Santa Margherita Wine

We at Santa Margherita know that everyone is now in a frantic “shopping mode,” and we thought it would be great to give something back to our wine lovers – and for free!

We’ve decided to make our Santa Margherita holiday Facebook promotion even easier to participate and win.

Here’s what to do:

Watch our newest television commercial from our new Facebook tab titled “Commercial.”  We’ve included bonus “Making Of” footage in the video so all can see the wonderful, brief documentary of our video shoot in Italy – we love it!  Share your thoughts about the commercial in one of two places, commenting beneath the video after watching it or posting on our Wall.  Based on your comments, 125 users will win a GORGEOUS SANTA MARGHERITA BOTTLE STOPPER.

We could not be more proud of this TV spot and we’re eager to hear what you think. See how we brought it to life from storyboards to casting and through production and editing.

Simple, fun, and rewarding!  Isn’t that the kind of holiday spirit you’ve come to expect from Santa Margherita?

Happy holidays to all!

The new Santa Margherita commercial is here and we could not be more thrilled.  We’ve created a new tab on our Facebook page and posted the commercial with a bonus “making of” video.  Tonight (Monday, November 22, 2010) is the television debut so head to Facebook now and be the first to see it!

Our commercial and new Facebook tab have a promotion attached too.  It’s simple to enter and fun to participate. Santa Margherita invites you to join us in commemorating our new television commercial by throwing a small party.  Debut the commercial to your friends and family, take some pictures, and upload one to our new Facebook tab.  The reward?  The first 125 approved submissions will win an Exclusive Santa Margherita Bottle Stopper. And all approved submissions will be posted in the Gallery section of our new tab.

Here at Santa Margherita, we appreciate those moments we spend with our most cherished friends and family.  So now we want to see a moment in your life, enjoying great wine and amazing foods.  Let’s see how many great moments we can inspire (we hope our commercial helps).

And remember, a party can be just two people with a bottle of Santa Margherita wine!

So here’s what you do:

• Throw a party inviting as many guests as you would like (there’s a nice long weekend coming up!).
• Make use of the wonderful menu we’ve provided courtesy of Chef Fabio.  There’s one appetizer, one entree and one side dish (or let us know if you’ve created a dish of your own).
• Debut our commercial for your friends directly from our Facebook page (the “Be The First..” tab).
• Upload a photo of a great moment from your party to our new Facebook tab.
• Act quickly to win an Exclusive Santa Margherita Bottle Stopper (the first 125 approved submissions win).

The Santa Margherita holiday events have officially begun!  Stay tuned this fall and winter for more online wine-related events.

We wish everyone the most beautiful Thanksgiving week ever…. and we want to see as many of your moments as possible!  Maybe that’s why we’re so captivated with the notion that “Some Things Will Always Be.”

Click here to see this online wine event on our Facebook!

It is a wine promotion that was just begging to happen.

Santa Margherita has partnered with ELLE to produce a designer tote bag for our Prosecco, and it is currently included with the purchase of Prosecco on our website.

This is a pure celebration of these two amazing brands.

But there’s another part to this promotion. When you join our “personality” discussion on Facebook, you are entering to win a wonderful free gift through a random drawing.

The question. Which personality best represents you: Estate Elegance, Sparkling Sophistication, or Vintage Vineyard Chic? Simply weighing in with your thoughts will instantly make you eligible to walk away with a prize.

The Santa Margherita/ELLE Magazine promotion is a true celebration of what life can be when you take that one extra moment to savor all that is right with the world.

Click here to see which personality you relate to most.

And after you’ve shared your thoughts, be sure to visit our website to get your complimentary Prosecco tote!

The Wine Promotion That's "All" Personality

World-class designer Bil Donovan has just gone ahead and done it again!

He’s produced a limited edition tote bag for Santa Margherita’s popular Prosecco wine. We’re redefining what a wine promotion should be… would you expect anything less?

It seems that everyone is now discovering how amazing Santa Margherita Prosecco really is… Bil Donovan’s interest has us all on pins and needles (in the good way!).

This beautiful designer tote carrying bag is included with the purchase of our Prosecco on our website.

Specially designed under the watchful eyes of ELLE, we couldn’t think of a better way to show off one of our top wines than to align ourselves with an amazing designer.

What a wonderful time to love all those things in life that are so much fun to love! What a great time for a great wine promotion.

Cheers!

Click here to take part in the ELLE Magazine/Santa Margherita Prosecco Promotion.

Santa Margherita Prosecco is Italy’s most popular sparkling wine. It sets itself apart from French Champagne and Spanish Cava with its fruit-forward flavor.

It’s delicate and dry and has long-lasting, concentrated bubbles. Don’t forget about the wonderful fresh aromas of peach and apples – yes we love it too!

