2003: Intrigue Sparked
Charles Lazzara’s first wine revelation came during his junior year of college while studying abroad in Florence, Italy. His mom and dad came to visit him, they rented a car on his 21st birthday, and decided to drive through the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. They somehow found themselves in a small town called Radda in Chianti, where Charles and his father happened upon a winery named Poggerino. He tasted the wines, toured the small farm, and began developing his curiosity for the wine business.
2006: First Winery on Board
At 25, Charles took a leave from his straight-laced financial consulting job and grabbed a flight back to Tuscany, business plan in hand, to propose himself as Poggerino’s importer. He promised cash for the first pallet destined for Colorado, the owner and winemaker Piero Lanza agreed, and Volio was off to the races.
2007: Volio Founded
Charles started both Volio Vino Imports and Volio Vino Distribution, based in Denver, CO.
2007-2017: Up, Up & Away
Over the ten years that followed, Imports and Distribution excelled. Charles’ network and relationships expanded, he met many brilliant, thoughtful winemakers, he drank too many wines to count, and built Volio to showcase the best of what he had experienced. Between 2010-2017, three wines from Volio’s producers made the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines in the World–a gratifying reflection of the high standards of the Volio portfolio and the hard work of our producers.
2017: Volio Vino Distribution Sold
With significant changes to independent wine retail on the horizon in Colorado, Charles sold Volio Vino Distribution to a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway called Empire Distributors. Charles welcomed the increased time and energy he now had to dedicate himself to the growth of Volio Imports—and, by then, his two small children.
2019: Volio Goes Carbon Neutral
Volio worked with Carbonfund.org to offset the company's carbon emissions from 2019 onward. "The wine industry is so deeply rooted in the environment that we feel it is our obligation to engage thoughtfully and impactfully in sustainability. As a wine importer, a lot of Volio’s business involves shipping large quantities of heavy wine across the world, which produces a significant volume of CO2. Partnering with Carbonfund.org will allow us to be carbon neutral as a business and to offset every bottle of wine that we bring across the Atlantic.” - Charles Lazzara
Volio Today: Growth Across the U.S.
Volio has grown to do business in 47 states, representing 30+ Italian wineries and working with 80+ distributors across the country. Our own team has also expanded, with a new office in Denver, Colorado and more team members spanning the country. In 2018, Volio was named in the Inc. 5000 as the No. 3663 fastest-growing private company in the U.S., and in 2023, climbed to No. 3,045, coming in at No. 71 in Denver and No. 87 in Food & Beverage (as of August 2023).
Our Team
Charles Lazzara
CEO & Founder
James Moll
Vice President, National Sales
Natalie Newman
Director of Commercial Operations
Jason Blanford
Regional Sales Director, Midwest
David Metz
Regional Sales Director, Southeast
Sarah Newman
Regional Sales Director, Mid-Atlantic
Joe Merlino
Regional Sales Director, CA
Joe J Battiato Jr
Regional Sales Director, NY & NJ
Elisa Ballard
Vice President, Operations
Leanne Enos
Order Processing Coordinator
Josh Chambers
Logistics and Compliance Coordinator
