Delicato Family Wines, one of the largest family-owned wineries in the United States, has announced the appointment of Alan Airth to its Board of Directors. The move signifies a strategic effort to strengthen governance and long-term planning by bringing in high-level expertise from the global Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector.
Airth joins the board with a distinguished background in managing complex, multi-generational family enterprises. Most notably, he served on the Board of Mars, Incorporated from 2016 to 2025.
Managing Legacy and Scale
Airth’s tenure at Mars is viewed as a direct parallel to the challenges and opportunities facing Delicato. At Mars, he was the first non-family voting board member in the company’s 100-year history, a role that required balancing the interests of multiple family branches across six generations while guiding major acquisitions and portfolio transformations.
Chris Indelicato, President and CEO of Delicato Family Wines, highlighted this specific experience as a key driver for the appointment.
“Alan understands what it means to balance legacy and growth,” Indelicato stated. “As a family winery, we take a long view. His experience guiding multi-generational businesses and navigating evolving consumer markets will strengthen our Board and help ensure we continue building something that lasts.”
Governance Context
The appointment reinforces Delicato’s commitment to a hybrid governance model that blends family stewardship with independent oversight. The current board structure includes:
Chairman: Michael Mondavi.
Independent Directors: Bruce Chizen, Clarice Turner, Alex Ryan, and now Alan Airth.
Family Representatives: Jay Indelicato, Marie Mathews, Cheryl Indelicato, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Commenting on his new role, Airth emphasized the importance of "intentionality" in family business strategy.
“I see and support the vision for the future—a long view with intentionality and aligned values, the ambition to grow over multiple generations, and the will to strategically evolve with a clear purpose,” Airth said. “I bring CPG and M&A experience that complements the challenges and opportunities the wine industry is navigating.”
For Delicato, the addition of Airth provides a sophisticated layer of strategic oversight as the company navigates a wine market currently defined by shifting consumption habits and consolidation pressures.
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