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exploring taste – Spring/Summer 2016 sm people – Subtitle Here

BRUNO AND RICCARDO POJER

is nickname ‘King of White’ says a lot about his Director would check in for a wine-tasting – then he’d come
personality as well as his taste in wine. Authori- back in December to sign the contracts.”
Htative, but not authoritarian, Bruno Pojer began Initially, negotiations would take place before the wine was
to collaborate with Santa Margherita towards the end of the pressed and the grapes would be sold by the crate. Later, the
Fifties, continuing to do so with rigor and professionalism, company would purchase the wine directly. “I’d load up my bag
for over half a century. with samples and set off to this or that market. I’ve traveled so
Pojer was born 91 years ago in Salorno (Bolzano) on the very much that I’ve gone through 27 different cars.”
border with Trentino, to a proud family of farmers. Today, In 1979-80, demand exceeded supply in Alto-Adige. “I
his son Riccardo manages the family business, Maso Reiner, knew about this new DOC from Trentino called Valdadige
which supplies its grapes exclusively to Kettmeir. “My family – it dealt both in whites and reds. I got all the permits in
have been farmers for five generations,” Pojer explains, “but in place and started negotiations with the Trentino producers,
the Fifties, it became clear that the Maso alone couldn’t support to ensure appropriate supplies for Santa Margherita. Pro-
all five of us brothers. So I decided to leave the countryside to duction increased and Pinot Grigio started to earn a rep-
become a wine mediator, dealing with the purchase and nego- utation abroad, quickly becoming a status-symbol on the
tiation of grapes on behalf of my clients. I’d survey vineyards American market.”
and their grape production, intercepting the demand from Another key development in Pojer’s professional career
large wine companies. I was the missing link in the supply and took place in 1986, when Santa Margherita bought Kett-
demand chain: between grape suppliers and winemakers in meir. “In those years I was also working as a sales repre-
need of extra amounts.” sentative for a cork factory in Friuli. One day, while I was
Pojer’s collaboration with Santa Margherita began in 1957, visiting Kettmeir for work, the owner, Franco Kettmeir,
when he met the Technical Director. He asked Pojer to take asked me to follow him into his office. He explained that
charge of the grape purchasing operations for the Venetian he wanted to sell the company, and asked me if I knew of
brand. “I was liaising with producers from Alto-Adige on a potential buyer. I immediately phoned Dr. Marcer, who
behalf of Santa Margherita. Every November, the Technical at the time was working as a managing director for Santa

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