Real Italian Wine
Sheila Donohue, founder of VeroVino
By now, you should all know that Vero means “Real” in Italian. What you may not know is that our slogan is “Connecting Passion.” People find out about us, our producers and products mainly through word of mouth because they share our passion of discovering and enjoying authentic, wild and scarce wines and foods by small farmer-artisans.
Journalists, like Helen Gregory, who have this passion and “get” the value-add that we provide help “the word” to reach more people that not only align with our ethos and values, but, most importantly, love the joy of finding a hidden gem. Slowly but surely, in this organic way, we, along with our Vero producers, are winning the hearts and palates of wine and food explorers across America.
Helen wrote the following article in the magazine of Fra Noi, a Chicago based media company which “brings Italy and Italian America to your doorstep.” We thought it captures really well the essence of what we are. We got the permission to republish it, so enjoy!
Meet VeroVino
Sheila Donohue of VeroVino has made it her life’s mission to focus on small-production wines, olive oils and foods from Italy and beyond. A native New Yorker, Donohue trained as a sommelier in Italy while working full-time in banking and technology. She lived in Bologna for 20 years, finding her vocation in wine along the way. A champion of small producers farming their own land, Donohue now runs a specialty craft-wine importing company based in Ventura, California.
Donohue didn’t start out in the wine industry; it’s the path she chose after much reflection. In 2016, she was at a crossroads in her life with a yearlong sabbatical in Italy to reevaluate the future. “I had a passion for wine and started to formulate an idea to support small producers,” Donohue recalls. VeroVino launched in 2017: The name means “real wine” in Italian and captures her mission to represent sustainably made, authentic products that exemplify the true nature of wines and winemaking.
By one measure, only 1% of the world’s wines will make it to the U.S. And of those, the smallest slice is represented by VeroVino. Donohue lists her wines on the VeroVino website [in the VeroShop] along with the number of bottles available to buy. That number is often under 20. It’s a portfolio of hidden gems made by farmer-artisans who are committed to making wines that are a true expression of place and with a profound respect for eco-friendly practices that respect the land. With every story Donohue shares, the people behind the wines emerge as the real inspiration for her business.
Meet Some of the Vero Producers
In 2018, Donohue met Hilde Petrussa and Francesca Mecchia, the mother-daughter team behind Vigna Petrussa, located in the village of Albana on the border of Friuli and Slovenia. Petrussa took over as winemaker and vigneron from her mother in 1995. Now in its third generation as a woman-owned winery, Vigna Petrussa is an anomaly in this idyllic, very traditional region. Petrussa has always focused on high-quality, indigenous grapes, defying protocol by reviving Schioppettino, a red heirloom grape originally excluded from the official registry of approved varieties. Recalling the grape with fondness from her childhood, Petrussa helped establish the DOC Schioppettino while also serving as the association’s first president. Petrussa makes a range of wines, including four styles of Schioppettino [from unoaked, to classic, riserva, and even dessert]. All are hand-harvested, and the top tiers are extremely rare. It’s worth cherishing this elegant variety, which lingers on the palate with notes of fresh pepper and violets. This January, Vigna Petrussa Schioppettino 2019 received the renowned Tre Bicchieri award, an exceptional achievement for a wine that Petrussa rescued from obscurity.
Like Petrussa, the family that owns Case Corini in Piedmont also believes in making a difference. Fifth-generation winemaker Lorenzo Corino passed away in 2021, leaving his children at the helm with a tremendous legacy to fulfill. Corino was an advocate of zero-zero (nothing added, nothing removed) winemaking and responsible agriculture. The Case Corini Centin is sourced from naturally cultivated 70-year-old vines, a pure expression of Nebbiolo with notes of cardamom, cherry and forest fruits. Corino’s generous and inquisitive nature also encompassed years of groundbreaking work in regenerative farming in collaboration with biodynamic wine and olive oil entrepreneur Antonella Manuli of La Maliosa in Tuscany, another VeroVino partner. Manuli found a mentor in Corino, who taught her to make wines that are respectful of nature and people. They’re also beautifully balanced and a pleasure to drink.
Boutique importers like VeroVino are safeguarding Italy’s artisanal wine traditions. As Donohue explains, “You don’t always need evolution. Just go back to basics! We’ve come full circle from state-of-the-art advances to appreciating the origins of authentic wine.”
This article was written by journalist Helen Gregory, the Founder and President of Gregory + Vine.
Try “Vero” Italian Wines
As a wine merchant, we sell our portfolio of authentic, wild and scarce farm-to-glass wines and olive oils to businesses and consumers across the US:
If you are a distributor reach out to us introduce our highly curated portfolio of one of a kind small production wines to your state.
We sell to wine stores and restaurants in certain states - contact us to learn more.
If our farm crafted wines and olive oils are not in your local shop or restaurant, you can buy wine online here, and we’ll ship it to you, including wine gifts.
We also have an award winning wine club for true wine explorers that are seeking to continually discover unique, sustainable and authentic small production wines they never had. These are wines selected by our sommeliers and curated for each box.
We do corporate gifts and sommelier guided wine tastings. Email us and we’ll tailor unique and sustainable corporate gift ideas.