SANTA MARGHERITA USA, INC.
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA

The Santa Margherita-Gruppo Vinicolo, our parent company, is one of the leading ambassadors of Italian excellence around the world. From Venice and Rome to New York and Shanghai, our bottles have written the history of Italian wine. Love and respect for the territory, attention to native grape varieties, a deep bond with tradition, and a ceaseless pursuit of quality are our founding principles, and they drive our passion every day. OUR MISSION Santa Margherita USA’s mission is to engage and delight consumers with our brands and establish ourselves as leaders of food and wine culture in the United States. Our vision is to become the most progressive and active supplier in the U.S. 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. In 2014, the Marzotto family realized their own American dream of developing and expanding their wine portfolio with the establishment of Santa Margherita USA, their wholly-owned United States import company. Our Mission Our Mission We believe that a special thread links the producer, the vine and its territory of origin. Wine production, varietal characteristics, and terroir should be in perfect harmony. That’s why this is our first commitment to wine lovers. The second is that our wines are wholesome. Santa Margherita USA also strives to fulfill the evolving needs of our commercial partners, just as we are committed to sharing our passion and knowledge of wine with consumers. We are dedicated to expanding the overall level of food and wine knowledge in the market, and providing our wholesale partners with educational sales tools and market support to develop and grow our brands. 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. 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. Santa Margherita began with a personal and passionate commitment to preserving the environment. Environmental, economic and social considerations have been the core touchstones of our company and we continue to honor that with our efforts in every facet of how our wineries operate. That includes making truly sustainable choices to save energy, reduce pollution and respect the land and those who live and work on it. That statement is not just meaningless corporate language. We walk the walk, and we’re proud to be pioneers of efficient and renewable energy use in the industry. Our approach to winemaking is eco-friendly, revolving around the use of natural products and growing processes to protect the health and well-being of the vineyards. An example of this can be found at our production center in Chianti Classico, where we’ve opted to use products such as copper and sulfur in the growing practices and have chosen to use compost made from pruned vegetation to feed the soil. Most winemakers will tell you, the less manipulation of the grapes and vineyards, the higher the quality of wine produced. We agree, but we also welcome the use of gentle, non-invasive technology to improve the production process and remain as efficient as possible. We apply organic land management practices that contribute to the long-term health of our environment. Our computerized, in-ground irrigation systems are designed to reduce water evaporation and runoff making them more efficient. In Chianti Classico, our winemakers employ “extreme organic farming,” eliminating the need for conventional chemical pesticides, and in Veneto, we hand-harvest 90% of our grapes to preserve their freshness and delicate flavors. In addition, we are excited to announce that we will soon be ready for our global organic certification. We are constantly reinvesting in new resources and technologies that help to deliver the highest quality, vegan, and sustainable products. In an effort to be more conscious and aware of sustainable and responsible practices, we abandoned the use of animal byproducts years ago, and instead use only vegan-friendly bentonite clay, yeast-derived and vegetable-derived products during filtration. In addition, we ensure that we maintain these standards throughout our entire production process by only working with vegan suppliers. One of our strongest efforts in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is our emphasis on the production and use of clean energy. For example, at Santa Margherita, we only use energy derived from 100% renewable sources, such as the 6,500 square feet of solar panels used at our winery in Portogruaro, making this winery completely self-powered. We produce 360,000-kilowatt hours of energy every year, the equivalent of burning approximately 145 tons of coal. This eliminates our CO2 emission output by 190 tons, a solid example of our commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. In fact, 10% of our overall production of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (1.5 million bottles!) is certified carbon-neutral. Our Torresella production facilities are also entirely solar-powered.