Good Mansion Wines (GMW) is now celebrating 10 years of importing the best in Italian foods just in time for holiday shopping.
“This holiday season we are featuring the largest inventory of imports that we’ve ever had,” said Dominick Cerrone, owner of the wine shop that has grown into so much more.
It began in 2013, when Cerrone imported his first monocultivar (single olive) olive oil from the Marche region of Italy.
“I wanted a good olive oil for my home, made from the fussy but prized Ascolana olive, and when I placed a small order of it, an explosion of interest took hold. For the first time, customers were able to get an olive oil of prized quality and distinction, rated three leaves by the definitive Italian food media Gambero Rosso, instead of the industrial products found in big box retail in the states. This was occurring during the same time as the olive oil scares in the US market, where much of the oil on shelves and grocery stores was confirmed to be neither olive nor from Italy,” he explained.
Customers caught on quickly, and Cerrone realized there was a demand for procuring prized regional products throughout Italy, from balsamic vinegar to tomato products, pasta, rice and more.
Establishing a direct supply chain from the grower and producer to GMW, Cerrone traveled to Italian trade shows, farms and facilities, to work with these family producers, developing very tight friendships along the way.
“It’s always a very special occasion when you know and trust the people who make the food you eat. How rare is that in today’s industrial consumer model,” he added.
Good Mansion Wines has become synonymous in the Italian export market with seeking out small, fledgling family enterprises that bring distinctive, regional products to an international market for the first time. This includes working diligently to register them with the US FDA and educating consumers about them.
“This is much more than simply importing. It’s a 360-degree process for both the small Italian family producers, as well as the American consumer,” he said.
According to Cerrone, in Italy, food is the culmination and primary expression of tradition and family.
“Food traditions are handed down from generation to generation, innovated upon and perfected. In America, food is largely based on fads and trends, and the familial bond is weaker. Therefore, it takes lots of education and promotion to get our American customers focused away from gimmicks and fads and in touch with these hand-grown and crafted products of authenticity.”
“Our first venture with olive oil was with Italian food consultant Rita Lauretti from Rome, who was just emerging onto the fledgling international export scene of small high-quality Italian foods at that time, consulting with the family company producing that oil. We worked together closely in the early years, traveling together and identifying foods of great interest to the American consumer. In fact, our company was the first that brought some products to the US market, many of which have broad exposure now in the US 10 years later,” he said.
“I started working with Dominick more than 10 years ago,” explained Lauretti, who is a food export manager in Rome. “I quickly realized that he is a pioneer of high food quality in the United States. He had the desire to import extra virgin olive oils from small producers who were awarded for their outstanding production.
“Over the years, he also imported savory and sweet products that were later taken up by other importers or distributors for their unique taste: capers from Pantelleria island (Sicily), organic tomatoes from Paglione farm, (Apulia) balsamic vinegar from Acetomodena (Emilia Romagna), Pasta Mancini (Le Marche), and many, many others. He has a special touch for scouting the food goodness.”
Good Mansion Wines now offers more choices than ever for gift giving or enjoying a special treat at home. There are hundreds of choices in everything from fine French chocolates, delicious Italian panettone, impressive fig products, Italian pasta and sauces.
The imported foods perfectly complement the selection of fine wines, ports and dessert vintages, from all the major wine producing regions in the world. In fact, this small shop can claim the largest selection of European wines in the tri-state region.
“We pride ourselves on giving Wheeling the best,” Cerrone added. “We are the US importer that was first to market for some of our Italian food imports, some of which regularly appear now on larger e-commerce sites, national food media and international shopping venues like airports through subsequent importers.”
International cheeses, French pastry, craft Italian coffee and daily lunch from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. are also on the menu.
Cerrone wants to offer customers a one-stop shopping site for holiday needs, comparing it to the Eataly experience available in Chicago, New York, Boston and other major cities.
“I like to compare Good Mansion Wines to an entire market house, but with carefully procured and sourced products, from fresh bakery and dessert products to charcuterie and cheese items, to shelf-stable foods and wines,” he said.
This makes it an attractive shopping location for regular customers from Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Columbus who drive specifically to Wheeling to get products that are not available in these larger markets. There also is an online e-commerce site that serves customers all over the US.
“Our largest online markets are actually New York City and Los Angeles,” Cerrone said.
Located at 95-14th St., Wheeling, Good Mansion Wines is open from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., daily, with special hours are 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. It is closed on both Christmas and Easter days.
For more information, please call 304-233-2632 or visit goodmansionwines.com.
