ONWINE is a wine platform that makes a difference for winemakers and wine lovers. The platform is a product of love and frustration—love for local winemakers and wines with a story, and frustration with the somewhat narrow and conservative wine world.
Background
Three years ago, we traveled to Piemonte, Northern Italy, for a short vacation. We visited Gijs' parents, enjoyed the beautiful weather, delicious food, and of course, visited a local winemaker for a wine tasting. During that tasting, we discovered our favorite wine. The ambiance made the wine taste fantastic, but it was especially the explanation from the winemaker that made it shine. With every passionate word she spoke about her wine and the winery's traditions, the wine tasted better and better.
When we returned from our holiday, we tried to recreate that experience by buying our favorite wine from that particular winemaker. However, the wine was nowhere to be found. No wine shop or webshop carried this delightful wine. We emailed the winemaker herself and asked if she could ship her wines to the Netherlands.
Her answer was a clear ‘No!’.
Problem
Regulations made it impossible for her to ship wine directly to private customers across borders. The only way to get her wine in the Netherlands was if she partnered with an importer. However, she couldn’t meet the high volume and low price requirements such a partnership entailed, so it wasn’t an option. Disappointed, we turned to other wines that were just a little less good. Then, a year later, the COVID-19 crisis struck.
Northern Italy was an epicenter during the early waves of the pandemic, with devastating effects on small and medium-sized businesses, including winemakers. Gijs' parents, Aad and Esther, heard from their winemaker friends how difficult the period was and how little perspective there was for selling their wines; after all, there was no tourism, and all local hospitality was closed. This was also true for our favorite winemaker, motivating us to find a solution together with Aad and Esther. With backgrounds in hospitality, finance, and a healthy dose of entrepreneurship, we took on the challenge to make a difference for winemakers and wine lovers alike.
Solution
The ONWINE platform enables direct transactions between wine lovers and winemakers. This gives winemakers access to entirely new international markets, and now wine lovers can have wines delivered to their door that were previously unavailable. ONWINE takes care of all fiscal matters related to excise duties and taxes and arranges transport from the vineyard to the glass.
Want to know more about how we work?
Click here!
In February 2021, we started with 15 friendly winemakers in Piedmont, and we have since grown into a diverse platform with an offering from numerous winemakers across all regions of Italy who can ship to wine lovers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Our goal is to continue that growth, connecting even more winemakers and wine lovers, and further shaking up the wine world!
Saluti!
Casper and Gijs
