The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2015

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130  /  the tasting panel  /  october 2015 PORTFOLIO TASTING O ver the last century, photography and cinema have bril- liantly captured the sun-drenched splendor of Italy's fertile vineyards on the eve of their harvest. In the same spirit, Vittorio Marzotto, U.S. Brand Ambassador for SANTA MARGHERITA S.P.A. ITALY GROUP, brought the aromas and flavors of some of those vineyards to wine retailers and sommeliers at a tasting dinner staged at Los Angeles's République restaurant in the waning days of summer. "Our wines speak to Italy's food and culture, combining the sensory profiles of the varietals and the land where they are cultivated," says Marzotto. "We staged the wine buyer-interactive dinners in America's top food cities [New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami] as a means to present the best from our boutique wineries. We wanted buyers in these cities to take our messages about our wineries to the next level. While we have a long history in Italy, a lot of what we have to offer is new for the American market." The SANTA MARGHERITA S.P.A. ITALY GROUP was founded in 1935 by the Marzotto family, already successful textile manufacturers. In 1961, Santa Margherita became the first winery to make Pinot Grigio grapes into a refreshing, bone-dry white wine—an iconic wine that became one of the world's favorite labels. Today, Santa Margherita group is a major player with interests in many wine- producing regions of Italy. The charms of the group's higher-end wine picks—such as Lamole di Lamole 1982 Chianti Classico Riserva, Lamole di Lamole 2010 Chianti Classsico Gran Selezione DOCG and some of the subtly sweet, clean Pinot Grigio wines from Kettmeir in Alto Adige—were on display against a backdrop of République's acclaimed cuisine. However, it is Marzotto's intention not only to enlighten buyers and other tastemakers on those wines, but also to explain why they will From the Hills of Italy to America's Wine Lists THROUGH BUYER-INTERACTIVE DINNERS, SANTA MARGHERITA S.P.A. ITALY GROUP SOWS THE SEEDS FOR EXPANSION AND RENEWED ENTHUSIASM FOR ITALIAN WINE IN THE U.S. MARKET by Elyse Glickman / photos by Michael Nemcik Vittorio Marzotto, U.S. Brand Ambassador for SANTA MARGHERITA S.P.A. ITALY GROUP (left), hosted a party for high end sommeliers and wine retailers at République in Los Angeles. Here, he tastes with République's Wine Director Taylor Parsons. Diego Faccioni, Director of Imports for Southern Wine & Spirits of Southern California, with Vittorio Marzotto.

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