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Trademark
The Santa Margherita trademark is a graphic stylization of the
Renaissance drawing of Villa Marzotto at Portogruaro. It is
the distinguishing mark for the labels of its famous wines.
The splendid villa was built around 1540 in the historical center
and today hosts the city cultural center.
1935: Beginnings
Count Gaetano Marzotto, the famed textile industrialist, acquired
over 1,000 hectares (including 140 hectares of vineyards) of
farmland from the Counts Stucky with the objective of combining
agricultural and industrial production, following through the
various phases of transforming farm products into consumer goods.
Postwar: founding of Società
Fondiaria Agro Alimentare SFAI - later Industrie Zignago S.Margherita
A group of company divisions was created, including the Santa
Margherita division, each concerned with various industrial
sectors and making use of advanced production and marketing
techniques.
The 1960's: Transformation of
tastes and the creation of Pinot Grigio
- A transformation in eating habits was occurring, influenced
by new, more dynamic lifestyles. There was a move toward
lighter foods accompanied by wines with flavors and structures
to match these new trends.
- In 1961 the winemaker of Santa Margherita had the brilliant
idea of extending the winemaking technique used for Champagne
making in France to the best (rust-colored) Pinot Grigio
grapes of the Trentino-Alto Adige. As soon as it appeared
on the market, Pinot
Grigio won the immediate acclaim of those consumers
who were most sensitive to the changes in eating habits.
The 1970's
The production of Santa Margherita wines was increased, with
investments in oenological research and production technology.
The 1980's: The Turning Point
- Santa Margherita S.p.A. was born as a spin-off from Industrie
Zignago.
- With its innovative corporate structure, Santa Margherita
was one of the first winemaking companies to develop its
own marketing operations.
- Santa Margherita became a leader in the prestigious modern
wines segment, combining high quality with the ability to
respond to the requirements of a more demanding consumer.
- Santa Margherita began expansion on the United States
market, and in a few years it became the leading brand of
imported wines in US restaurants.
- Santa Margherita embarked on a series of investments in
communication and broke with the tradition of advertising
images tied to the bottle-glass concept. The
first Santa Margherita campaign launched for Pinot Grigio
had a highly innovative, original approach.
- In 1981 Santa Margherita presented a new prestigious white
wine, Chardonnay,
with a younger, fruitier style than the other Chardonnays
marketed up to then, repeating the earlier success of its
Pinot Grigio.
- In 1984 Cantine
Torresella Srl was established, specializing in the
production of the typical wines of eastern Veneto region.
- In 1986 Santa Margherita bolstered its presence in the
South Tyrol with the acquisition of Kettmeir
S.p.A., historic winery of Caldaro.
- Also in 1986 Santa Margherita introduced its semi-sparkling
Müller
Thurgau, instantly one of the highest quality semi-sparkling
wines on the market.
The 1990's: Birth of a winery group and
export development
After the creation of Torresella S.r.l. and the acquisition
of Kettmeir S.p.A., Santa Margherita gained control of other
prestigious agricultural estates located in traditional wine-growing
areas, transforming the company into a Winery Group offering
a broad range of products from different areas.
These new estates were:
During this period, Santa Margherita increased the presence
of its products on foreign markets: the highly successful US
operations were joined by the British, German and Japanese markets
as well as others, giving a total of 40 countries.
In 1998 Santa Margherita presented Versato,
a new red wine produced with selected Merlot grapes, that fits
perfectly to the needs of the consumers of the year 2000.
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