The Winery
ABBAZIA Winery is located in Santo Stefano Belbo, a small town nestled between Monferrato, the Langhe and Roero.
The landscape is a mosaic of endless breathtaking views, impossible to take in at a single glance. The gentle contours of the hills alternate with sudden steep slopes, creating a constantly changing natural scenery.
UNESCO World Heritage
“Finding myself once again before and among my hills moves me deeply,” said the renowned writer Cesare Pavese, who was born here in Santo Stefano Belbo.
These landscapes have been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for their unique cultural value, their evocative beauty and the profound sense of history and identity they convey.
Cesare Pavese
“Finding myself once again before and among my hills moves me deeply.”
THE VINEYARDS
Abbazia directly manages around 60 hectares of vineyards, yielding more than 750 tonnes of grapes each year. Combined with the production supplied by a network of selected local growers, this brings the total annual grape volume to over 2,000 tonnes.
The winery also receives a carefully selected range of wines and musts, enabling Abbazia to offer a broad and versatile portfolio that reflects both tradition and market needs.
Today, Abbazia wines are enjoyed in more than 50 countries worldwide, combining deep roots in the territory with a strong international outlook.
VISION
“The land has never betrayed anyone” is one of Mario Santero’s guiding principles. “If you give it the care and attention it deserves, the land will reward you with good fruit.”
Everything begins with the right exposure and the finest soils, with careful and honest pruning, and with the ability to select by hand only the ripest and most promising bunches.
This is where the distinctive aromas and bouquets are born, together with brighter, longer-lasting colours and fuller, smoother, more balanced flavours.
ABBAZIA
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ABBAZIA
Our history
PRODUCTION BEGINS
Pietro Santero, originally from Florence, later moved to Calosso after departing from Genoa. Married to a member of the Griffini family, he settled on a farmhouse and began growing grapes, marking the beginning of the first generation of the Santero family’s winemaking tradition.
1848
LUIGI SANTERO “THE GREAT”
Luigi Santero, known as “the Great,” son of Pietro and born in 1870, began producing wine from grapes grown by the family.
During this period, his son Pietro was born, continuing the Santero family line into the next generation.
1889
THE FIRST BOTTLINGS
Pietro Santero took over the family’s wine production and began the first bottling activities, marking the second generation of the Santero family’s winemaking history.
1918
ORGANISATION AND SALES EXPANSION
Production became increasingly structured and organised, while sales expanded beyond the local area into other regions of Italy.
1930
RETAIL STORE IN TURIN
The family opened a retail store in Turin
1945
ABBAZIA
The Santero family, then consisting of six brothers, acquired the former Benedictine Abbey and began the industrial-scale production of wines, sparkling wines and liqueurs, marking the third generation of the family business.
1957
EXPORT
The sales network expanded across Europe, as well as to the United States and Canada.
1960
EXPANSION
Major structural and technological expansion of the winery.
1967
DIGITALISATION
Administrative and technological processes were progressively digitalised.
1980
BUSINESS CONSOLIDATION
The family business was consolidated from six Santero brothers to two: Luigi and Mario.
1984
ONE MILLION BOTTLES
For the first time, annual sales exceeded one million bottles.
1985
MARIO SANTERO
Mario Santero became the sole owner of the company, later passing the business on to his children Pierluigi, Valter and Annalisa, marking the fourth generation of the Santero family.
1995
TECHNOLOGICAL RENEWAL
A major technological renewal transformed and modernised the winery’s production systems.
2000
SIX MILLION BOTTLES
For the first time, annual sales exceeded six million bottles.
2006
CERTIFICATIONS
For the first time, the company achieved IFS and BRC certification.
2009
€10 MILLION TURNOVER
For the first time, the company’s annual turnover exceeded €10 million.
2011
A NEW GENERATION
The fifth generation of the Santero family joined the company, continuing the family tradition into a new era.