In 1924, Gaspare Indelicato, a 30-year-old immigrant, was captivated by the landscape of California, which closely resembled that of his Sicilian homeland. This inspiration led him to acquire 68 acres and an old hay barn in the central California town of Manteca, and to plant three small plots of Carignane, Mission, and Zinfandel vines. A century later, this humble beginning has flourished into Delicato Family Wines, boasting an annual production of around 16 million cases, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing family-owned and -operated wineries.
For 100 years, Delicato has been a family-owned and family-run winery, spanning three generations of leadership by Indelicato family members. Today, brothers Chris Indelicato, Chief Executive Officer, and Jay Indelicato, Chief Operating Officer, are at the helm, with cousins and extended family members holding positions throughout the business. “It is a great milestone for the entire family that the company can celebrate its 100th anniversary. Continuing a business through 100 years is a privilege that only few will experience, and we are very proud that the company my grandfather founded in the early part of the twentieth century is still going strong,” reflects Delicato Family Wines CEO Chris Indelicato.
“This achievement is far from coincidental. During the company’s 100-year lifetime, different generations of employees have continually reinvented the business and its products in order to maintain our market-leading position while always respecting the trade and our roots. So far, we have been successful in doing so, and that is a big acknowledgment to those past and present who have invested their energy and passion in our company through the years,” he continued.
As Delicato celebrates a century of winemaking, they take a moment to reflect on their unwavering commitment to hard work, integrity, and relentless pursuit of wine quality, which has been the cornerstone of their journey. This significant milestone is not just a testament to Delicato’s storied past but also a beacon illuminating their path forward. Driven by a blend of tradition and innovation, Delicato maintains a distinguished position in the wine industry. Its portfolio features everything from Gen-Z favorite Bota Box, a leader in the premium 3-liter box wine segment, to esteemed brands such as 1924 and its crown jewel Francis Ford Coppola.
Despite a slowdown in domestic wine consumption in 2023, Delicato has continued to see expansion across its portfolio. However, it’s the export market that Chris Indelicato, CEO and third-generation owner of Delicato Family Wines, views as a reservoir of untapped potential.
Presently, exports constitute less than 5% of the winery’s overall volume, with the aspirations as the wine scion told Vino Joy News in an interview is to be the #3 wine exporter. “That’s the goal right now. I think for us both domestically and internationally we really are looking to become a top three winery globally,” he states.
The ambition to expand globally is underpinned by Delicato’s broad and versatile portfolio, which ranges from introductory options to premium wines from Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey, capable of catering to distributors of different needs. “We can cover the entire country for a distributor,” Indelicato remarks, highlighting the strategic advantage of such diversity.
The Asian market, in particular, has been identified as a significant growth area, despite facing challenges such as currency fluctuations and changing consumer demographics, shares Tom Kriegshauser, Asia Pacific Director at the company. Delicato’s response to these challenges involves a mix of education, promotion, and leveraging its diverse portfolio to rekindle and expand consumer interest in wine.
“I think that’s one of our jobs and one of our things that we’re really trying to look at is how do we get people excited again about wine,” says the export director.
YOUNG CONSUMERS
One of the company’s successes is its ability to engage with Gen-z and millennial drinkers who have been shunning wine increasingly in favor of other beverages.
“A lot of folks have been talking about how millennials are drinking less wine,” says Indelicato, when talking about the millennial wine withdrawal. “Yes, one of the challenges is the industry has premiumized so quickly, wine has become expensive.”
The solution as the family-owned estate provides is to offer quality yet affordable options. “Be over-delivering on wine quality, we’ve been fortunate to be able to provide the consumer with a bottle of wine under $5 that tastes like it’s over $10. So fair value.” This approach allows younger consumers, who might be deterred by high prices, an entry point into the wine category.
Furthermore, Indelicato articulates the brand’s role in cultivating a progression of wine appreciation among its consumers. “We all start out drinking, varietals like, White Zinfandels. And then we end up drinking Cabernet’s from around the world and Bordeaux’s,” he explains, underscoring the strength of Delicato’s portfolio as a gateway for younger drinkers to explore and eventually graduate to more premium wines as their tastes and incomes evolve.
Speaking of Delicato’s bright spots, Indelicato shares, “Our top two brands are growing, and outperforming the market by several percentage points: the Bota Box franchise is up vs prior year, with strong growth in Bota Breeze and Bota Mini Tetra-Paks in the last year”. At the same time, the Francis Coppola Diamond Collection, Delicato’s flagship glass brand, is nicely bucking category trends, growing versus a year ago.
Responding to the demand for healthier drinking options, the group also launched Bota Box Breeze range, offering low-calorie wines at 8% abv. “Bota Breeze is the number one low-calorie, low-alcohol brand in the US by dollars and volume,” says Indelicato, underscoring the brand’s remarkable achievement in this burgeoning category.
“Over the course of the nearly 100 years that we’ve been in the wine business, we’ve seen wine cycle through periods of growth and contraction, and we are well positioned to take advantage of the pockets of growth that currently exist,” Indelicato expresses and elaborates by sharing “that while the market today is soft, we are optimistic about the long-term prospects for California wines.”
As the estate celebrates its 100th anniversary, looking back Indelicato attributes first and foremost its longevity to the winery’s unwavering commitment to quality. “Ultimately, the number one way wines are sold is word of mouth… And that’s the quality of the wine,” he reflects, underlining the quality in all price points from boxed wine to top-tier Napa Cabernets.
