Get to know the people who started the business and the ones assuring the daily work, from management to cultivating the estate and fields.
Executive Director & General Guidance
As a co-founder and lead investor, Toine is instrumental in guiding the overall evolution of the Alpasion project. His vision and exceptionally broad range of business, cultural and travel experiences enable him to inspire the entire Alpasion team as the project progresses from farm to bottle winery. His leadership style and overall approach to obstacles provide inspiration to those around him to develop their own creative and sustainable solutions to challenges.
Coming from a farming family and having been raised on an orchard, he has fond childhood memories of planting, growing and maintaining fruit vines. Today, his interest is more focused on the technical aspects of the Alpasion wine making process. In addition to the ongoing development of knowledge about wine making, being a part of this project also enables him to continually meet all kinds of new people from different countries and to hear their stories. With this worldwide network, he gets to experience people learning to work together, often times becoming friends and creating the ability to organize things in different parts of the world.
In his free time, Toine likes to write books. Writing enables him to organize his thoughts. Once he writes these thoughts, he can close the door and move on to the next project. One such project that he is most proud of is the Kamar Mandi project in northern Bali. Kamar Mandis are outhouses that consist of a latrine and a bathing feature with a septic tank system. Lack of access to sanitation facilities in the poor northern communities of Bali contributes to the spread of diseases that inhibit all aspects of life in the area. Toine’s support of the project resulted in 750 families having access to safe sanitation facilities and this changed whole communities for the better. Another of Toine’s projects is the establishment of a nature reserve in South Africa. He loves watching the animals with his son and seeing how preservation improves the balance among the different animals. In fact, Toine was in South Africa at the preserve during the first three months of the pandemic. It was a rare opportunity to spend time with his son and get to know him in a different manner. He was also able to observe how poaching was dramatically reduced during the pandemic due to the fact that transporting the illegal victims became virtually impossible due to all of the worldwide restrictions. While Toine loves nature and animals, he is particularly passionate about saving the Rhinoceros in Africa.
Like most of the folks involved with Alpasion, Toine loves food and wine. He has his own lasagne recipe he likes to make that has cinnamon as a special ingredient, and it pairs well with the Alpasion Grand Petite Verdot.
For his day job, Toine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amicorp Group, an independent global service provider of a broad range of assurance, administrative, legal, corporate secretarial and support services. He grew up in The Netherlands, is a constant world traveler and has his home base in Dubai.
Jorge is Portuguese and has been living in Brazil since 2013, with his wife, Cristina. Together, they are the proud parents of Lourenço, Maria, and Mariana, who are currently living in New York and Boston.
He is an entrepreneur at heart. From an early age, he created businesses from scratch or championed the turnaround of companies. Jorge has immersed himself in a wide array of industries, from bottled water to financial services, and from fertilizers to technology. His true passion lies in forging connections and nurturing talented teams. Currently, Jorge is the president of IOB, a leading Brazilian brand that fuses legal and accounting intelligence with advanced technology, helping accountants and companies of every size. Passionate about wine, Jorge is one of the founders of Alpasión and has dedicated himself to expanding the Brazilian market for Alpasión wine and enhancing the hospitality side of the business.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Universidade Portucalense and has furthered his education by studying at ESADE, INSEAD, and Yale School of Management. He has also served as president of BritCham, the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brazil, and was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. Additionally, he has served on the board of the British ambassador in Brazil and was appointed a member of the Portuguese Diaspora Council.
William Fischer is the Chief Executive Officer of Harrington Re and has over 32 years of reinsurance industry experience. Prior to joining Harrington Re, he served as the Chief Underwriting Officer for the global Reinsurance operations of AXIS Capital and had worked at AXIS Capital since the company’s inception in 2001, helping to found the company. Bill played an integral role in building AXIS Capital’s global reinsurance business to over $20 billion in cumulative gross written premium across 14 lines of business with experience leading and managing all aspects of the business including underwriting, risk, and capital management.
Bill moved to Bermuda in 2001 to build the reinsurance business and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of AXIS Reinsurance. He returned to the United States in June 2011 to assume the role of Chief Underwriting Officer for AXIS Reinsurance globally. Prior to joining AXIS, he was the Executive Vice President at Everest Re Group and had responsibilities for a variety of reinsurance product lines including property, accident and health and financial products. Bill previously worked at Transatlantic Reinsurance in both the London and New York offices and began his reinsurance career at Skandia America Group in 1987. Before entering into reinsurance, he was a design engineer with Honeywell. Bill holds both a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University as well as graduating from the prestigious Challenge of Leadership program at Insead. He is also one of the founding investors of COL Wine.
As an alumni of COL15 and a wine lover, I am happy being part of the Alpasion Group. I am pleased to support the business as a board member and work towards the success of the Alpasion project by endorsing the sales in Switzerland and also partly in Germany with the use of my contacts in both countries –to find new investors but certainly also to find new customers.
We have had our first wine tasting event in Zürich in 2019 and we will have more to come around Europe as we approach this market. Also, as added good measure, I like using Alpasion wines in business events as giveaways, which help to promote and share the amazing portfolio with all sorts of people.