Above: Santa Margherita’s famed Prosecco grapes, grown on steep hillsides in the Veneto region of Italy. Click the grapes and head to our Facebook page – lots of excitement coming in the next few weeks!

Plans for dinner tonight?

This sparkling wine is excellent with both rich, salty foods or delicate fruit desserts. To the left, Pancetta & Pea Risotto – that’s our favorite pairing for our Prosecco. See and print our recipe here, or click the image.

Everybody have a great weekend!

Here’s one way: Santa Margherita Chianti Classico offers an exemplary representation of the traditional, distinctive Sangiovese grape – elegant with tannic austerity and complex aromas. With a deep, ruby-red hue, this wine has rich nuances of wild berries, spices, and well-integrated oak.

 
Anybody need a great food and wine pairing?

As we’ve said before, the Santa Margherita Chianti Classico is a great asset for the colder seasons. Last week we mentioned some authentic Italian dishes that are simple to create and designed to perfectly pair with Chianti Classico. Take a look at the Steak and Polenta to the left… it’s as delicious as it looks! Click the image for ingredients, cooking directions, a printable recipe, and more pairings!

 
To the right, take a look at this wonderful picture taken at a prized vineyard in Tuscany, where Sangiovese grapes are grown for our Chianti Classico.

A great place to visit right?

Summer is over for some, but don’t fret because our Chianti Classico is here to warm up the coming seasons. It has a deep, ruby-red color and rich hints of wild berries, spices, and oak – it’s great for those enjoyable relax-at-home dinners and the fun friendly gatherings too!

Our Chianti Classico is a perfect complement for winter meats – Check out our website for featured recipes: Steak & Polenta, Sausage Allí Uccelletto, and Skirt Steak with Mushrooms. Or pick up a pizza, another perfect match for this red wine!

In the meantime, we have a wonderful discussion going on at our Facebook page. Let us know if you’ll be switching over to red wine this season.

Saturday, September 25th, 2010; it was a beautiful day at Millennium Park in Chicago and thousands of people gathered at one of the nation’s premier food and wine events – the Chicago Gourmet Festival. The Festival served as host to the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge Finale. The Finale took place on the main stage where 3 finalists fought for the cooking crown, explaining their dish and inspiration to the judges in front of an enthusiastic audience! Laurie Lufkin traveled from Essex, MA; Fred Piccinni from Lynnfield, MA; and Paul Phanthalangsy from Torrington, CT. Their excitement and nerves were at their highest Saturday as they were photographed, interviewed, and adored.

Congratulations to Fred, the GTC winner. And congrats to Laurie, the fan favorite. This year’s GTC has been so exciting and we’re looking forward to making next year even better! We are very thankful to have had such wonderful contestants and incredible support and encouragement from our judges: Chef Fabio Viviani, Bon Appétit Restaurant Editor Andrew Knowlton, and the Terlato family!

Stay tuned on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/SantaMargherita) for additions to our GTC photo album and videos from the event!

Winner Fred Piccinni and Tony Terlato

We love hearing from our fans and luckily for us, our finalists are very chipper these days!

Fred: “Let the countdown start!!! This is Fred and I am one of the contestants in the Santa Margherita Great Taste Challenge occurring in Chicago this weekend. Well with 3 days to go, the adrenaline is starting to pump and I am about ready to pack my bag for this event. I have now run my recipe through my head more times than I have actually cooked it – go figure!

The level of excitement has started to rise and most of my family and friends are getting just as excited as I am about this weekend. Today our office had a small coffee hour in my honor for this event. Regardless of the outcome, they are expecting me to cook this meal for them when I return… all 100 of them!!! For all of my friends, both local and abroad, you can follow this adventure on Facebook either at the Santa Margherita page or mine.

Stay tuned!”

Yes, do stay tuned – the updates will be rolling through Twitter and Facebook.

Want to meet Fred, Paul & Laurie? Get FREE TICKETS HERE!

After hearing from Fred Monday and Paul yesterday, we now have some words from Laurie!

“Hi Everyone! I am so excited to be coming to Chicago this weekend. The people at Santa Margherita have been wonderful and I am thrilled to be part of this experience – and really hope my recipe comes out on top! I made my recipe again last night for dinner, a huge batch, and shared it with family and friends to get their thoughts on my flavor combinations and wine pairing. I used all of the seasonal ingredients I could get my hands on and used some artistic license to make the dish – I love using what is local and in season! Looking forward to meeting Fred and Paul and being part of such a terrific event.”

So for everyone attending the Festival, be sure to watch our GTC finale at 2pm. Then walk over to the Bon Appétit tent to taste all 3 dishes with some Santa Margherita wine.

For those outside of Chicago, we’ll have updates via Facebook (http://bit.ly/d3pjcV) & Twitter (SMPinotGrigio) throughout the day this weekend so all can share the excitement.