Gruppo Italiano Vini acquires 100% of Tenuta Rapitalà shares. Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais steps down as President

Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV) has acquired 100% of the share capital of Tenuta Rapitalà, a historic Sicilian brand (founded in 1968) with 176 hectares of vineyards located in the municipality of Camporeale, in the province of Palermo. GIV, one of the largest Italian wine producers with over 1,600 hectares of vineyards and 14 owned wineries, has held a majority stake in Rapitalà since 1999. The acquisition of the remaining shares (from 90% to 100%) marks the completion of a journey that began 25 years ago. The transaction took place on 16 May, but was officially announced on 10 June. The new president of the Rapitalà winery is Palermo-based criminal lawyer Nino Caleca, with the board of directors appointing a new supervisory body.

The departure of Laurent Bernard

Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais, who served as president of Rapitalà since 2007, is stepping down from his roles. “The Group,” reads an official statement, “wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais who, following the acquisition, concludes his long and valuable collaboration with Rapitalà. We wish him all the best for his personal and professional future.” Laurent had continued the work of his father, Hugues Bernard de la Gatinais, a French naval officer, who after marrying Gigi Guarrasi, a descendant of a prominent Palermo family, rebuilt the winery destroyed by the Belice Valley earthquake, using modern principles such as varietal and cultivation conversion of the vineyards, introducing major French grape varieties alongside native ones. The Rapitalà vineyards, which mainly stretch from Camporeale towards the Alcamo area, are organically managed and sit at an altitude between 300 and 600 metres above sea level.

A new chapter

Gruppo Italiano Vini president Corrado Casoli and general manager Roberta Corrà are now looking ahead to the next milestones: “The new and growing challenges in national and international markets that our Group faces daily,” they both explain, “require new strategies and demand the pursuit of synergies that increasingly support the development and promotion of our brands.” The full acquisition of Rapitalà, according to GIV, falls within this vision “with the conviction,” they write, “of continuing the winery’s successful legacy.”

The mafia investigation

It is unclear whether there is any connection between the acquisition and recent legal developments. However, in February 2025, the winery became involved in an investigation by Palermo’s Anti-Mafia District Directorate, which alleged that some employees had links to local mafia clans and districts. The company, through then-president Laurent Bernard de la Gatinais, issued an official statement asserting its lack of any connection to mafia-related contexts and expressing full cooperation with investigators and authorities. The 100% share acquisition by GIV, according to sources, had been expected to take place soon and was “in the air.”