Wine discovery still a winner

It's a nearly ubiquitous sight in Italian restaurants, and now a new autobiography by a Chicago-area winemaker and importer tells how he introduced Santa Margherita pinot grigio to the United States.

Anthony Terlato traveled to Italy in 1979 in search of an alternative to the martinis and cheap California chablis that diners were drinking in even the best restaurants. In a little eatery near Alto Adige, he tasted a little-known light, crisp varietal called pinot grigio.

In one long, memorable meal by himself, Mr. Terlato sampled all 18 pinot grigios on the restaurant's list — much to the consternation of staff and fellow diners.

He decided Santa Margherita, made by a small, family-owned winery, would go over well in America. In "Taste: A Life in Wine," he recounts a whirlwind week in which he negotiated exclusive import rights and began plotting an advertising blitz that included commercials on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

With more than 800,000 cases sold annually, Santa Margherita ($20) is now the best-selling imported wine priced above $14 a bottle in the United States.

"I needed a new grape to get America excited, and I found it at that restaurant," Mr. Terlato says.

Mr. Terlato now makes wines in Napa and Sonoma, including a California-bred pinot grigio. But the Italian brand is entrenched.

At Italian Village in the Loop, co-owner Al Capitanini has been serving Santa Margherita since its arrival. "Every Italian restaurant has embraced it," he says. "It's a brand unto itself."