Raphael

What Raphael does

Raphael is a privately held, family-owned estate winery founded in 1996 by John Petrocelli in Peconic on Long Island's North Fork, producing handcrafted wines from estate-grown fruit. The portfolio includes Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Port Riesling, with the winery built 12 feet underground to enable gravity-flow winemaking and to leverage the earth's natural 55°F temperature for passive cooling and heating. All harvesting is done by hand, and roughly half the crop is sacrificed each year to ensure peak ripeness, reflecting a natural, minimal-intervention winemaking philosophy managed by vineyard veteran Stephen Mudd and winemaker Anthony Nappa.

The business operates a multi-channel direct-to-consumer model: a reservation-based tasting room, an e-commerce wine shop via Vinoshipper, and two subscription wine clubs — the Reserve Club (4 bottles/month at $124) and the Signature Library Club (2 aged library bottles/month at $152), both offering a 20% purchase discount and guaranteed access to limited releases. Wholesale distribution is handled by three regional sales representatives covering South Fork, Suffolk County, Nassau County, and Queens, while the Renaissance Room venue generates additional revenue from weddings and private events with full-service coordination.

The company employs 1–10 people, is family-operated (Julie Petrocelli Vergari oversees wine club and events, Joseph Vergari serves as general manager), and runs on standard winery commerce infrastructure (Vinoshipper, Orderport) with no disclosed AI/ML, external funding, or M&A activity. Geographic exposure is concentrated on Long Island and the greater NYC metro market.

Name

Raphael

Legal name

Raphael Wine

Website

https://raphaelwine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Raphael is a family-owned estate winery on Long Island's North Fork producing handcrafted, hand-harvested wines sold through a tasting room, two subscription wine clubs, regional wholesale, and private event hosting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Winery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)

Keywords

• Estate winery production
• Wine club membership
• Wine tasting experiences
• Private event venue
• Vineyard management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Peconic

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Wine Sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through the tasting room and e-commerce shop. Wines include Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Port Riesling.
2. Wine Club Membership: Subscription-based wine club with quarterly shipments. Members receive 20% discount on wine purchases, guaranteed availability of limited releases, complimentary tastings, and access to exclusive club-only wines. Two tiers: Reserve Club ($124/month for 4 bottles) and Signature Library Club ($152/month for 2 bottles).
3. Private Events: Revenue from hosting weddings, private parties, and special events in the Renaissance Room. Full-service event coordination including wine service as part of events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Raphael is a Long Island North Fork estate winery that produces and sells handcrafted wines (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Port Riesling) using gravity flow winemaking in an underground facility. Distribution occurs through a tasting room, an e-commerce wine shop, two wine club subscription tiers (Reserve Club and Signature Library Club), private event hosting, and wholesale representatives serving Long Island restaurants and retailers.

Product overview

Raphael is a traditional winery producing handcrafted wines from the North Fork of Long Island. The product portfolio centers on estate-produced wines (Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and specialty wines) sold directly to consumers. The winery operates two wine club subscription programs: the Reserve Club (4 bottles/month) and the Signature Library Club (2 premium library bottles/month), both offering 20% discounts on shipments. Beyond direct wine sales, Raphael generates revenue through private event venue rentals at its Renaissance Room and tasting room experiences for visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reserve Club: Wine club membership offering 4 bottles per month of specially selected wines at 20% discount with guaranteed availability of Raphael's new releases including limited release wines.
• Signature Library Club

Products and services

• Raphael Estate Wines
• Reserve Club Wine Membership Monthly wine subscription delivering 4 bottles per shipment of specially selected reserve wines at a 20% discount, with guaranteed availability of new releases and library selections. Total 2023/2024 participation priced at $488 (excluding tax and shipping). Members receive complimentary tastings and access to exclusive club-only wines.
• Signature Library Club Wine Membership Premium monthly wine subscription delivering 2 exclusive library selection bottles per month featuring aged reserve wines with 90+ point ratings from Wine Enthusiast or Wine Advocate, at a 20% discount. Total 2023/2024 participation priced at $608 (excluding tax and shipping).
• Tasting Room Experience Guided wine tastings at the Peconic, NY tasting room on Long Island's North Fork, offering vineyard views throughout the seasons. Reservations required for parties of 8 or more. Open to adults 21 and older.
• Private Events Venue (Renaissance Room) Event venue at Raphael for weddings, private parties, and special occasions. The Renaissance Room accommodates luncheons to formal banquets with antique finishes, polished cherry and mahogany, vineyard views, and full-service event coordination including wine service and tastings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% discount on all wine purchases for wine club members
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jamesport Vineyards: North Fork Long Island estate winery with tasting room and wine club. Comparable on regional DTC focus and small-batch estate production.
• Bedell Cellars: Long Island North Fork premium winery with estate vineyards, tasting room, and DTC wine club. Directly comparable on production scale, terroir focus, regional distribution, and DTC subscription model.
• Paumanok Vineyards: Family-owned North Fork Long Island winery producing handcrafted estate wines with tasting room and wine club. Closest comparable on geography, family ownership structure, varietal mix, and DTC focus.
• Pellegrini Vineyards: North Fork Long Island estate winery with tasting room, private events, and DTC wine club. Directly comparable in size, premium positioning, and experiential venue model.
• Wölffer Estate Vineyard: Long Island (Sagaponack) premium estate winery with tasting room, wine club, and event hosting. Comparable on premium DTC positioning and Hamptons/Long Island tourism catchment, though at a larger scale.
• Channing Daughters Winery: North Fork Long Island small-batch winery specializing in handcrafted, terroir-driven wines with tasting room. Directly comparable on artisanal production philosophy and limited production scale.
• Pindar Vineyards: Long Island's largest winery, based on the North Fork. Comparable on production of estate wines, tasting room, and DTC distribution; broader portfolio and larger scale than Raphael.
• Lenz Winery: North Fork Long Island family-owned estate winery producing premium varietal wines with tasting room. Comparable on family ownership, North Fork terroir, and DTC-focused model.
• Osprey's Dominion Vineyards: Long Island estate winery producing varietal wines with tasting room and events. Comparable on regional DTC and tasting-room-driven model on the North Fork.
• Macari Vineyards & Winery: North Fork Long Island family-owned estate winery with vineyard, tasting room, and DTC distribution. Comparable on premium estate positioning and family-owned Long Island operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/raphaelwine
• Facebookfacebook.com/raphaelwine
• Xx.com/raphaelwine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Raphael