To: Riley G who wrote (157 ) 12/4/1997 12:45:00 PM From: Prop Respond to of 2595
Here's the release: NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1997--ARALDICA WINERIES, LTD. (NASD/BB:AWLT) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of AZIENDA AGRICOLA ANTOGIANNI S.r.l., of Montefoscoli, a winery and vineyard located in central Tuscany. The Antogianni operation was purchased for $1,500,000 in cash and stock from Paul E. Lego, the retired Chairman of Westinghouse Corporation, who will shortly be joining the Board of Directors of ARALDICA. Antogianni is one of a small percentage of wineries in Italy to have been awarded the "D.O.C.G." classification (which stands for "Denominazione Di Origine Controllata E Garantita"), which designation on its labels signifies that the Antogianni wines are made in accordance with the highest quality standards specified by the Italian government. While currently producing only a few thousand cases of its wines annually, in recent years, the winery and its 81 acre vineyard have been the beneficiary of substantial capital investment by Mr. Lego and his partners during the 8 years they have owned Antogianni, and is now capable of a 10 fold increase in production without additional capital investment. In addition to its line of fine Italian wines (presently Chianti, a white dessert wine known as "Vin Santo", and red and white table wines), Antogianni also produces, under the same name, the highest quality extra virgin olive oils, which are generally acknowledged - as are all olive oils produced in central Tuscany - to be the finest olive oils in the world. ARALDICA plans to increase the present $150,000 in annual sales to well in excess of $1,000,000 in annual sales, during the first year of operation as an ARALDICA subsidiary, by utilizing the Antogianni wines exclusively in its ongoing direct mail promotions. ARALDICA WINERIES LTD. is a public company engaged (since 1993) in the nationwide marketing of premium Italian wines, olive oils and specialty foods. ARALDICA's sales activities encompass both conventional 3-tier (importer, distributor, retailer) distribution, as well as direct response marketing (home shopping programs, internet home pages, infomercials; space advertising and direct mail promotions). The Company's main product line is its proprietary "Knights of Italy" custom-labelled wine series, being sold via direct mail to Italian-American consumers, selected by name. These custom labelled wines are sold individually gift-boxed; on each bottle's label is contained a full-color production of the coat-of-arms associated with the family's surname; the gift boxes also contain a family history narrative, indicating the recorded origins of the family and the name. The Company's proprietary, copyrighted original research is drawn from the information found recorded in, and translated from, the ancient genealogical and heraldic archives located throughout Italy's twenty regions. All anticipations and expectations contained herein are forward looking statements that involve uncertainty and risk. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward looking statements. This release and others are available on the L.G. Zangani Inc. Public Relations Website @ "www.zangani.com." and ARALDICA WINERIES, LTD. Website @ "www.araldica.com" CONTACT: ARALDICA WINERIES Bruce R. Kloss Vice President Ph: 914/636-0500 Fax: 914/636-0518 E-mail: araldica@idsi.net or Adrian Madonia, Public Relations Investor Relations L.G. ZANGANI, INC. Ph: 908/788-9660 Fax: 908/788-4024 E-mail: zangani@aol.com