Once a wine brand becomes so popular that the vineyard has trouble matching production to the market's demands, they start to take short cuts, like sourcing juice from other, inferior vineyards, pushing larger yields, etc.
So after a while the wine doesn't taste as good as it used to, yet the price mysteriously keeps climbing. So after a while, youre paying more for a lower quality wine, simply because its a household name.

So here are some Pinot Grigios that fly under the radar, but will upstage Santa Margherita every time, while costing a fraction of what you pay for Santa Margherita's marketing machine.

With a fantastic aromatic nose, and hints of stone fruit and lemons, this can't miss Pinot Grigio is a STEAL compared to Santa Margherita.

Great for grilled fish, summer salads and brie cheese

The Santa Margherita Killer:
Balanced, and clean tasting with hints of white peach and yellow apples. Remarkably detailed and easy drinking.

Yes, you read this right. This Ninja wine value beat Santa Margherita in double blind taste tests, and cost 1/5 the price!
Its ridiculously refreshing, shows ample fruit but remains balanced and crisp on the finish without being neither too fruity nor an acid bomb.

Skepical? Chef Markus Samuelsson made this his house Pinot Grigio at Red Rooster, his vanity project restaurant, and they charge $8 a glass for it.

My "Go-To" Pinot Grigio. Easy drinking, refreshing, and clean finishing. twice the wine, 1/3rd the price!

Organic Pinot Grigio of this quality is almost unbelievable at this price.
Its as refreshing as a water park in August.
(Its also in my Top Ten List of Undervalued Wines)

100 % Organically grown,
200% more nuanced and flavorful than Santa Margherita.
Amazing depth and structure for the price.

This blend of Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo has a refreshingly sour lilt that highlights the soft fruit on the front.
SCREAMS: SHRIMP SCAMPI PAIRING!

This extraordinary Pinot Grigio is 100% organically grown and vinified in the Alto Adige.
The vineyard has been producing this wine the "right way" since 1607.

Enough said.

The 2013 Tramin Pinot Grigio is fabulously clean tasting, featuring refined aromas and flavors. Made in a focused, mineral driven style, showing terrific length and balance.
Tramin is a cooperative with an astonishing 290 members and 575 acres under vine, dimensions which are virtually unheard of in Italy.

Simply the gold standard in this price range. Detailed, well balanced, and beautifully structured, this wine can grace any serious banquet, or quench your thirst at a summer picnic.
Drinks like a $100 bottle.

Santa Margherita, you cant hold Lageder's spit bucket!