On the other side, I will support the management with my many years of experience and skills being a board member in different companies. I especially enjoy getting involved in start–up companies where one often faces situations that takes more time than one would originally think when you start a business. I love projects that are in start–up phase when things are new and exciting.
Gabe Conte is a director of Contel Fresh and Vera Wine and Spirits in Florham Park, New Jersey. Contel Fresh is a family run business established in 1976 and is an importer of fresh fruits and vegetables from a multitude of countries. Vera Wine and Spirits was established in 1992 and is an importer and distributor of selected wines from privately owned and often from family estate wineries. Having grown up in the business, Gabe has deep and expansive knowledge of wine importation and distribution. He became a distributor and investor around 2016 and has been instrumental in helping Alpasion expand their distribution capabilities and respond to supply chain challenges as the brand works toward gaining U.S. market share. He was particularly drawn to Alpasion because it is one of the most successful products in Vera’s portfolio so far. He appreciates the opportunity to meet and work with the exceptional people dedicated to the success of the project and loves being a customer as well as a part owner of the stunning property in Argentina.
Gabe is a graduate of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. His business provides the opportunity to travel all over the U.S.A. and a great part of the world where he enjoys anywhere that is peaceful and beautiful. He is a licensed private pilot and enjoys playing golf.
After my study business-economics at the University of Tilburg in the
Netherlands, I have worked for considerable time for Heineken International
Brewers.
This was a good stepping stone for me to continue in the footsteps of our family-business for the 7th generation.
In 1993, I took charge of the family-firm and laid my focus on importing European wines to the Dutch market, and finally wines from all over the world.
Always focus on wines, which have a story to tell of their own and were only of outstanding quality.
Some years ago, an old college-mate ( Toine Knipping ) approached me with the question if I might be interested in participating in the Alpasion Project. For what could be more appealing than being a member of such a great team with such a great challenge. With the knowledge that it takes at least 20 years before a winery can be fully productive, I believe I can contribute to the realisation of the Alpasion project as being a success story.
Above all, I also wish to participate in the next generation ( youth-plan ) , so that we can safeguard the legacy for the coming generation.
My moXo is ….. life is too short to drink bad wine !!
Alpasión offers the opportunity to combine outstanding wine with true
friendship.
The Smiths are wine enthusiasts with particular likeness for and interest in wines from Mendoza, Argentina. Mark and Angela made their first trip to the Uco Valley in 2011 as small investors in The Vines of Mendoza. On a subsequent trip they stayed at a new lodge down the road – Alpasion – which began their relationship with the Alpasion project! They reached out to Gaby, invested in 2017, Angela began Houston importing, we attended events, etc. An unexpected favorite part of the project for the Smiths is a network of like-minded friends across the globe! In his next chapter of life, Mark looks forward to leveraging some of his financial skills for the benefit of Alpasion.
My passion for wine has been a lifelong journey, deeply rooted in my experiences living in France and Argentina, where I immersed myself in the rich wine cultures and pursued specialized courses. This passion led me to invest in Al Pasion winery in 2022, where I’ve since been actively promoting its exceptional wines in Brazil, leveraging my extensive understanding of the Mercosur market and import procedures. I frequently spend time at Al Pasion, engaging with the winemaking process and exploring other wineries to gather insights and suggestions that enhance both the winemaking and hospitality aspects of the business. Through my efforts, I’ve also cultivated strong affinity groups within Alumji associations, fostering a growing appreciation for Al Pasion’s wines in Brazil.
My name is Jan Harangen
I am almost 69 years old, from Norway, near Oslo.
I am involved in Alpasion because of my good friend and summer house neighbour, Are Kjensli, who has been asking me if I am interested in wine and Alpsaion since 2010. We have been shareholders since 2019.
Married to Anne Margrete since 1988.
I have 4 children aged from 27 to 36 and soon my first grandchild.
I am now retired, with some board positions and some consular assignments.
I am educated as a civil engineer in construction.
I have owned and run my own business, within construction business.
I enjoy family life, the outdoors and travelling.
Very fond of good food and good drink, especially good Alpasion wine.
Resident Winemaker
Ezequiel Manoni is Alpasion’s resident winemaker. Hailing from a family of winemakers, Ezequiel has been exposed to everything in the wine industry since his early youth. Those skills and experiences were sharpened when he formally studied winemaking and were rounded out further while working at Andeluna Cellars.
He joined our project in 2019 serving as our agronomist and resident winemaker. His careful attention and management of the vineyard successfully guided the farming aspect through the unprecedented challenges of 2020 and 2021 at the same time his winemaking skills started to shine.
During his tenure, the Alpasion winery was completed and he oversaw Alpasion’s first estate bottling production in early 2021. Additionally, Ezequiel also guided the vineyard’s organic certification process which was completed in May 2022, resulting in the Alpasion vineyards being certified organic. Ezequiel is responsible for the for the overall quality and style of our award winning wines, bringing you passion in every drop.
Tel: +54 261 320 2999
E-mail: reservations@alpasion.com
Ruta Provincial n° 94, Los Chacayes, Tunuyan,
Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Alpasión practices sustainable organic farming to ensure the health of soils, ecosystems and people.
