Prima Materia

What Prima Materia does

Prima Materia is a boutique urban winery founded by Pietro Buttitta that produces approximately 1,500 cases per year of minimal-intervention, Italian-style wines from a 10-acre volcanic-soil vineyard at 1,500 feet elevation in Lake County, California. The portfolio spans roughly a dozen varietals — Sangiovese (five clones), Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Sagrantino, Barbera, Dolcetto, Refosco, Negroamaro, Grenache, plus a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel from old vines and a no-sulfite field blend called Il Fuoco Segreto. Winemaking is deliberately low-tech (hand punchdowns, gravity, bins and buckets, no pumps pre-fermentation) and the wines are unfined and unfiltered. Vines are sustainably dry-farmed without herbicides or pesticides.

The company monetizes through three primary streams: direct-to-consumer wine sales (bottles priced $32–$45, shipped to 42 U.S. states, with volume discounts of 20% on 6 bottles and 20% plus free shipping on a 12-bottle case), a wine club with recurring shipments, and private tasting appointments at $40 per person in Lafayette, CA. A secondary B2B line offers wine consulting (viticulture, enology, branding, compliance, tasting room setup) and custom crush capacity for projects up to 12 tons. Distribution is split between the company's e-commerce storefront, a retail partnership with Local Vines in Lafayette, and one-on-one tasting experiences. The operation is entirely bootstrapped with 1–10 employees — effectively a founder-led, micro-scale craft producer supported by an unusually heavy content-marketing footprint (a podcast, blog, YouTube channel, and in-person wine seminars) used to build authority in Italian-style California wine.

Customers are primarily discerning U.S. wine enthusiasts seeking terroir-driven, small-lot bottlings, plus a small niche of small-winery founders using Prima Materia's consulting and custom crush capacity to bring their own Italian-style labels to market. The business has no external institutional funding, no parent company, and operates as a single legal entity (Prima Materia Vineyard & Winery) domiciled in California.

Name

Prima Materia

Legal name

Prima Materia Vineyard & Winery

Website

https://prima-materia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Prima Materia is a bootstrapped, Oakland-based boutique winery producing roughly 1,500 cases/year of minimal-intervention Italian-style wines from a 10-acre volcanic Lake County vineyard, sold direct-to-consumer via e-commerce (42 states), wine club, retail partner Local Vines, and private tastings, supplemented by B2B wine consulting and custom crush services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Winery

NAICS

Wineries (312130), Grape Vineyards (111332), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine Production & Winemaking (AFAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wineries & Vineyards (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAE), Wine Grape Vineyard Operations (Varietal/AVA Practices, Yield & Quality Targets) (AFAGAJAJ), Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

Keywords

• Minimal intervention winemaking
• Italian grape varieties
• Volcanic terroir wine
• Boutique winery production
• Wine consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct wine sales: Direct-to-consumer wine sales through the Prima Materia e-commerce website. Wines are shipped to customers across 42 states. Volume discounts available: 20% off for 6 bottles, 20% plus free shipping on 12 bottles.
2. Wine consulting services: Consulting on vineyard operations, winemaking, and brand creation. Services include vineyard planning, winemaking decisions, branding, web design, tasting room operations, zoning and compliance, and custom crush services up to 12 tons.
3. Private tasting experiences: Private tasting appointments with Pietro in Lafayette, CA offered at $40 per person.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Prima Materia operates a small-lot, minimal-intervention winery on a 10-acre volcanic-soil vineyard in Lake County, California, producing approximately 1,500 cases per year of Italian-varietal wines including Sangiovese (five clones), Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Sagrantino, Barbera, and others, along with a field blend (Il Fuoco Segreto) and a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. The company sells bottles directly to consumers online (shipping to 42 states) and through retail and wine-club channels, while also offering wine consulting, custom crush services up to 12 tons, and private tasting experiences for $40 per person.

