History
Casa Vinicola Zonin S.p.a., Italy's largest privately held wine company, presents a new Prosecco, the wine to enjoy with life's simple moments.Prosecco's attractive packaging makes it the perfect choice for all occasions, from a night at home with friends to a night out on thetown. Zonin Prosecco is a varietal wine made from the Prosecco grape which is native to the Veneto region. There, the Zonin family owns the largest Prosecco vineyards in Italy and it is from these vineyards that the fruit for Prosecco is sourced. This control over all aspects of the production from vineyard to glass allows Zonin to produce the freshest Prosecco on the market. Prosecco is a lively, sparkling wine that is essential to having fun Italianstyle. It is dry and food friendly and adds an element of festivity to any gathering or meal. Prosecco's fresh and fruity flavor profile make it easy to pair with any kind of food and also makes it a delightful aperitif. Its stylish yet classic packaging is eye catching and makes it the centerpiece of any table or discussion. A glass of Prosecco with friends is the perfect way to enjoy all of life's simple moments. Francesco Zonin, Vice President of Casa Vinicola Zonin S.p.a., says Prosecco is the beginning of almost any Italian get together. "I always open a bottle of Prosecco when I get together with friends. It is fresh and easy to enjoy, whether you begin the night with it as an aperitif or enjoy it throughout the meal." A bottle of Zonin Prosecco is the easy way to make any experience a truly Italian experience, and one that enhances the joy of life. It is not just a sparkling wine, but a wine that sparkles. Add the essence of the Italian lifestyle to your next gathering with Zonin Prosecco and invite that simple sparkle that makes every little moment one to enjoy and remember.
With its close ties to the land for the past seven generations, the Zonin family heads the largest private vine growing and winemaking company in Italy (and one of the most important in Europe as well). The new generation of Zonins has already taken its place next to President Gianni Zonin, bringing with it a wave of youthful dynamism and also experience gained on other continents. The heart of the company is located in Gambellara, in the province of Vicenza, an oasis of verdant hills and well-ordered vineyards that is also the ancestral home of the Zonin family.
It is here that one finds the roots of the family's history as "Vintners since 1821". vicissitudes, the hard work and the inspired decisions of a family whose name is inextricably linked to passion for the land, vines and wine. In the historic headquarters of the Company, in 1821, the Zonins, small-scale vine growers in Gambellara, started to produce wines. Many decades later, at the very beginning of the 20th century, they started to market them as well. "Commendatore" Domenico Zonin, who lived to the venerable age of 101, started to trade in wine early in the last century. This youthfully dynamic man was born in 1899 and his life, therefore, spanned three different centuries. In fact he bore witness to the way of life of that area and to the transformations that it underwent during this long and fascinating period. Today, the seventh generation of the family is involved in running the firm. The current President of the Company is Gianni Zonin, who is a "Cavaliere del Lavoro" (that's the equivalent of a knighthood in the United Kingdom).
It is thanks to him that this wine company, because of his ability to keep at least one step ahead of the market and of trends in consumers' tastes, is no longer just a small provincial business in the Veneto region. Indeed, its activities now range throughout Italy, from Piedmont to Tuscany and from Friuli to Sicily, and the company has attained true world-wide recognition.
The Zonins, originally a family of small-scale farmers like many others in the area, have been closely linked with the soil and the vineyards of Gambellara since the early years of the 19th century. Gambellara itself has been famous for viticulture since the 1300s, as testified by Pier de' Crescenzi in his Trattato d'Agricoltura (Treatise on Agriculture). The logo of the brand Zonin stresses the fact that the family has been "Vine growers since 1821", thus underlining the Zonins' passion for and attention to the vineyard, the sine qua non for producing high-quality wines.
The wooden wine press, located at the entrance hall of the Zonin's headquarters in Gambellara dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, and it was even used by the Zonin family. In fact, the construction of wine presses, the way they work, and the system they use for pressing the grapes have, essentially, remained unchanged since early Roman times.
Towards the end of the 1960s, Gianni Zonin became President of the company. At the time, he was only 29 years old. However, his uncle Domenico sensed Gianni's managerial capabilities and asked him to join the company. Gianni immediately demonstrated his business acumen: he recognized the importance of exercising control over the whole production process, by owning one's own vineyards and vinifying one's own grapes, so as to guarantee the quality of one's wines and the credibility of one's brand. Gianni Zonin traveled a lot to learn the art of the major winemaking experts as Ernest Gallo in the USA in the '60s. He traveled a lot also to discover the most suited terroir in the world to cultivate its vineyards and offer superb quality wines. For example, in 1976 he traveled a lot through Australia to discover the best terroir suited to viticulture.
The Gianni Zonin's vision is making Italy's most important wines from his own grapes. He launched the project that would lead to his creating the largest vineyard holding in Italy in private hands. In doing so he was driven by a basic mission: to underscore easch estate's relationship with the historical, cultural and human patrimony of its particular area.