How do I become a Bella Principessa distributor?

The short answer

In the US, every bottle reaches a shelf or a bar through a distributor. We know that, and we build for it. Since the end of Prohibition, most states have used a three-tier system. The importer brings the wine into the country. A licensed distributor (wholesaler) buys it and sells it to stores, restaurants, bars and hotels. Those retailers sell it to you. Each state writes its own rules, so a distributor is appointed state by state, and a wine that's sold in Florida isn't automatically sold in Georgia.

Answered by Michael Goldstein · Founder, Bella Principessa

The full answer

In the US, every bottle reaches a shelf or a bar through a distributor. We know that, and we build for it.

How wine moves in the US

Since the end of Prohibition, most states have used a three-tier system. The importer brings the wine into the country. A licensed distributor (wholesaler) buys it and sells it to stores, restaurants, bars and hotels. Those retailers sell it to you. Each state writes its own rules, so a distributor is appointed state by state, and a wine that’s sold in Florida isn’t automatically sold in Georgia.

A few states, such as Pennsylvania and Utah, are control states: the state itself buys the wine for its own stores. There, the route to the shelf runs through the state’s listing process rather than an independent distributor alone.

Many states also have franchise laws that make a distributor appointment hard to undo. That’s one reason we choose carefully, and why we’d rather open one state well than five badly.

How we work with distributors

  • State by state. Separate license, separate distributor. We open a state when the sales are there to support it, not because a calendar says so.
  • Proof before scale. We win the first accounts ourselves, so you start with a brand that’s already moving, not a promise.
  • A clear role in your book. A distributor that already has a lead Prosecco will protect it. One that doesn’t usually wants one. We’re looking for the second kind.

What to send us

  • The states where you hold a wholesale license.
  • Your account mix: chain and independent retail, restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs.
  • The sparkling wines and Proseccos you carry today, and where the gap is.
  • Who on your team would own the brand.

The more specific you are, the faster we can tell you whether it’s a fit.

Where we are: in market in Florida since December 2025, opening further states one at a time.

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How can my store stock Bella Principessa?

Most Prosecco is chosen because it's there. Bella Principessa is chosen because it's remembered. On a shelf of look-alike labels, a ceramic-painted bottle doesn't need a shelf-talker. People pick it up because it's beautiful. They come back because the wine lives up to the bottle.

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Can my bar, restaurant or hotel pour Bella Principessa?

On the floor, the bottle is the pitch. No paper label. Ceramic-painted glass, butterflies and flowers. It turns heads when it leaves the bar, and the next table orders one too.

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Why add Bella Principessa if we already carry a Prosecco?

Prosecco became famous before any Prosecco brand did. Ask a guest what they're drinking and you'll hear "Prosecco." Ask which one, and you'll usually get a shrug. Cold, available, good enough. The category did the selling. No brand had to.

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How do I become an agent or importer in another country?

Bella Principessa started small, sold bottle by bottle by our founder and his sister. Then we took what we learned to the US, one of the biggest export markets for Prosecco, and earned it again.

Importer or agent, what we look for, what to send
What sizes and formats can partners order?

Two wines. One signature. Both come in ceramic-painted bottles with no paper label, and both are sealed with a cork under a wire cage. 750 mL is the standard US wine bottle: about 25.4 oz, or five 5 oz glasses. It's the size stores shelve, venues pour by the glass and bottle, and hosts buy by the case.

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I’m hosting an event. How can we collaborate with Bella Principessa?

Partnerships, not handouts. Prosecco brings people together. Bella Principessa gives them something to remember. We love events where friendship is the point, and we're proud to be part of the ones that give something back: a real place in the moment, guests who meet the brand, and a reason to look for it again.

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What happens after I submit interest?

No black hole. A person reads it. Tell us more than you think you need to. The best submissions say: Specific beats polite. "Two wine bars in Miami pouring 30 bottles of Prosecco a week" tells us far more than "interested in your brand."

What happens next, and how to get a faster answer

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