Grappa

Elena Penna's (London) Dry Gin carries the soul of the Langhe and combines British gin tradition with Piedmontese botanical finesse. Hand-picked alpine herbs from the Langhe hills and the Maritime Alps – juniper from the Maritime Alps, Langhe thyme, coriander, black elderflower, angelica, wild mint, camomile, cassia bark and organic citrus peel from the Ligurian hills – are distilled over a wood fire in two restored 18th century copper stills. The "one-shot" method uses each botanical only once to capture its aromatic essence in the highest purity. No synthetic flavourings, no essential oils, just natural cold filtration through paper filters, which give the gin a delicate yellow hue. The result: intense juniper distillate with balsamic notes, fine herbal flavours and an oily texture that lingers on the palate for a long time – an authentic and complex gin with a Piedmontese soul. SUPERIORE.DE

The Gioiello series by Nonino is the result of years of development and many experiments. They are distillates made exclusively from honey in all its flavours. The production is very limited, as only high-quality honey from ecologically pure areas is used. The distillation process is very slow in order to allow the volatile ingredients responsible for the fragrance of the distillate to evaporate and then condense in the right way, so that the rare and precious fragrance and taste characteristics of the selected honey are not lost.

The Gioiello series by Nonino is the result of years of development and many experiments. They are distillates made exclusively from honey in all its flavours. The production is very limited, as only high-quality honey from ecologically pure areas is used. The distillation process is very slow in order to allow the volatile ingredients responsible for the fragrance of the distillate to evaporate and then condense in the right way, so that the rare and precious fragrance and taste characteristics of the selected honey are not lost.

The Gioiello series by Nonino is the result of years of development and many experiments. They are distillates made exclusively from honey in all its flavours. The production is very limited, as only high-quality honey from ecologically pure areas is used. The distillation process is very slow in order to allow the volatile ingredients responsible for the fragrance of the distillate to evaporate and then condense in the right way, so that the rare and precious fragrance and taste characteristics of the selected honey are not lost.

After gentle distillation in small copper stills, the grappa matures for at least three years in used Ornellaia barrels (twice as long as prescribed) before being blended with grappas from older stocks to give it an extra measure of depth and character. With soft aromas, silky texture and golden colour, Eligo dell'Ornellaia Grappa Riserva is of noble style and unique provenance. An enveloping, warm bouquet of ripe grapes and toasted oak. Very pleasant and full on the palate with a long, harmonious aftertaste. SUPERIORE.DE

Why produce gin, herbal liqueur and vermouth in the heart of the Langhe, in one of the most famous wine regions in the world? Quite simply because these products are an ancient local tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. Because distilled spirits, herbal liqueurs and vermouths have been produced by the Penna and Currado Vietti families for generations. Elena's family produced and sold them as part of their many years in the catering industry – mixology was tradition and everyday life for them. Luca's father Alfredo Currado worked as a cellar master for famous local vermouth and amaro producers in the 1950s before he and his wife Luciana Vietti took over the winery.

Oltre il Vallo - a brandy that matures for 24 months in oak casks and 6 months in single malt Scotch whisky casks. It combines the Highlands and Monferrato, as the casks come from the oldest and most renowned distilleries in Scotland: Lagavulin, Caol Ila and Mortlach, which wrote the history of the best Scotch whisky.

Very noble Vespaiolo brandy from the best vintage marc from Breganze with an intense summery fruit bouquet of gooseberry, apricot, raspberry, fig and peach. Vinous on the palate, with accents of bitter chocolate, marzipan and raspberry on the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Characterful distillate made from the pomace of Torcolato dessert wine with a rich flavour of berries and fruit, wonderfully round and fresh in the mouth, with fine acidity and a slightly peppery bitter note. An extremely successful grappa! SUPERIORE.DE

