Herita Marzotto Invests More Than 10 Million Euros in Kettmeir Winery

Herita Marzotto Wine Estates has invested more than 10 million euros in the expansion of Kettmeir, the historic winery in Caldaro, near Bolzano, as the Italian wine group continues to put money into its cellar network despite a difficult market for wine. The project was inaugurated on April 27 and is part of a broader strategy aimed at strengthening quality, increasing production capacity and improving energy efficiency at one of Alto Adige’s best-known sparkling wine producers.

The company, based in Fossalta di Portogruaro, near Venice, said the figure is not yet broken down in detail, but it can be estimated at more than 10 million euros because two-thirds of Herita Marzotto Wine Estates’ 2025 investments, equal to 38 million euros, went to its wineries, with Kettmeir receiving the largest share. The spending also includes earlier work carried out over an 18-month construction period that helped bring the winery closer to energy self-sufficiency through a geothermal system.

Herita Marzotto Wine Estates reported total revenue of 246.6 million euros in 2025, placing it among Italy’s leading wine groups. The investment in Kettmeir reflects a wider trend in Alto Adige, where producers have moved over several decades from volume-driven winemaking toward a model centered on site selection, precision in the vineyard and higher-end sparkling wines. Kettmeir, founded in 1919, has become one of the region’s main names in Metodo Classico production.

Alessandro Marzotto, the general manager of the estate, said the winery currently produces about 140,000 bottles of sparkling wine out of a total output of roughly 420,000 bottles including still wines. The goal is to reach 300,000 bottles of sparkling wine over time, he said, but only through gradual growth tied to quality improvements and technical upgrades. He said the company’s approach is to move “in small steps” while keeping close attention on every detail that affects the final wine.

The Marzotto family’s ties to Alto Adige date back to the 1960s, when it found international success with Pinot Grigio vinified as a white wine. The acquisition of Kettmeir in 1986 marked a deeper commitment to the region and to sparkling wine. Since then, the winery has built its reputation by working with specific vineyard parcels and grape varieties suited to Metodo Classico production, including Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco. Those grapes come from more than 60 hectares of vineyards supplied by local growers.

The winery’s first sparkling wine, Athesis Brut, was released in 1992. A rosé followed in 2000, then Riserva 1919 and later Pas Dosé, which marked Kettmeir’s centenary in 2019 and drew international recognition. The new expansion adds underground spaces for aging Metodo Classico wines and doubles that area without changing the appearance of the historic building above ground.

The project also includes an energy component designed to reduce environmental impact. Andrea Conzonato, chief executive of Herita Marzotto Wine Estates, said Kettmeir was certified Carbon Neutral in 2024 under a strict standard that accounts not only for emissions from production but also for those linked to third-party materials used by the company. He said geothermal energy drawn from underground water sources and solar power have made the winery self-sufficient in energy terms and helped it win Italy’s Sustainability Award in 2025.

The renovation extends beyond production. Herita Marzotto Wine Estates also created a new visitor route built around sensory experiences and art installations that explain how Metodo Classico is made. The tour ends with a wall bearing the signatures of growers who supply grapes to Kettmeir’s cellar. To mark the reopening, the company presented Edition “Baustelle,” a limited run of about 1,000 bottles of Athesis Brut Rosé that were accidentally marked by cement during construction and turned into a special release linking the winery’s history with its future direction.

Josef Romen, who has been with Kettmeir since before the Marzotto family took control, said the quality results achieved so far confirm that the path chosen by the winery is the right one. He said the new aging spaces should help Kettmeir strengthen its position as a distinctive sparkling wine producer from Alto Adige with greater reach in both Italy and export markets.