03/25/2026
Hi Folks, Brett Steele here, Ramsey's former manager. I'm sorry I have to make this post but I thought Ramsey's fans should know this since they were the ones that originally brought this to my attention.
In late 2023, a fan of Ramsey's contacted me asking if I was aware that Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S.P.A. winery https://fantinel.com/ was producing “Sun Goddess Wine” with artwork almost identical to Ramsey's iconic Sun Goddess album cover artwork.
I reached out to Marco Fantinel the president of Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S.P.A. winery and made him aware that the wine brand from Mary J. Blige and Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S. P. A.- “Sun Goddess Wine” uses the name of the Ramsey Lewis album 'Sun Goddess' and very similar cover artwork from that same album. Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S. P. A. agreed to cease and desist immediately from using the “cover artwork” in selling, marketing or advertising the aforementioned wine. New, revised artwork was then submitted by Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S. P. A. The Estate of Ramsey Lewis approved it for future productions of the wine and a settlement payment was also to be made for the previous years' usage of the original artwork.
In 2025, I negotiated an agreement and reached a settlement figure with Marco Fantinel. Seventeen months later, he still has not paid the agreed-upon fee and instead started a campaign of stalling and excuses to avoid paying what he had already agreed upon. I wanted to make Ramsey's fans aware of how Gruppo Vinicolo Fantinel S. P. A. conducts itself before you buy any of their wines.
Vini friulani del collio, vini rossi e bianchi italiani DOC - Fantinel