Antonio Galloni is an American

wine critic Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

. He is the founder and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

(CEO) of Vinous for which he is also the lead critic covering the wines of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

. From 2006 to 2013, Galloni was a

tasting Dégustation is the careful, appreciative tasting of various food, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. Dégustation is more likely to involve sampling small portions of all of a chef's signature di ...

staff member of Robert Parker's publication ''

The Wine Advocate ''The Wine Advocate'', fully known as ''Robert Parker's Wine Advocate'' and informally abbreviated ''TWA'' or ''WA ''or more recently as ''RP'', is a bimonthly wine publication based in the United States featuring the consumer advice of wine criti ...

''. In May 2013, Galloni founded

Vinous The color wine or bordeaux, vinous, vinaceous, is a dark shade of red. It is a representation of the typical color of red wine. The first recorded use of ''wine'' as a color name in English was in 1705. The term "bordeaux" is also sometimes u ...

Early life and education

Galloni was born in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

to an Italian father and American mother. When he was eleven the family moved to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

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 Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

, 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 Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

in jazz composition and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

. After a stint as a

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

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 Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

office. 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 The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, a ...

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 it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. 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 Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted for ...

, and became a contributor to Parker's ''Wine Buyer’s Guide''. In January 2011, as Parker restructured the coverage of his staff of reviewers and announced he would no longer review

California wine California wine production has a rich viticulture history since 1680 when Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted ''Vitis vinifera'' vines native to the Mediterranean region in their established missions to produce wine for religious services. In ...

, Galloni's area of coverage was expanded to include California,

Chablis Chablis () is a town and commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It lies in the valley of the River Serein. Wine The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous French white w ...

and the Côte d'Or.Bonné, Jon, ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (February 7, 2011)
Robert Parker passes the California torch
/ref> Galloni has stated in ''The Wine Advocate'' issue 186 that he will only review Champagne that provides a

disgorgement Disgorgement is defined by ''Black's Law Dictionary'' as "the act of giving up something (such as profits illegally obtained) on demand or by legal compulsion." Overview Disgorgement is a remedy or penalty used in US securities law. For examp ...

date so he may accurately rate a Champagne by its release. In 2013, Antonio left ''The Wine Advocate ''to start his own website, ''Vinous''. 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,Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (February 12, 2013
A New Web Venture for Antonio Galloni
/ref>Woodard, Richard, ''Decanter,com'' (February 14, 2013)
Galloni leaves Wine Advocate
/ref> launched under the brand

. 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

from the 2013 vintage, as well as craft spirits. 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 Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

against Galloni five weeks after his departure for breach of contract, fraud and defamation.Bonné, Jon, ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (March 20, 2013)
The Wine Advocate sues Antonio Galloni
/ref>Lechmere, Adam, ''Decanter.com'' (March 21, 2013)
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate sues Antonio Galloni for fraud and defamation
/ref>Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (March 21, 2013)
Robert Parker vs. Antonio Galloni
/ref> The lawsuit, filed in

U.S. District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

in Maryland, advancing the complaint, was never served.''Shanken News Daily'' (March 21, 2013)
Parker’s Advocate Suing Former Contributor Galloni In Federal Court
/ref> All the articles cited in the case have subsequently appeared on Galloni's Vinous Media website.Official Vinous website
Articles
/ref> 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.”

References

External links