Compagnia del Gusto Holding will acquire Jascots Wine Merchants in Britain

Compagnia del Gusto Holding, the investment platform backed by the Cosulich family, said it will acquire Jascots Wine Merchants in Britain from Freixenet Copestick, a deal that gives the Italian group direct access to one of its most important export markets for wine and food.

The transaction was announced Monday and is expected to close by October 2026, subject to the usual procedures for this type of deal. Through its British subsidiary, Cdgh UK, Compagnia del Gusto Holding will take over all of Jascots’ commercial assets, along with the company’s administrative team and sales force.

Jascots Wine Merchants, founded in 1986, is one of the better-known independent distributors in Britain’s on-trade channel, supplying restaurants, hotels and wine bars. The company posted revenue of £10 million in 2025, according to the announcement.

The acquisition adds a distribution platform in a market that remains central for Italian wine producers seeking visibility in premium hospitality venues. It also shows how producers and investors are putting more weight on control of routes to market, especially in Britain’s restaurant and hotel trade, where imported wines compete for limited shelf space and wine-list placements. For the broader drinks sector, the move points to continued consolidation around distribution networks rather than only production assets, with potential effects on how wine portfolios reach buyers in high-end on-trade accounts.

Compagnia del Gusto Holding said it would continue distributing Jascots’ current international portfolio in the British on-trade while also using the network to bring its own Italian wines and food products into the market. At the same time, Freixenet Copestick and Compagnia del Gusto signed a partnership aimed at strengthening distribution of Italian wines in Britain’s on-trade channel.

Ettore Nicoletto, chief executive of Compagnia del Gusto Holding, described the purchase as a key step in the group’s international growth strategy. He said Britain is a strategic market for high-end Italian wines and that Jascots brings an established distribution platform, an experienced team and deep knowledge of the on-trade business.

Damian Clarke, managing director of Freixenet Copestick and chief sales officer at Henkell Freixenet, said Jascots had delivered strong results since Freixenet Copestick acquired it in 2020. He said the new partnership would provide continuity for the business while creating new development opportunities for staff and customers.

The deal comes as Compagnia del Gusto expands its wine arm through a series of moves. In recent days, the group announced the acquisition of Cantine Romagnoli, a historic winery in the Colli Piacentini founded in 1857. That estate has 45 hectares of vineyards and is known for traditional-method sparkling wines.

Cantine Romagnoli sits within the group’s “Compagnia delle Vigne” division, which also includes Sansego Holding, active in wine production and wine tourism on the Croatian island of Susak through a joint venture with the Spadotto family. Another part of the division is Arya, a project focused on developing and marketing premium wines with very low alcohol content in international markets.

The latest purchase suggests that Compagnia del Gusto is building not only a portfolio of wineries and brands but also a commercial structure abroad to support them. In practical terms, owning a British distributor gives the group a closer link to buyers in restaurants, hotels and bars at a time when producers are under pressure to defend margins and secure stable export channels.

Jascots already works with several Italian labels in Britain, including Cecchi, Val delle Rose, Canalicchio di Sopra, Tommaso Bussola, Rocche di Costamagna, Barone di Villagrande, Mastroberardino, Tiefenbrunner, Sartarelli, Castelvecchio, Citra and Mionetto. That existing presence may help Compagnia del Gusto expand faster in a market where relationships with sommeliers, beverage managers and hospitality groups often matter as much as brand recognition.

For Italian wine companies more broadly, Britain remains an important but demanding destination. The market offers scale and prestige, especially through London and other major cities, but it also requires strong local execution. By buying an established merchant instead of building from scratch, Compagnia del Gusto is choosing speed and market knowledge over a slower organic approach.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.