Product overview

Prima Materia is a small-lot, minimal intervention winery and vineyard operating from a 10-acre volcanic-soil estate at 1,500 feet elevation in Lake County, CA. The portfolio centers on Italian grape varieties including Sangiovese (five clones), Aglianico, Nebbiolo, Sagrantino, Barbera, Dolcetto, Refosco, Negroamaro, and Grenache, complemented by a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel from old vines and a unique field blend called Il Fuoco Segreto. The operation produces approximately 1,500 cases annually, crafted unfined and unfiltered with hands-on winemaking. Beyond direct wine sales, the company offers wine consulting services and custom crush arrangements up to 12 tons, as well as private tasting experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aglianico Bold, dark red wine aged 28 months in neutral French oak with dark red and black fruits, licorice, baking spice, graphite, and mineral notes, recognized by Wine Enthusiast with 92+ points and Editor's Choice. Targeted at wine collectors who age their bottles.
• Sangiovese Italian-style red made from five different clones aged 22 months in neutral oak, with vivid red fruit, natural spiciness, fine-grained tannins, and earthy finish. Aimed at consumers seeking classic Sangiovese expression in California fruit.
• Sagrantino Bold, tannic red wine featuring the highest tannin levels of any Italian grape variety, with dense red fruit, cedar, and fine-grained tannin. Targeted at adventurous wine drinkers seeking rare Italian-cultivar expressions.
• Nebbiolo Elegant, complex wine with bright cranberry, rose, and spice notes, structured tannins, and earthy tones reminiscent of Barbaresco style, from challenging-to-grow Italian variety on three types of rootstocks. For collectors and Italian-wine enthusiasts.
• Grenache Light, cheerful low-tannin, low-acid wine with pure strawberry fruit, savory sage notes, and earthy undertones, ideal for casual enjoyment. Targeted at food-pairing consumers seeking versatile red wine.
• Barbera Best-selling red with juicy boysenberry, blackberry, and pomegranate flavors, good acidity, low tannin, and food-pairing versatility. Designed for broad consumer appeal and food-friendly drinking.
• Dolcetto Early-ripening Italian variety producing medium-weight wines with candied red fruit, pepper, and spice, recommended for those willing to give it significant bottle aging for best expression.
• Refosco Italian variety from Friuli producing medium-plus weight wines with plum, pepper, earthy mineral notes, and slight bitterness, similar to Syrah or Malbec but with Italian character.
• Negroamaro Medium-weight, dark-fruited Southern Italian wine with plum, cassis, fig, olive, and black pepper notes, low tannin and fresh style suited to BBQ and casual food pairings.
• Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Old Vines Classic Dry Creek Zinfandel from 50-year-old dry-farmed vines north of Healdsburg, with bright raspberry, huckleberry, and blue fruit, medium weight and an Italian-style finish.
• Il Fuoco Segreto (field blend, no sulfites added) Unique field blend of all 13 grape varieties grown at the vineyard, representing the entire estate in a single wine with no sulfites added. Targeted at natural-wine enthusiasts and collectors.
• Wine Consulting and Custom Crush Services Comprehensive consulting on vineyard operations, winemaking, and brand creation for small wineries and emerging wine projects, including picking and sorting decisions, fermentation, élevage, blending, bottling, branding, web design, zoning and ABC compliance, and custom crush capacity up to 12 tons. Targeted at small winery owners, new project founders, and fellow winemakers needing expert guidance on Italian-cultivar programs.
• Private Wine Tastings Private tasting experiences with winemaker Pietro Buttitta in Lafayette, CA at $40 per person, featuring the estate's Italian-varietal wine portfolio. Targeted at wine enthusiasts seeking direct engagement with the winemaker. Not available May 25th - June 25th.
• Mixed Case Special Curated 12-bottle mixed case including Barbera, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, and Aglianico (3 bottles each) at $259 versus a regular price of $395, with free local delivery within 10 miles of Oakland. Targeted at local buyers seeking a portfolio introduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple wines receiving 90-95 points from Wine Enthusiast magazine, including Aglianico with 92+ points and Editor's Choice designation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Frog's Leap Winery: Established Rutherford winery with a strongly articulated organic, dry-farmed, minimal-intervention philosophy. Operates at much larger scale but shares the same Napa-adjacent, sustainable-viticulture, low-tech ethos that Prima Materia invokes at boutique scale.

Direct peers

• Donkey & Goat Winery: Berkeley-based urban, minimal-intervention winery producing small-lot, low-SO2 wines from unusual varietals. Comparably founder-led, DTC-driven, and similarly niche-positioned in the East Bay natural-wine scene.
• Coturri Winery: Sonoma winery producing natural, Italian-style wines with native yeasts and minimal intervention across multiple decades. Comparable in Italian-cultivar specialization and old-school, low-tech winemaking philosophy.
• Turley Wine Cellars: Paso Robles and Napa specialist in Zinfandel and old-vine California wines. Directly comparable on the Dry Creek Valley old-vine Zinfandel product and the premium small-batch Zinfandel playbook.
• Matthiasson Winery: Napa Valley producer known for restrained, food-friendly, Italian-influenced white and red wines with a minimal-intervention ethos. Same segment - wine enthusiasts seeking non-Napa-style, terroir-driven California wines.
• Broc Cellars: Berkeley urban winery focused on natural, Italian-influenced varietals with vineyard sourcing across Northern California. Closest peer to Prima Materia in geography, philosophy (unfined/unfiltered, hands-on winemaking), and boutique scale.
• Robert Biale Vineyards: Napa-based Zinfandel specialist focused on old-vine sites and a DTC club model. Comparable niche Zinfandel positioning and similar DTC/club-driven go-to-market.
• Massican Winery: Napa-based winery founded by an Italian-trained winemaker producing Mediterranean and Italian varietals in California. Comparable niche position in Italian varietals with strong DTC focus and food-pairing narrative.

Emerging players

• Enotria Wines: Small, Italian-cultivar focused California producer selling DTC. Comparable as a young emerging Italian-style label, though Enotria skews toward Italian-region imports versus Prima Materia's estate-grown approach.
• Tank Garage Winery: Napa urban tasting-room winery focused on small-lot, varietally diverse wines and a curated tasting experience. Comparable on the urban-tasting-room, small-batch, multi-varietal DTC model, though primarily Napa fruit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjEVx7ZKm28tU6UOuXk9ngA
• Facebookfacebook.com/primamateriawine
• Instagraminstagram.com/prima_materia_wine
• Xx.com/primamateria1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prima-materia-wine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Prima Materia