Ninety years of a global Italian success story. The Santa Margherita Wine Group celebrates the results it has achieved and looks toward the future with a new name: “HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES”.
1st February – Celebrating the first 90 years of its history and taking its cue from this illustrious past, the Santa Margherita Wine Group is looking forward to the years to come with renewed passion and determination, as well as with a brand-new Corporate Name: “HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES”.
Founded in 1935 by Count Gaetano Marzotto at Fossalta di Portogruaro (VE) and still firmly in the hands of the third generation of the family, the group has become one of the leading players in the world wine scene, with turnover of more than 255 million Euro in 2023 – the consolidated figures for 2024 will be released just before this year’s Vinitaly – and with over 27 million bottles sold in more than 90 countries around the world.
These results have been achieved by keeping faith with the legacy of our founder, who sought to create – in quite different economic and social circumstances to today’s – an innovative agri-food hub that succeeded in combining both nature and technology, focusing on the uncompromising quality and genuineness of the company’s products as well as on guaranteeing wellbeing and dignity for all its workers.
His, therefore, was a business model centered on people, nature and technological innovation: a successful paradigm that was one of the protagonists of the “Italian miracle”, starting new fashions and revolutionizing the way wine was consumed in Italy and around the globe. As a pioneer in vinifying the Glera variety from the hills of Valdobbiadene as a sparkling wine as long ago as 1952, a trend setter of the worldwide phenomenon of Pinot Grigio as we know it today, one of the outstanding producers of Franciacorta, a precursor of modern sparkling winemaking in the Alto Adige, and as a worldwide promoter of indigenous cultivars such as Turbiana in Lugana and Vermentino, the group has always stood out thanks to its farsighted decisions, which succeeded in forecasting changes in consumers’ tastes and in the occasions on which wine is drunk.
Our founder’s dream has grown, without ever forsaking the genuineness of the products and the integrity of the terroirs from which they originate, thanks to best practices that have been meticulously researched and refined over the years, in which tradition has gone hand in hand with sustainable innovation, transforming them into practical ways of working every day. Examples are underground drip irrigation, used to save water resources; protecting the biodiversity of the estates; a preference for using energy – often self-produced - from renewable sources; and a predilection for suppliers who are nearby. We are convinced that everything which derives from a healthy environment, conducted in an informed, measured manner with respect for the cycles of nature, carries within it a unique value. As proof of the efforts we have made and of our goals for the future, we have already published two Sustainability Reports.
“HERITA” symbolizes, therefore, the heritage of what we have achieved up until now as Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo. This is a physical, cultural and value-based heritage: our wine regions and their traditions, the terroirs we have chosen as the habitats for our vineyards, the actions we have put in place for their tutelage, as well as for that of the surrounding environment and of the people who live within it; our research, intuitions, investments and innovations; the experience we have accumulated in the area of winemaking and the enlightened use of technology we have inserted at its service; the new courses we have charted, starting from the most traditional Italian roots on the way to attaining success in the major international markets; our ambition, the numerous accolades we have received, the achievements we have obtained through our incessant efforts, our pride in being ambassadors for Italian quality around the world: all of these are aspects of the constant endeavor for excellence that lies behind our every idea, investment, action and success.
Today, HERITA represents an “enological mosaic” that has laid down its roots in 10 estates and an equal number of brands: Santa Margherita, Torresella, Kettmeir, Ca' del Bosco, Cà Maiol, Lamole di Lamole, Vistarenni, Tenuta Sassoregale, Cantina Mesa and Roco Winery. We have over 760 hectares in production along the length of our country – organically farmed or with SQNPI certification - in some of Italy’s most iconic winemaking regions: the Eastern Veneto, Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lugana, Franciacorta, Chianti Classico, the Maremma and Sardinia. To these we have added more than 40 hectares of vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Also in the United States, with its headquarters in Miami, our subsidiary importing company Santa Margherita USA has been operative since 2016, with the task of developing business in what is the leading market in the world not only for these 10 Estates, but also for other renowned independent Italian companies.
Not only thanks to the significantly large territories it covers, HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES also draws its strength when presenting itself to the world due to its portfolio of products, which is broad, differentiated and displays great depth, making it ideal for responding to the needs of an increasingly global market, as well as providing wine lovers with uniquely dependable quality.
«It is a motive of great pride for my brothers and myself» comments Gaetano Marzotto, grandson of the founder, and President of HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES, «to be able to celebrate ninety years after the beginning of the incredible dream that took shape with our grandfather’s entry into the world of agriculture and food. It is not an oversimplification to say that - where there was once just a tract of land farmed by sharecroppers – a business has prospered that has been a part of the history of Italian wine and which even today continues to invest and grow. Pride therefore, but also of course a great sense of responsibility for the whole of our family, including the new generation that has now joined the company and which believes wholeheartedly in this project and is setting itself further ambitious objectives for the years to come».
For Andrea Conzonato, Chief Executive Officer of HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES: «This ninetieth anniversary that we are celebrating comes at a very particular time for the wine world, both in Italy and elsewhere. Geopolitical uncertainty, the generational change in consumers, and tension regarding duties and tariffs affecting various markets: these aspects constrain Italian wineries to make important choices and have a medium-to-long-term vision that is equally strategic. These challenges, though, are anything but new for a company that has been involved in this business for the last 90 years: as HERITA, we can unwaveringly confirm our program of investments – which has never come to a halt, even in the face of the last five turbulent years – and our decision to develop even further our impact abroad, with particular focus on the United States, where we already have a very strong presence, not only on the commercial front but also as far as production is concerned».
HERITA MARZOTTO WINE ESTATES will make its debut on the occasion of Wine Paris 2025 (10th -12th February, Hall 6/ C 114) at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center.