London and Merano: two capitals of international wine have welcomed in Europe the meeting between the Pasqua family and the American wine icon Charles Smith. A partnership that combines Italian vision and the energy of the U.S. Pacific Northwest under the banner of authenticity.
A debut between London and Merano for the alliance between Pasqua Wines and Charles Smith
Pasqua Wines, an ambassador in the world of Valpolicella and Venetian wines, and Charles Smith, one of the most original and disruptive personalities in American winemaking, have chosen the United Kingdom and Italy for the official debut of their new partnership.
A strategic choice that touches two key markets for decision-makers in the sector: the United Kingdom, an international hub for taste and wine business, and Italy, the homeland of the Pasqua family and the stage for its tireless pursuit of innovation.
The agreement sees the Verona-based winery as a minority partner in the Real Wine brand and global distributor of the K Vintners, Sixto, and the entire House of Smith portfolio.
London: a toast in the iconic venues of contemporary luxury
The first leg of the European tour took place on Friday, November 7, in London, starting from one of the most iconic symbols of contemporary luxury: Harrods. At Harrods Pizzeria by Pasqua, press and guests attended an aperitif featuring 11 Minutes rosé paired with a selection of pizzas, before joining a tasting of House of Smith labels, personally guided by Charles Smith together with Riccardo Pasqua (CEO of Pasqua Wines), Cecilia Pasqua (Export Manager Northern Europe), and Andrea Pasqua (Head of Business Development).
For this first meeting with Europe, Charles Smith chose to focus attention on two projects in particular: Real Wine, the new brand in which the Verona winery is now investing, and K Vintners, the single-vineyard line where the winemaker masterfully expresses his unmistakable “Syrah Signature.”
Tasting lineup:
Sex Rosé 2024, Blossom Fury Riesling 2024, Real Wine Chardonnay 2022, Real Wine Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Sixto Uncovered Chardonnay 2020, K Vintners The Creator 2021 (blend of Cabernet and Syrah), K Vintners MCK Syrah 2022, and K Vintners Royal City Syrah 2021.
The London day concluded with Pasqua Wines’ participation in Saatchi Late, an event by Saatchi Gallery in London—one of the most renowned international institutions of contemporary art—of which the Verona winery is a partner. The final toast, naturally, bore the Pasqua signature.
Merano: Italian premiere for the Real Wine project
The following day, Saturday, November 8, Pasqua Vini and Charles Smith chose the Merano WineFestival as the ideal setting to officially present their collaboration to the Italian public.
To close the American winemaker’s first trip to Italy, an exclusive dinner was held at the Sigmund restaurant in Merano, organized in partnership with the Festival and reserved for a select group of guests from the press and trade. A soirée attended also by us at WineCouture, conceived as a dialogue between two visions of wine: House of Smith and Pasqua Wines, with Real Wine and K Vintners as protagonists.
A shared vision: Charles Smith’s art of “Low Intervention Winemaking”
“We are thrilled to finally present the icons of the House of Smith portfolio to the European public, which over the years have stood out for their originality, becoming a benchmark for global winemaking,” said Riccardo Pasqua. “Charles Smith’s irreverent yet extremely meticulous approach is a constant source of inspiration for us. We strongly believe in the Real Wine project, where we want to bring our energy and expertise to create intriguing and inspiring wines for wine lovers worldwide.”
Charles Smith echoed: “Thanks to the synergy with Pasqua, one of the most innovative players on the international wine scene, we bring all the strength and identity of our wines to Europe. The London and Merano roadshow was a valuable opportunity to give voice to the passion that drives us to make wine every day.”
Real Wine: the wine that speaks for itself
As Andrea Pasqua explained during the Merano evening, the collaboration with Charles Smith goes far beyond a commercial agreement:
“With Charles Smith, we share a vision. Pasqua Wines has entered as a minority partner in Real Wine to develop this concept together for the future.”
The project stems from Smith’s production philosophy, his “Low Intervention Winemaking,” based on absolute respect for the grapes and the land. No chemical agents, spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, minimal manipulation from vineyard to bottle.
An approach rooted in the extraordinary quality of Washington State’s terroir in the Pacific Northwest, a region that, as Andrea Pasqua recalled, “is located at the same latitude as Beaune in Burgundy and offers ideal soil and climate conditions for high-level, sustainable viticulture.”
But Real Wine is not just a way of producing: it is also a way of communicating. “The wine market is changing,” noted Andrea Pasqua. “Younger consumers demand transparency, authenticity, sustainability, and real stories. Real Wine was created to speak to them, with a contemporary and direct language.”
The label clearly conveys this philosophy, highlighting ingredients and production methods, and using modern, unconventional branding aligned with the vision of new global consumers.
The first two wines of the project, Real Wine Chardonnay 2022 and Real Wine Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, embody this shared vision between Pasqua Vini and Charles Smith: straightforward wines, of great quality yet accessible, capable of breaking the mold and speaking the language of the future.
“This project with Charles Smith breaks the mold,” concluded Andrea Pasqua. “It was born from the desire to speak to the consumer of the future, with authentic and contemporary wines.”
From the London debut to the Merano dinner, Real Wine marks the beginning of a new chapter for Pasqua Wines: a bridge between two wine cultures united by a single philosophy—the commitment to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in the glass.
