The Salton Winery

Company Data (March 2004)

At the present time, the company is run by the third generation of the Salton family together with professionals connected with the family.

Company name:

Vinhos Salton S/A Ind. Com.

Address:

Rua Mário Salton, 300 Tuiuty Bento Gonçalves/RS Cep: 95700-000

Phone:

(54) 458-1717

Fax:

FAX: (54) 458-1700

Branch:

Av. Luiz Dumont Villares, 390 Carandirú São Paulo (11) 6959-3144

E-mail:

matriz@salton.com.br

Home page:

www.salton.com.br

President:

Ângelo Salton Neto

Management:

Antônio Agostinho Salton - Managing Director
Daniel Salton - Director of Commerce
Lucindo Copat - Director of Technology / Chief Oenologist
Wagner José Ribeiro - Director of Sales
Ronaldo Serripiero - Director of Finance

The Salton Winery
(more photos)

Volume-related Data

Overall area:

30.000 m² (built-up area)
62 ha of land
15 ha of facilities
Overall: 77 ha

Investments up to now:

27 million reals, of which:
21 million into construction
6 million into equipment

Wine production in 2004:

15.3 million litres, of which:
9.7 million litres of table wine - 60%
5.6 million litres of quality and sparkling wine - 40%

Overall capacity:

20 million litres

Volume of stainless tanks:

14,5 million litres

Laboratories:

There will be five laboratories in total - grape analysis, central lab, microbiology/sewage water treatment, sensory analysis (tasting), and quality analysis and control.

Auditorium:

60 seats

Product ranges:

One at present but there can be three at the same time

Warehouse capacity:

1 million boxes

Water Treatment Plant

Overall capacity:

3 million litres, of which:
1 million litres of drinking water
2 million litres of rainwater

Water:

All water is filtered and treated.

Plant capacity:

400 m³ of water can be treated a day

Vineyards

Company's own vineyards:

70 ha in total, of which:
20 ha in Tuiuty
50 ha in Santa Lúcia (Vale dos Vinhedos)

Number of suppliers:

1000 families (2000 ha)

Import of seedlings:

from Italy, RSA and France

Harvesting

Grapes harvested in 2003:

15.5 thousand tonnes

Grapes harvested in 2004:

20 thousand tonnes

Wine production/harvest:

20 million bottles

Specially selected variety:

Cabernet Sauvignon

Selection speed:

max. 1500 kg/hour

Salton wine bottle volume:

375 ml/750ml

Bagé

Partner producers: 28

Vineyards:

162 ha in total, of which 50% produces already

Grapes harvested in 2004:

400 tonnes

Main varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Moscato, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Ancelota

Talento

Production:

30 thousand bottles

Maturing time:

1 year in oak casks and 9 months in bottles (cellars)

Composition:

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Tannat

Price:

about R$60.00 (per bottle)

Product launch date:

mid-July (introduction, promotion), November (official launch)

Time needed for the introduction of wine from the 2004 harvest:

2 years

Nova Prata

Overall area:

10 ha of seedbeds

Aim:

to lose dependence on seedling import

Other Data

Cellars:

Overground cellars are built from massive bricks and are used for the storage of protective substances.
Underground cellars are dug out in basalt and are used for the storage of sparkling wine during the champenois process; maturing wine is also stored there.

Cellar area:

3 000 m²

Cellar temperature:

10°C

Cooling chamber temperature:

up to -5°C

Purpose of the chamber:

sparkling wine fermentation during the champenois process, grapevine conditioning

Chamber area:

15 x 30 metres

Sundial:

In the upper part of the main gate there are golden letters AD MM - PAX. AD stands for Anno Domini (year of the Lord in Latin). The letters are surrounded by stripes from which a hummingbird drinks nectar. This symbolizes desire for harmony in nature and love between living beings.
The sundial is located in the central part of the main gate. It is made from Italian marble, special varnishes and semi-precious stones. The shadow cast by the metal piece shows precise astronomical time (which, depending on the time of the year, lags behind the official time by 30 to 45 minutes) and also the current season of the year. Concentric lines divide the dial into quarters while diagonal lines show the season and changes in the zodiac sign constellation. A special line, marked in gold, shows 25 August, the day when the Salton company was established. At the "noon" position there is another line, shaped like the "8" digit, showing how many minutes have to be added or subtracted to get the current official time.
The lateral parts (also made from Italian marble, varnishes and semi-precious stones) contain symbols of grapes, vine branches and plants, and birds and insect that are a common sight in the harvesting time and that symbolize music (birds), poetry (butterflies and dragonflies) and work (bees). Near the summer solstice mark there is a blue butterfly, which flies between the vine plants when the grapes ripen.
On the facade of the main building, a mosaic strip displays the words "Vinhos Salton" with golden letters carved in Italian marble.
The mosaic was made in the Friuli area in Italy by Fabiano Petozzi (one of the world's most famous artists in this field), Cinthia Moran, Andréa and Leonard Posenato from the NEA laboratory (Nuova Espressione Artística nel Mosaico). The sundial was made using the Shadows software written by the French astronomer François Blateyron, who supervised the entire project, and designed by architects Adriana Florin and Júlio Posenato (who also carried out other architectural projects for the Salton winery).

Visits:

Visitor groups by prior arrangement.
from 8:30 till 11:45
from 13:30 till 17:30
on Saturdays from 8:15 till 12:00.