselves vis-à-vis the Piedmontese wine growers.

I was amazed that the representatives of the wine estates or the winegrowers themselves had their last meal in Utrecht the day before and had to arrange their own transport to the Africa Palace, which is extremely remote with no or very little transport.

Because the timing was too early no one could take breakfast. Summary: no breakfast, everyone on the train at their own expense, cabs. The vintners were all there 2 hours early, but that timing had been communicated by the organizing party. The only thing offered: coffee à volonté.

Lunch had not been there and no sandwich bar present at Africa Palace, also not mobile, so no one could satisfy the hunger.

So I thought it was my job to make it clear to the organization behind the scenes in Belgium that this was really not possible, that this was barbaric. It was already 5 p.m. and no one had had the opportunity to succeed.

Half an hour later Mike arrived from Oostende with a three hour delay due to the fact that there was a soccer match Milano that day and also the arrival of the Italian president with many access roads closed.

Immediately upon his arrival we were served 7 plates of antipasti in the welcome hall. Since Mike and I had a lot to discuss, I didn't pay attention to whether these plates would also be served in the hall. Not so. Mike, of course, did love the welcome but that turned out to be just for Mike and myself, heard afterwards.

For many, the next meal at the airport (breakfast) was not until the following day, October 22, 2025, as due to problems with public transportation (including cabs) the winemakers only arrived at their hotel after all the kitchens of the surrounding restaurants were closed.

In terms of organization, this obviously draws on nothing! Between reality and appearances there is a world of difference, that much is clear.

Who is at fault here: I Vini del Piemonte or the Belgian organizer????