Bolla Chianti |
As the century advanced, the time came for Abele's grandchildren, Sergio and Giorgio, to join their fathers in the front line. The Bolla name soon became renowned across the ocean too. In 1946 Ercole Sozzi, proprietor of the "Fontana Hollywood", one of New York's most famous restaurants, visited the Bolla cellars and made a large order (200 cases of Bardolino, vintage 1943) which accelerated the introduction of Bolla wines into the American market in 1947. In 13 April 1953, on the occasion of Alberto Bolla's eightieth birthday, his family organized a special party at the Hotel Cavalieri in Milan: children and grandchildren surprised their grandfather by bottling his preferred wine with a special label: Amarone Bolla Riserva del Nonno, vintage 1950. Amarone's great fortune sprang right from this propitious idea as the Bolla brothers were the first to market this wine. In the meantime the number of admirers of Bolla wines continued to grow. In 1959 Frank Sinatra refused to take a seat at table without Soave Bolla.
In April 1996, the Bolla Quality System received UNI EN ISO 29002 Certification from the prestigious Norwegian firm Det Norske Veritas (and in 2001 the Agribusiness Supply Chain Traceability Certificate). Bolla was one of the first Italian Cellars to obtain this recognition. It expansion abroad was gradually reinforced with the passage of the years as it received important official awards. In 1997, Rudolph W. Giuliani, mayor of New York, organized an event to celebrate 50 years of the presence of the Bolla brand in the United States market.