Neil Empson, Pioneer of Fine Italian Wine in the US Market, Passes Away

Neil Empson was a good man. That is, by far, the single most important thing one can say about anyone who passes away. What really counts is not that said person was an important man,  or a famous man, which of course Neil Empson was, but a good man. Because Neil was both famous and important, but I’m sure he’d much prefer to be remembered as a good man. I know I would. Neil Empson passed away at age 85 and will be missed by everyone who knew him.

I have no idea when I first met Neil. My memory is not what it used to be: in fact, right now, if you were to ask me where I put the keys to the house only a few hours ago, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell you. But I do remember Neil. And I remember him well.

First off, there’s much to admire about someone who spent his honeymoon in Portofino (in 1969): after all, Love in Portofino (1958) by Fred Buscaglione is one of my favourite Italian songs, but I guess that’s probably besides the point.

But that song, and that honeymoon, are in fact very much the point: Neil Empson loved Italy, wanted to live there and turned it into his life work. And so he did. After having begun by selling cars (but not just any cars: in a sign of what was to be, he also sold Ferraris), he created an Italian wine importing company that was to be successful like few others. With offices in the USA, Italy, Canada and Japan, and about fifty growers in the fold the wines of whom are exported to roughly thirty and more countries, not to mention numerous accolades and awards to his credit, Empson was a force to be reckoned with.

For nearly a half century Empson  & Co. championed fine Italian wines in the United States and around the world. Founded by Neil and Maria Empson in 1972, at a time when Cirò, Chianti and Soave were the only Italian wines most people had heard of, Empson was the first to bring quality wines from the likes of Gaja, Sassicaia, Marcarini, Boscarelli, Pieropan and many others into the USA.

In ultimate analysis, Neil Empson and I shared many similar beliefs. Wine is about quality (we both loved the Soave wines of Pieropan, for example) but above all, it is about people and relationships. Loyalty is an oft-forgotten commodity in today’s world of wine, but that was never the case with Neil, who forged and maintained long-standing relationships with almost all his wineries and their people. I know for a fact that the people running the wineries the wines of which he imported liked Neil as much as he liked them: they more or less all told me so in fact. There was much more there than a working relationship between Neil and his wineries and their people, something that was much closer to friendship.

And you know, friendships are easy to create, with a good man.

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The EMPSON Companies announced the passing of their beloved Chairman and Co-Founder, Neil Trevanion Howard Empson, on Saturday, September 14, 2024. He was 85 years old. Neil Empson was the chairman and co-founder of Empson & Co. (1972), Empson USA (1991), and Empson Canada (2000) and was a pioneer in exporting fine Italian wines to the USA, Canada, and elsewhere. He and his wife Maria were at the forefront of the quality revolution during the early days of Italian exports and continued to uncover and champion unheralded regions which today have become benchmarks of that revolution. Knowing that quality is not constrained by any boundaries, they expanded their table and proudly showcase wines from Oregon, California, New Zealand, & Chile.

Neil was born on March 16, 1939, in the famous agricultural district of Waikato in New Zealand and passed away on September 14, 2024.

Neil Empson is survived by his beloved wife and business partner of 50+ years, Maria Gemma Empson, and his three children, Tara Empson (Owner/CEO of Empson & Co, Empson USA and Empson Canada), Tracy Rudich (Owner/CEO of Vinntra Pty Ltd / Intimo), Paul Empson (Owner/CEO of Paul Empson Photography), his beloved siblings Heather, Margaret and Graham of Australia, as well as his grandchildren.

The Empson family

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Ian D’Agata
Ian D’Agata

Ian D’Agata is an internationally famous, multi-award winning author who has been speaking and writing about wine for thirty years. His latest books (Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs, Italy’s Grapes and Wines: The definitive Compendium Region by Region and the most recent, Barolo Terroir) are considered the bibles of Italian wine and have received numerous prestigious awards such as the Louis Roederer International Wine Awards “Book of the Year” title, the Gourmand World Book Awards “Best European Wine Book” and being named to the “Best Wine Books of the Year” lists of newspapers and magazines such as the NY Times, the Financial Times and Food & Wine. For eight years, Ian has also been the co-author of the Italy section in Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Book of Wine, the world’s best- selling wine guide with 46 editions to date and over 12 Million copies sold all over the world; he has since been also put in charge of the Alsace and Malta sections.
He is the is currently the President of Ian D’Agata Wine Culture, one of China’s wine education platforms, that includes the Ian D’Agata Wine Review and the Ian D’Agata Wine Academy. Ian is a former staff writer at Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Contributing Editor of Decanter, and Senior Editor of Vinous. His writings have always focused on the wines of Italy, France, China and Canada, for which he has won numerous international awards and accolades, including the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia “Best Youngest Wine Journalist of Italy” and the “Best Wine Journalist of Italy” awards, as well as Canada’s 2018 VQA award (Out of Ontario section) and 2017 Cuvée Award of Excellence.
Intensely devoted to the research and study of native wine grapes, Ian was officially named in 2015 to Italy’s prestigious Accademia della Vite e del Vino (Italy’s official association of wine academicians, researchers, and university professors) and is currently the Vice President of the Association Internationale des Terroirs.

Contacts: Instagram: @ian_dagata; Email: iandomenicodagata@outlook.it

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