Vermouth is currently experiencing a real boom – and Elena and Luca have contributed to this with their high-quality, handcrafted vintage versions. For them, only the best is good enough. This is why an absolutely phenomenal base wine was selected for BB21: a top-class single-vineyard Barbaresco from a top winemaker friend from the great 2021 Piedmont vintage forms the foundation of this almost unearthly Vermouth. BB21 stands for Barbaresco base 2021 – a limited edition Vermouth masterpiece based on an old family recipe. The differentiated approach compared to TIM23: while the white vermouth is based on 100% Timorasso, Elena relies on the strength and structure of a great Nebbiolo wine for BB21 – barbaresco 2021 from a single vineyard, supplemented by a proportion of Arneis. The complexity is achieved through 30 natural botanicals and herbs from Piedmont, which are cold macerated in alcohol for three weeks according to an old family recipe. The extract is then blended with the Barbaresco and Arneis and matured for 50 days in stainless steel tanks.

One grape variety bears the name of its creator: in 1882, Hermann Müller crossed Riesling Renano with Madeleine Royale in Thurgau, Switzerland. The globetrotter only found his true home in the Alps – nowhere does Müller Thurgau thrive better than in the Val di Cembra, where terraced steep slopes between 500 and 800 metres above sea level combine porphyry soils with extreme day-night fluctuations. It is precisely these grapes that Nonino chooses for one of its rarest cru grape brandies. Unlike grappa, the whole fruit is distilled here – peel, pulp and juice together – using the method that Benito and Giannola Nonino invented in 1984 and christened ÙE: Friulian for grape. Fermentation takes place anaerobically in stainless steel, distillation slowly in copper steam stills.

The Bolognas – pioneers of Barbera from Piedmont – have their Grappa Invecchiata di Bricco dell'Uccellone produced every year, as befits their status, by the renowned Distilleria Berta. Made from the pomace of the Bricco dell'Uccellone, distilled using the classic, batch method by the Berta grappa dynasty in Mombaruzzo, Piedmont, and matured in the very same wooden casks that previously held the coveted and avant-garde Barbera wine. Only around 4,000 bottles of this fine spirit are produced per vintage.

For the production of Badia a Coltibuono Grappa Riserva, our own Sangiovese marcs are distilled by hand at low temperature with indirect steam after a gentle pressing. This process preserves the aromas of the fresh marcs in the grappa. The grappa is produced at the Nannoni distillery in Paganico, where many of Italy's best wine producers have their grappa distilled.

Among the red Bordeaux grape varieties, Cabernet Franc is the most poetic: less vigour than Cabernet Sauvignon, but more fragrance, more herbs, more finesse. In Friuli, where it is rooted in the Grave soils, it has its own unique character – and it is precisely this that Nonino captures. Only Cabernet Franc grapes from the Grave del Friuli are used for this rare cru grape brandy, harvested when perfectly ripe and distilled as a whole fruit: skin, pulp and juice together, using the ÙE method invented by Benito and Giannola Nonino in 1984.

From the beginning, Pio Cesare produced limited quantities of Barolo Chinato and Vermouth, precisely according to a family recipe handed down by his grandfather. In the early 1950s, however, production was discontinued as tastes and preferences changed.

The same pear, a different way. What happens when Il Pirus is not left to rest in stainless steel, but instead aged in French oak? The experiment began on 7 January 2016: Pear Acquavite made from selected Williams went into Limousin barrique no. 3062, sealed in maturation cellar no. 5 under the supervision of the customs authorities. Two years later, on 22 May 2018, the seal was broken – 181 Liters of pure alcohol, enough for just 828 numbered bottles. Crystalline clarity has become intense amber.

On 27 November 1984, Benito and Giannola Nonino made history: with special ministerial authorisation, they distilled not just pomace but the whole grape for the first time – peel, pulp and juice combined. The ÙE was born, a completely new distillate beyond all categories. This Anniversary Edition combines the monovitigni Ribolla, Moscato, Malvasia and Merlot, distilled as single varietals and matured for five years in Limousin, Nevers and ex-sherry barrels.