Martini & Rossi is an Italian multinational alcoholic beverage

Alcoholic beverage

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...

 company primarily associated with the Martini brand of vermouth

Vermouth

Vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with various dry ingredients. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced around the late 18th and early 19th centuries in Italy and France...

 and also with sparkling wine

Sparkling wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...

 (for example, Asti). It also produces the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 vermouth, Noilly Prat

Noilly Prat

Noilly Prat was originally a dry, straw-hued vermouth from Marseillan, in the Hérault département of southern France. Joseph Noilly, a herbalist, developed the first formula in 1813. It was the first example of a dry vermouth and is among the golden, straw and white vermouths generally known as...

.

History

The company started in the mid-19th century, as a vermouth bottling plant in Pessione

Chieri

Chieri is a town and comune in the province of Turin, Piedmont , located about 11 km southeast of Turin...

 — the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino. Three men came to dominate the company, businessman Alessandro Martini

Alessandro Martini

Alessandro Martini was an Italian businessman, founder of one of the most important vermouth companies in the world, Martini & Rossi, which produces the Martini vermouth....

, winemaker Luigi Rossi and accountant Teofilo Sola, and in 1863 they changed the name to Martini, Sola & Cia. The Sola family sold out in 1879, and the company became known as Martini & Rossi.

• 1892 - The business is taken over by Rossi's four sons.
• 1929 - The Martini Ball & Bar logo is registered for the first time.
• 1930 - Rossi's grandsons take over control of the company.
• 1977 - The company is restructured with the creation of the General Beverage Corporation.
• 1993 - Martini & Rossi is acquired by Bacardi
  Bacardi
  Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
  
  

Marketing

Since the earliest days, Martini have marketed their products aggressively, with some memorable TV advertising and sponsoring events under their MARTINI Terrazza logo. The company has been involved in motor racing sponsorship under the Martini Racing

Martini Racing

Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams raced when sponsored by the Martini & Rossi distillery that produces Martini vermouth. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1968...

 banner since 1968, and is now a main sponsor of Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari

Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....

.

Vermouth

Vermouth is made from wine with added sugar, alcohol and botanicals (herbs and spices).

• Martini Rosso — 1863
• Martini Bianco — 1910
• Martini Extra Dry — This was launched on New Year's Day 1900.
• Martini Rosato
• Martini D’Oro — 1998
• Martini Fiero
• Martini Gold
• Noilly Prat
  Noilly Prat
  Noilly Prat was originally a dry, straw-hued vermouth from Marseillan, in the Hérault département of southern France. Joseph Noilly, a herbalist, developed the first formula in 1813. It was the first example of a dry vermouth and is among the golden, straw and white vermouths generally known as...
  
  , a French vermouth owned by the company

Sparkling wine

Their sparkling wines are all from northern Italy, and are sold under the Martini & Rossi brand:

• Martini & Rossi Asti (75cl and blue 25cl bottles) from Piedmont
• Martini & Rossi Prosecco
  Prosecco
  Prosecco is an Italian white wine — generally a Dry or Extra Dry sparkling wine — normally made from Glera grapes. DOC prosecco is produced in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, and traditionally mainly in the areas near Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills...
  
   (75cl bottles) from Veneto

See also

• Martini Racing
  Martini Racing
  Martini Racing is the name under which various motor racing teams raced when sponsored by the Martini & Rossi distillery that produces Martini vermouth. Martini's sponsorship program began in 1968...
  
  
• Martini, the brand of Vermouth produced by the company.

External links

• Official website
• Martini & Rossi SpA, history of the company from fundinguniverse.com.