Meet Vic Motto
Co-Founder | The Benchmark for Wine Industry Expertise
Vic Motto
Co-Founder | The Benchmark for Wine Industry
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our co-founder Vic Motto at home in Florida on September 1, 2024. Vic served as its CEO for 14 years. He was experienced as an investment banker, management consultant and CPA specialized in wine industry mergers, acquisitions and strategy. His clients included many of the top wine businesses around the world, including several major international wine companies. Vic had also served as a Director or advisor to wine industry trade groups and universities, and as a Director on the Boards of several wine companies. He taught, wrote and spoke on the wine industry and was often quoted in major media.
Prior to Global Wine Partners
Prior to founding Global Wine Partners and its predecessor firm MKF Wine Business Advisors in 1982, he was an executive with a major international management-consulting firm and member of their U.S. national real estate team advising REIT’s and large scale real estate developers, and was previously in the retail wine trade as a manager and wine buyer for the largest U.S. wine retail chain.
“I can’t think of a better place to live or a better industry to be part of.”
-Vic Motto
From the Napa Valley Register
10 Questions With Vic Motto
What three people would you most like to have dinner with?
My wonderful wife, the fascinating, urbane Sandy Timpson Motto, Thomas Jefferson, the godfather of wine in America, and Socrates, the Greek philosopher, to find the path to the truth.
What job would you like to try/not try?
University professor in the humanities/Military general.
What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?
Finding the best human resources locally to grow the business, particularly in the early days. If you look at the wine industry, we’ve got a lot of very well-trained people in growing and wine making. But in the other disciplines — finance, sales, marketing and management, the best opportunities in those fields are often in a big city somewhere.This didn’t use to be the place to start a career. We’ve grown up with the industry.
What is your most treasured possession?
Although I treasure many things much more than possessions, I do have an 1882 Martin guitar that is very special.
What’s on your to-do list?
To live as well and as long as my 96-year-old Mother who just renewed her driver’s license for six more years. What a woman.
Who do you most admire in the business world?
Robert Mondavi, of course. He is the inspiration for so many, and the reason many of us are here in the fascinating business of wine.
What is one necessary extravagance in your life?
Travel for pleasure and experience. Traveling helps you appreciate what you have, it helps you put things in perspective.
What’s something people might be surprised to know about you?
When I was a teenager, I did some professional cartoon work. I did some work for Fred Laswell who had a cartoon strip called “Snuffy Smith.” I was his assistant. I wanted to be a commercial illustrator. But then I got into music. Most people are surprised to learn that I started life as an artist and musician and became a business advisor, but no one is more surprised than me.
What is your favorite charity?
Cancer research through various charities, the terrible killer of so many loved ones.
How did you end up in Napa?
“Like many people I came to the area as a tourist,” said Motto.
He traveled to the area year after year, “until I loved the place so much I decided to move here and open a business in management consulting.”
That was 1981. “I bootstrapped that business into what we have today,” Motto said.
“Wine kept calling and finally I answered.”
