To celebrate 60 years of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, the winemaker has partnered with Italian-born cook, author and TV presenter Silvia Colloca to create bespoke Italian recipes that perfectly pair with wine.

Santa Margherita is the best-selling Pinot Grigio by value in Australia. It debuted in the Italian market in the 1950s, when visionary Count Gaetano Marzotto embarked on a journey to find a new type of wine that would stand out for its originality and distinctive taste profile – made unique by fermenting the grapes without skin contact.

Count Marzotto realized by moving away from the then-standard “Ramato” method – where grapes are crushed and
fermented with their skin – the precious aromas and flavours could be preserved as they were meant to be tasted.

Colloca said: “I am thrilled to partner with Santa Margherita Wines to mark 60 years of their extraordinary Pinot Grigio. Developing new recipes is a passion of mine and I am incredibly excited to be collaborating with Santa Margherita, an authentic Italian brand that shares my joy in bringing family and friends together around the dining table.”

Alberto Ugolini, Santa Margherita’s Wine Educator and Brand Ambassador, added: “As Santa Margherita’s Pinot Grigio is made to be enjoyed with food, we are delighted to partner with renowned Italian cook Silvia Colloca – a partnership that promises to bring to life our mission in the Australian market, to make the pairing of wine and food evermore exciting.”

Below is one of Silvia’s delicious recipes:

Spaghettini with Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, skin on, bashed with the palm of your hand
• 3 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 1⁄2 red chilli thinly sliced, plus extra to garnish
• 200ml Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
• 1 small handful of baby capers, well washed
• 650g of cherry tomatoes
• 1.5kg of vongole, well washed
• 400g spaghettini
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

METHOD: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based
saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic, spring onion and chilli and toss until the garlic starts to become golden and fragrant.

Add the vongole, tomatoes, capers, pour in the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and cook for about 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Cover with a tight‒fitting lid and allow the shells to open. They will start to open after 1‒2 minutes. As they do, fish them out with a slotted spoon and set them aside in a clean bowl. Discard any that don’t open.

In the meantime, drop your spaghettini into the boiling water and cook for 4 minutes, to just before al dente. Remove the spaghettini with tongs and drop them into the wine and tomato sauce, dragging along a little pasta cooking water.

Start stirring gently for 1‒2 minutes— the sauce will thicken ever so slightly as the spaghettini soak up all the juices. Turn off the heat, then return the open vongole to the pan, along with the precious juices they released while resting. Scatter over the
parsley and extra chilli and eat straight away.

Santa Margherita’s Pinot Grigio is available at Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores nationally with an RRP of $25.