Storia
2021 — Early collaboration with Pasqua
Charles Smith joined the development of a collaborative Pinot Noir project initiated earlier by Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine. Smith subsequently made regular visits to the Campiano vineyard in Valpolicella and tasted base wines with Riccardo Pasqua, including lots dating back to the 2018 vintage. Their work led to the concept of a multi-vintage blend and established the basis for the later Pasqua + Smith project. This remained a collaboration between two distinct wine businesses rather than a merger of their identities.
July 2025 — International distribution partnership
On 8 July 2025, Charles Smith selected Pasqua Wines as the exclusive international distributor for part of the House of Smith portfolio. The agreement covered K Vintners, Real Wine and Sex in selected international markets, complementing Smith’s established distribution in the United States. International distribution through Pasqua was scheduled to begin in September 2025.
The agreement also provided for Pasqua to become a minority partner specifically in the Real Wine brand. Its interest could rise to 20%, subject to performance and growth targets. The arrangement was intended to expand the international reach and visibility of House of Smith while retaining the portfolio’s existing identity.
November 2025 — First European roadshow
The partners formally introduced their collaboration to European audiences through events in London and Merano. On 7 November, Charles Smith presented House of Smith wines with Riccardo Pasqua, Cecilia Pasqua and Andrea Pasqua at The Georgian terrace in Harrods, London. The presentation placed particular emphasis on Real Wine and on K Vintners, described as a single-vineyard project carrying Smith’s personal “Syrah Signature.”
On 8 November, the collaboration continued at the 34th Merano Wine Festival, where House of Smith had a dedicated tasting table. The trip—Smith’s first visit to Italy—concluded with a private dinner at Sigmund restaurant in Merano focused on the relationship between Pasqua and House of Smith and on the Real Wine and K Vintners projects.
2026 — Pasqua + Smith Pinot Noir
The collaboration entered a new phase with Pasqua + Smith Pinot Noir, unveiled at Vinitaly 2026. Developed through Smith’s vineyard visits and joint tastings with Riccardo Pasqua, the project combines Pasqua’s multi-vintage experience with Smith’s preference for an immediate, fruit-centered expression. Charles Smith characterized the result as an authentic Pinot Noir shaped without preconceptions, joining Old World depth with a more open and immediate New World outlook.
The launch was accompanied by Resonance, a site-specific installation by Sara Ricciardi at Palazzo Maffei during Vinitaly, held from 10 to 14 April. The work translated the principle of collaboration between distinct identities into light, sound and sculpture.
Terroir
House of Smith is based in Washington State, USA. Place is central to Charles Smith’s description of the portfolio: he frames the wines as being rooted in place, purpose and passion. Detailed locations, elevations, exposures, climatic influences, soils and geological profiles for the House of Smith vineyards are not specified within the permitted material.
Vinificazione
The House of Smith portfolio is associated with sustainable farming. K Vintners is presented as a single-vineyard project, but individual vineyard practices, certification details, harvest procedures and site-specific viticultural data are not defined within the permitted material.
House of Smith wines are made through an artisanal, low-intervention approach. K Vintners is positioned as the single-vineyard project through which Charles Smith expresses his personal “Syrah Signature.” Further winery-wide information about cellar design, fruit reception, fermentation, extraction, maturation, blending, stabilization and bottling is not specified within the permitted material.
Filosofia
House of Smith combines an artisanal, low-intervention production outlook with sustainable farming and a deliberately distinctive visual identity. Charles Smith describes the wines as rooted in place, purpose and passion. His public position emphasizes character and identity, while presenting passion as the force behind the daily work of making wine.
Smith’s approach is characterized by a willingness to work beyond convention while remaining meticulous in execution. In the Pasqua partnership, this outlook is paired with a strategy of expanding international access without erasing the identities of the participating businesses.
For the Pasqua + Smith collaboration, Smith defined authenticity as more important than imitation. He accepted the project as an opportunity to attempt something unprecedented and argued that working without preconceptions creates productive possibilities. The collaboration joins Old World depth with the immediate, lively and accessible energy he associates with a New World perspective.