Stotesbery family acquires Govino 'glassware' maker

[caption id="attachment_86175" align="alignnone" width="500"] Joseph Perrulli started Govino in 2008 to provide high-quality wine tasting glasses and decanters that were easier to pack and wouldn't break. Funds from the Stotesberg family are set to accelerate product development and expand sales.[/caption]

ST. HELENA -- A Napa Valley vintner family acquired Govino, St. Helena-based maker of shatter-resistant, stemless glasses and decanters designed for serious lovers of wine and cocktails on the go.

Pat Stotesbery, owner of Ladera Vineyards on Howell Mountain, and a group of family members purchased brand technology, product lines, distribution and the customer database for an undisclosed sum, the parties announced Thursday. Joseph Perrulli, who launched Govino in 2008, retains some ownership and will remain creative director.

"Napa has always been a center of innovation and progress," said Mr. Stotesbery, a grapegrower since 1996 and vintner since 2000. "We see the possibilities for Govino as endless, and we look forward to guiding the company to the next level while preserving the special ingenuity and integrity that is characteristically Napa Valley."

The new influx of investment is set to allow Govino to immediately accelerate expansion and broaden the product line.

"To take Govino to the next level with the increased credibility and backing of one of Napa’s most prominent vintners is extraordinary," Mr. Perrulli said. "The success of Govino is at the heart of Napa's wine industry and to further connect Govino with Napa, one of the preeminent winegrowing regions of the world, is very important to me."

Govino (707-501-8700, govinowine.com) will still be based in St. Helena and design its products, and production will stay in Chicago for the U.S., Canada and Scandinavia, and in Taiwan for Europe and the Pacific Rim, according to the company. The "glassware" is sold on the company website and through wine distributors, wholesalers and manufacturing representatives.

Govino wine, cocktail and flute glasses and decanters are made from a BPA-free plastic designed to mimic a crystal glass' display of wine color and concentration of aromatics. Mr. Perrulli received a patent for the thumb-sized notch in the side of each glass, intended to help maintain grip for swirling and pouring.

Mr. Perrulli said he came up with the idea in 1999 when he was poured an expensive Rhone wine in a plastic cup. Nine years and multiple prototypes later, the first production run was sold to Dean & Deluca, Sunshine Foods and St. Helena Wine Company.

Govino products have won numerous design awards including two International Design Excellence Awards and the Good Design award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

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