Distillerie Berta

Elisi is a barrique-aged blend of grappas from different vintages and grape varieties. The marc from Barbera, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon give this grappa elegance, finesse and complexity. SUPERIORE.DE

Not matured grappa, not brandy and not fruit brandy, but the best of all of the above - Aquardens Composita is an assemblage of young and matured grappa with old brandy and a fruit brandy. The individual distillates are matured separately and then blended. The cuvée then matures for 12 months in barriques of different types of wood. Its bouquet is a concert of impressions, from which notes of tobacco, cocoa and vanilla stand out in particular. These flavours continue in the rich and enveloping taste. SUPERIORE.DE

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.

Roccanivo is the hill in Casalotto where it all began for the Berta family – a home and a piece of history rolled into one. Paolo Berta, who founded the distillery in 1947, opened a cask in 1998 in front of his children, a cask that had been ageing grappa for a long time. The house describes what emerged as revolutionary: amber-coloured, dense and fragrant, scarcely comparable to other grappas; it smelled of years of ageing and meticulous care. Roccanivo was born – the first Selezione Riserva – and others were to follow. The grape variety behind it is Barbera, robust and hardy, a variety that does not succumb to cold or adversity. Its pomace is distilled in batches in a steam-heated copper still and then aged for 8 years in casks made of mixed woods with varying degrees of toasting.

The number three is quite something. For Pythagoras, it links the one with the two; in the Neapolitan tombola, it represents the cat; Christians think of the Holy Trinity; Hindus think of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu; and the Chinese think of Heaven, Earth and Man. With Nebbiolo, too, we count to three: there are three major regions, and the family attributes the elegance of this brandy to them. The Nebbiolo pomace comes from selected producers in the typical growing regions and is distilled batch by batch in a steam-heated copper still. It is then aged for eight years, with a blend of different woods and toasting levels. It is stored in underground cellars that maintain their temperature without air conditioning or heating. The sun, which warms the grapes, and these years of ageing are, in the house's view, what make the brandy so good.

One swallow does not make a spring, as (not only) an Italian proverb says, but a whole flock heralds its arrival. Swallows are eager travellers, drawn to unknown lands, yet to rest and raise their young they seek refuge beneath the eaves of houses, where it is warm and cheerful. The black-blue colour of their feathers gave its name to the "Rondinella", one of the grape varieties used in Amarone della Valpolicella – a variety that is productive and resistant to heat and drought. This Riserva, now in its fifth edition, is dedicated to it. The pomace comes from Amarone, the wine made from dried grapes, and is distilled intermittently using steam. The brandy is then aged in various types of wood, each with a different degree of toasting.

SoloPerGian is not just a grappa, but the successful union of Tre Soli Tre, Roccanivo and Bric del Gaian, aged for 10 years in 1,200- and Liters barrels. And the name SoloPerGian is also the name of a non-profit foundation for craftsmen and those who are (still) willing to learn a craft.

Twenty years have passed since the Berta family left Nizza Monferrato. Today, with the acquisition of Castelletto dell'Annunziata, they are returning to the homeland where Paolo began writing his impressive story. To celebrate the return, a special grappa is being produced. A Piedmontese grappa, made from the best marcs that this land at the foot of the mountains has to offer. A new product, but with an old history. A homage to the land and a grappa that tastes like coming home.

Grappa Annata Riserva made from Nebbiolo da Barolo and Barbera d'Asti named after the founder Paolo Berta. Perfection for lovers of very old brandies. Ripe golden colour, spicy bouquet of sultanas and tobacco, beautifully accentuated on the palate and with continuous development into the long finish. SUPERIORE.DE

1x 0.7l "Roccanivo" Grappa invecchiata 2016

Despite the turmoil of the Second World War, the Berta family managed to enable the last-born to study. When Paolo left university in 1947 with a degree in viticulture, he transferred his parents' business in Nizza Monferrato to the "Distilleria Berta di Berta Paolo" in 1947. 75 years later, the Berta family celebrates this anniversary with a terrificRiserva bottled exclusively in magnum bottles in an edition of just 2,800 bottles. It is an exquisite assemblage from the 1983 to 1994 vintages of the legendary Riserva del Fondatore, elegantly packaged in an Italian burl wood box. SUPERIORE.DE