Dalla Terra (of the earth in Italian) Winery Direct® is a direct importer of Italian wines. Winery Direct means wine lovers can enjoy quality wines from Italy’s finest producers at affordable prices. “Brian Larky is not an importer but a wine broker who works as an agent for the producers in his portfolio; the wineries themselves export their wine to the United States. This unusual structure knocks out a layer of middlemen and—more important—lowers prices in the process. Larky’s company, Dalla Terra Winery Direct, is really a very communal effort—for a new property to be added, a consensus must be reached by all of the company’s current wineries. That makes lunches like this one key, as winery owners socialize with Larky and each other. ‘We get together to decide who’s going to join the club, who’s invited in,’ Larky says.” (Food & Wine Magazine, 2008). “Additionally, Dalla Terra operates on a commission basis rather than working off a standard importer’s margin. According to founder Brian Larky, the move eliminates a traditional layer in the distribution system and enables the company to price wine around 20 percent less than if they had been imported through standard channels.” (Wine Business Monthly, 2006). “Though Dalla Terra has been around since the early 1990s, Brian Larky's business model has really started to take flight in the past couple of years, as top Italian producers are vying for a spot in his small, focused portfolio (they like the idea that lower prices encourage distributors to get their wine on store shelves), and top distributors are actively pursuing Dalla Terra. “‘We don't want to be the latest, hottest thing,’ Larky said. ‘We just want to be consistent and innovative.’" (Wine & Spirits Magazine, 2009)