Exploring the Vineyard Behind SYLTBAR

For a little over 13 years, SYLTBAR has grown its name and popularity in the US market, thanks to the belief and dedication that we, along with the help of an amazing team, have given to our brand. But there would be no SYLTBAR brand for us to market here if it weren’t for one Italian family who started wine-making over 105 years ago.

This family’s commitment to sustainable farming and harvesting practices, treating the environment with honor and respect, and producing 100% natural wines is what makes their wines stand apart from others. That is why we fell in love with their Prosecco 35 years ago, and decided to give a story to what was, at that time, an invisible black bottle; the story of how we experienced this Prosecco for the first time on the famous island Sylt, which is what the brand name SYLTBAR is inspired by and what the logo on the bottle is today. It is not a kangaroo or a ballerina; it is the shape of the most famous island in Germany.

Who Are SYLTBAR’s Producers?

SYLTBAR is produced by San Simone Winery, which is located in Friuli, in the northwestern part of Italy, part of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. To give you a point of more familiar reference, it is close to Venice. This region is one of Italy’s top wine-making areas, and it is one of the specific regions where Prosecco is a top focus. San Simone is in the most western part of Doc Friuli Grave and right at the heart of Doc Prosecco. So, it only makes sense that this is where SYLTBAR Mr Premium Prosecco comes from!

San Simone was founded by the Brisotto family, whose beliefs stem from the idea that there is always a strong connection between product, environment and human affairs.

The vineyards are four generations old. They were started by the first generation founders Gino and Olga Brisotto, then were passed onto the next generation, Antonio and Angela, who continued to grow and strengthened the winery. Then more growth and improvements were made by the third generation, Gino and Liviana. They created a new production project named San Simone, which put the company on the path to where it is today.

Currently, the fourth generation of three siblings own and operate the winery. Antonio, Anna and Chiara are in total control of the product, from the vineyard to the bottle. Their main concerns are for product authenticity, its ecological sustainability and natural development of its organoleptic potential. The family always stays authentic to enhance the company image and keep social responsibility and respect for the environment at the core of its values.

Tradition is important to San Simone, in both family values and production practices. We share these same beliefs with our producers, and this is what has helped SYLTBAR grow.

Winemaking with Ethical Responsibility

As we often tell you, SYLTBAR is part of the Green Project. That is because this is something that San Simone participates in. It is a set of actions, behaviors, and procedures that we put forward to contribute to the environmental sustainability of our business, respecting the existing territorial balances. It is an idea of social responsibility that has guided the Brisotto family since the beginning, long before being organic became so popular. Offering maximum respect for the communities where the company operates, of suppliers, of consumers, of customers, of the territory, and of the local cultural heritage.

San Simone’s mission statement: Producing quality wines following the entire production chain, from the vineyard to the bottle, respecting the raw material, identity, and territory, bringing to the world the culture of Italian style.

San Simone’s vision: Manifesting the passion for our work by proposing “our” wine in the market, not only as “Made in Italy”, but also a wine produced from our vineyards that knows how to narrate about our land and our culture.

This can’t be learned, it is innate.

The Vineyards and Wine Cellars

San Simone Winery consists of its vineyards and wine-making area, as well as a wine storing room, bottling room, a warehouse for the finished products, laboratory, Italian Cantina tasting room, and a basement for aging certain wines in French oak barrels.

In the wine cellar, modern operation techniques are used that allow the winemakers to still maintain and respect certain levels of standards that must be met in order to adhere to the winery’s culture and belief systems. The owners care deeply about quality, and do not compromise in order to save money or time. There are no shortcuts taken here.

Just to be clear, SYLTBAR is a private-label for an exclusive group of wines that are 100% naturally produced from one winery. Many others only use a brand name, but are produced by large corporations. You’ll know this when you see a label that only shows a bottle number, but not an actual winery name. When you see “bottled by,” that doesn’t automatically mean it is a winery.

Can I Visit San Simone?

Yes, you can! When you join the SYLTBAR Wine Club, you are one of the lucky ones who gets excellent customer service from our team and that includes being set up for a visit to San Simone!

If you will be traveling to Italy and would like to plan a visit, just let us know and we would be happy to arrange it for you. San Simone loves to host tastings and tours of the winery, and you can even purchase wine at the winery during select hours.

We highly recommend making this special trip to San Simone part of your Italian adventure! There is no better experience than a tasting with Mr and Mrs in their homeland.