Our History
Founded in 1935, Santa Margherita, the flagship brand, has been contributing to the international success of premium quality Italian wine for more than 80 years. This success has deep roots and strong bonds, backed by an approach mapped out by Santa Margherita’s founder, Count Gaetano Marzotto.
A pioneer in his day, Count Gaetano Marzotto cultivated vineyards in three regions with outstanding viticultural potential; Eastern Veneto, the Adige River valley and the hills of Valdobbiadene. His vision to create world-class wines featuring the best of Italy’s vineyards was a driving force.
Over the years, the Marzotto family has enthusiastically carried forward that passion, creating an intriguing wine mosaic that embraces some of Italy’s most important wine districts: Alto Adige with Kettmeir, Trentino Alto-Adige, Eastern Veneto and Prosecco with Santa Margherita and Torresella, Chianti Classico with Lamole di Lamole, Toscana Maremma with Sassoregale, and Sicily with Feudo Zirtari.
OUR WINE MOSAIC
We like to think of ourselves as not just a wine group, but also a “wine mosaic” whose tiles are situated in Italy’s finest production zones. After expanding our presence in the Veneto with Torresella in the early 1980’s, we welcomed Alto Adige-based Kettmeir, now approaching its centenary year. Tuscany followed in 1993 with Lamole di Lamole in Chianti Classico.
In 2000, we founded Sassoregale in the Maremma region of Tuscany, known for expressive, full-bodied bottlings. The same year, we acquired a vineyard in Sicily and saw the region’s winemaking potential, and established Feudo Zirtari in the province of Agrigento.
The next tile in our mosaic brings us back to the Veneto, in the heart of the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG. Since 2010, thirty acres of hillside vineyards reinforce Santa Margherita’s outpost in the historical homeland of Prosecco, where, as far back as 1952, we played an important role in the region’s inception.
The last tile in our mosaic brings us stateside to the Willamette Valley region in Oregon state, with the highly awarded ROCO Winery.