Cru Wine: Andrea Marino set to be MD, leaving Petersham Cellar

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 01 September, 2026

International fine wine and rare spirits merchant Cru Wine has appointed Andrea Marino (pictured) as its new MD, following its three-year restructuring programme.

At the same time, co-founder Gregory Swartberg has stepped away from day-to-day leadership after 12 years running the company, moving into the role of chairman – marking the first time since 2014 that its daily operations will be led by someone other than its founder.

Marino joins from indie fine wine merchant Petersham Cellar where, as MD, he oversaw two consecutive years of positive results, including revenue growth of 20% and an expansion of the company’s agency brand portfolio.

Read more: Greg Wilkins – ‘Looking Back, Forging Ahead’

Commenting on his appointment, Swartberg said: “Andrea knows Burgundy and Italy in a way that takes years to acquire, and he has built businesses on both the private client and on-trade sides.

“As chairman, based in Dubai, my focus goes to strategy, our producer relationships and our growth across the Gulf. Andrea will lead the business from Mayfair.”

Reflecting on his new job, Marino added: “Fine Wine is a market built on trust and provenance, and very few merchants have earned both at an international scale. Cru Wine has done it while remaining a business where a client speaks to someone who knows their collection. My job is to protect that as we grow, and to make certain the operation behind it is as good as the sourcing in front of it.”

The changes will also see Phillip Yates step down from the board after four years as chairman. Swartberg expressed Cru Wine’s gratitude for his guidance, along with his own personal thanks.

Growth focus

Cru Wine is focusing on growing its private client and on-trade sides of the business.

The recent restructure has also left the merchant debt-free – which it called an “uncommon position” in the sector – and in record levels of profit in 2025.

This follows a difficult period after the fine wine downturn that started in 2022.

At that time, Cru’s business was weighted towards investment clients, meaning that it was hit hard by the decline.

After that, the merchant invested in repositioning around collectors and private clients alongside its investment holdings, building direct relationships with producers across France, Italy and the US.

It also built a mobile app and a real-time portfolio tracking tool, along with further reshaping its team.

Cru Wine began originally as a one-man business in London, sourcing wine from Bordeaux for a handful of collectors.

Before 2022, it saw nearly a decade of increasingly rapid growth, expanding to serve collectors, investors and ‘connoisseurs’ across over 50 countries.

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