The world of Italian wine mourns the loss of one of its brightest stars this week.

Francesco Tiralongo (above, left), veteran manager for some of Italy’s most iconic wineries, passed away yesterday, March 2, 2023. He was 55 years old.

His passing was reported by scores of Italian mastheads, including the Giornale di Sicilia, the island’s leading daily newspaper.

In 2020, Francesco became the CEO of Baglio di Pianetto, a top winery in western Sicily, owned by the Marzotto family (the same group that created Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio).

Before that time, he had worked as a manager for some of the biggest names in Italian wine, including Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, Mionetto, Donnafugata, and Cantine Settesoli.

His loss is acutely felt here in Houston, where he had had an outsized role in shaping the Italian wine community.

Not only was he a close friend of Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Maurizio Gamberucci (pictured, right, with Francesco, above). But he was also one of the inspirations for the first Taste of Italy Houston, held nearly a decade ago.

“He always had bold business ideas,” said Maurizio in an email. “When I moved to Texas, we came up with the concept of an Italian wine trade show that would later become ‘Taste of Italy.’”

Francesco is survived by his wife Chiara and their two children, Nicolò and Eugenia.

He will be sorely missed and dearly remembered.