Celebrate Vaughan 2016 | Page 79

Magnotta Winery, Ontario's third largest winery and winner of over 4,500 awards for product excellence, is celebrating their 25th anniversary in Vaughan throughout 2016. ROSSANA MAGNOTTA THE CEO OF Magnotta WINERY If anyone could be called a warrior it would be Rossana Di Zio Magnotta. Both in business and philanthropy, as well as in her personal life, Rossana can tell stories of challenges and victories, of happy times and very sad times. Yet in spite of all she has endured over the past 25 years, she has no regrets except one; that she cannot enjoy this success with her late husband Gabe Magnotta. Rossana Di Zio Magnotta has always worked tirelessly, no matter the obstacles. When she and her husband Gabe were refused space for their wines on the shelves at the LCBO, something stirred in her belly. Rossana learned to fight. Not only did they roll up their sleeves to fight the good fight and win, she continu ed to take the bull by the horns when needed. When she suffered one of the lowest points in her life, the loss of her husband due to complications of Lyme Disease, Rossana got up and continued on in spite of the heartache. At a time when personal loss could have brought her to the end of the road, she persevered in the face of that loss and kept moving to honour her husband’s life. Rossana is a fighter, a survivor, a caregiver and a very successful force in the City of Vaughan. She’s gotten to where she is with prowess and passion, but primarily with heart. I was invited into her office, a space filled with photographs of her and her beloved, Gabe. Awards and products spanning 25 years lined the shelves, telling a story that almost came to an early end. She attributes her success to both her husband and the employees. She humbly refuses to take full credit for the past 25 years of hard work and success and says it has more than surpassed all her expectations. At the helm of one of the most thriving businesses in Vaughan, Rossana remembers the early days in the City when the late Lorna Jackson was Mayor. She speaks fondly of Ms. Jackson, expressing how generous and dedicated she was as Mayor. Together they frequented local charity events to show their support to the community. “It was a mutual respect,” recalls Rossana. “Lorna would come to the store, buy wine here. She supported other businesses and always insisted on paying. We became great friends. I dedicated a special wine to her, and the proceeds go to Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada.” This is one of the ways in which Rossana’s generosity of spirit is exemplified – but there would be more charity, precisely because of her dedication and love for the human spirit. As a child, Rossana always wanted to help her father make homemade wine. As she got older, she became more and more interested in the actual chemistry of winemaking. “I developed a keen interest in the whole idea of biochemistry and understanding the fermentation process so I became my father’s big helper,” recalls Rossana. Although her curiosity grew in leaps and bounds in the hobby of winemaking, her first love was medicine. Once she was done with her studies, she landed a job at Humber River Hospital. Although she was happy in the laboratory, she wanted to become a mother and raise a family. Leaving her children with others was not an option. “I wanted to care for them, to watch them grow.” While she was home caring for her children, her husband Gabe was running his company, Festa Juice which provided grape must to the home winemaker. He asked her to help him and she agreed to oversee the chemistry, the technical aspects of making the juice. “I understood what it took to make homemade wine and by that time I knew how to make it very well.” At the age of 30, Rossana was teaching Italian men how to make wine. Of course, this didn’t sit well with some of the male customers. “Gabe always supported me and would reply, ‘she’s actually the expert, I’m not. I’m the businessperson. She’s the technical person.’” 2016 \ Celebrate Vaughan 79