Terlato Vineyards and SGWS Donate $40,000 Honoring Tony Terlato

Anthony Terlato has had a tremendous impact on American’s drinking habits, along with wine and food appreciations.

In 1979, Tony released a new white wine to American palates — Pinot Grigio. For more than 60 years, his career spanned, and he was regarded as “The Father of Pinot Grigio.” In June 2020, when Tony passed away, the Terlato family continued his mission of producing, importing, and marketing fine wines and giving back to their industry. To recognize his efforts, they have announced the Terlato Legacy Program: 1st Annual Anthony Terlato Tribute.

In partnership with premier beverage distributor Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the Terlato Vineyards Legacy Program challenged the top-selling luxury Pinot Grigio from Friuli to give back to a charity in honor of Tony. Out of the 15 markets that competed to deliver the best performance, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Illinois won.

Terlato Vineyard Donates to Restaurant Relief

Their efforts resulted in a $40,000 donation to the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Restaurant Employee Relied Fun. Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits and Teralto Vineyard will both contribute $20,000 to support this important cause.

CEO, Bill Terlato traveled to the Northeast of Italy in 2012, specifically Colli Orientali del Friuli. He created the next chapter for their family in 2014 when he released Terlato Vineyard Estate grown and bottled Pinot Grigio.

“Our partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is a source of great pride, and our father would be thrilled by what we’ve accomplished together. It is only fitting that the Illinois sales team earned this victory. Many on the team worked with our family for years and we are pleased that the best performance was in our backyard to honor his legacy. We are thrilled that IRAEF Restaurant Employee Relief Fund is the beneficiary of the donation as the restaurant community was near and dear to dad’s heart.”
– CEO Bill Terlato

COVID-19 has deeply affected the restaurant industry. This donation to the non-profit will assist the colleagues in the industry and help to move forward during tough times.

Executive VP and General Manager of Southern added, “Our entire SGWS Family is honored to win this national contest designed to recognize the outstanding legacy of Tony Terlato. We were able to win thanks to our team’s passion for this brand and also thanks to our partners at Choose Chicago, with whom we recently partnered on Chicago Restaurant Week.

This partnership expanded our ability to share Terlato wines with hundreds of participating restaurants and thousands of food and wine enthusiasts. Being able to donate $40,000 to the IRAEF Restaurant Employee Relief Fund is a remarkable tribute, one that we are confident Tony would be proud of, knowing how passionate he and the entire Terlato family is for the hospitality community here in Chicago and across the country.”

Humbled by the generous contribution from Terlato and Southern, President and CEO of Illinois Restaurant Association concluded with, “Since last summer, we have actively raised funds for the IRAEF Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, which provides one-time, $500 cash grants to industry workers facing an unforeseen financial crisis as a result of the pandemic. This remarkable gift will truly make a difference in the lives of others and will allow us to reach a milestone of disbursing more than $300,000 this spring.”