Fine wine importer relocating from East Bay to Marin County

European Wine Resource Inc., a fine-wine importer and retailer, is relocating its core operations from Point Richmond to Novato in Marin County to improve accessibility and connect with the owner's roots. The move, which involves a 5,655-square-foot space near Highways 101 and 37, aims to eliminate bridge crossings for customers and enhance service for Northern California clients.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready... European Wine Resource Inc. https://europeanwineresource.com/ , a Bay Area-based fine-wine importer, wholesaler and e-commerce retailer, is relocating its core operations from Point Richmond to a more accessible facility in Novato. Co-owner and CEO Michael Scianamblo Jr. said the move connects the business to his Marin County roots while improving service for a loyal customer base that spans Northern California. The company has operated for two decades out of Point Richmond, occupying about 5,300 square feet for main operations and an additional 5,000 square feet for temperature-controlled storage under the entity EWR Cold Storage. Scianamblo is transferring the main operations to a 5,655-square-foot space at 285 Bel Marin Keys Blvd. in Novato and plans to sell the primary East Bay facility. One Richmond building will likely remain in use to serve storage clients. The new Marin site, located near the junction of Highways 101 and 37, offers a more commercial setting and easier freeway access, eliminating the need for bridge crossings for many customers. “Wine is a really unique product. It requires special handling, and a lot of people that don’t want to chance it like to come pick up their orders,” Scianamblo said. From family cellar to online retailer His path into the wine industry began as a youth helping his father, now a retired San Rafael endodontist, manage an extensive collection. This early exposure to European producers and the logistics of wine curation inspired his career. After college, he recognized the potential of e-commerce to disrupt traditional sourcing for collectors and fine dining. Father and son launched European Wine Resource in 2006 with a basic digital catalog and incorporated in 2013. The company’s growth included a period as Amazon’s largest international wine seller before the online marketplace shifted strategies with the 2017 purchase of the grocery chain Whole Foods Market https://press.aboutamazon.com/2017/6/amazon-to-acquire-whole-foods-market . Federal tied-house rules https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-27/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-6 prohibit an alcohol beverage supplier producer, wholesaler or importer from also having an ownership stake in or guiding the marketing at a retailer of the same libations. Today, the firm operates as a lean, four-person team generating sales in the single-digit millions of dollars annually. EWR Cold Storage, launched in 2020, reached full capacity within six months, underscoring the demand for climate-controlled facilities among private collectors and commercial importers. Scianamblo emphasizes a “cold chain” discipline, importing wines via refrigerated sea containers to ensure quality, with occasional air freight for faster, heat-safe transit. Tariffs and regulations create uncertainty Despite his enthusiasm for the work, Scianamblo faces significant headwinds, primarily from volatile trade policies. The business model relies on maintaining physical inventory, typically worth several million dollars. That has helped as a cushion amid sustained tariffs that compress margins for importers. While a 15% tariff is manageable through shared costs along the supply chain, Scianamblo warns that proposals for significantly higher duties — such as a threatened 100% tariff on French wines https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-threatens-100-tariff-french-104329473.html — would be prohibitive. “If it’s 100% it might as well be 1,000% because no one’s going to bring anything in,” he said. Even 25% tariffs imposed on French wine in 2019 and 2021 were “really devastating” for the company’s modest-markup, online-oriented business. Navigating the U.S. regulatory landscape also remains complex. State-by-state shipping laws vary widely, requiring investments in specialized software to manage taxes, licensing and reporting. Competition has also evolved. New online operators often use automated software to list wines they do not physically hold, a practice Scianamblo contrasts with his own inventory-backed model. While he has seen competitors fail, leaving customers with long delays or unfulfilled orders, his business maintains a focus on in-stock availability. The exception is the longstanding participation in buying Bordeaux futures, which involve production not yet released from the winery. Reflecting on the industry’s cycles, from pandemic-era surges to recent economic shifts, Scianamblo remains energized. “I love coming to work every day,” he said. “I’ve never once gotten up in the morning and not wanted to come to work.” In the Marin lease deal, inked in April, Nathan Ballard of Keegan & Coppin Co. Inc. represented European Wine Resource. The property owner is Martine Saunier Living Trust. Saunier started importer Martine’s Wines https://www.mwines.com/ in 1979, sold it in 2012 and died last year https://www.mwines.com/martine-in-memoriam/ . The company she started continues to operate in an adjoining condo at 285 Bel Marin Keys. Jeff Quackenbush joined North Bay Business Journal in May 1999. Reach him at jeff@nbbj.news or 707-521-4256.