Four generations ago, in 1866, Berta distilled its first grappa in Casalotto di Mombaruzzo.
It all began with Paolo Berta, who, thanks to his experience working in the area's wineries, decided to begin making grappa and spirits that were different from the standard products.
As the years passed, the distillery's products acquired a reputation abroad, exported in ceramic bottles or in special crystal decanters.
Year after year, the Berta family continued to search for and create new markets, until in the '90s Paolo and his wife Lidia decide to retire, handing over the reins of the company to their children.
An intense time of great effort, starting with the modifications made to the distillery, moved back to Mombaruzzo and characterized by the steam alembics that work continuously, transforming the pomace into a sweet but potent divine nectar.
By definition, grappa is considered aged when it is stored for a period of a year or more in wooden barrels. And naturally, the longer it is aged, the more intense its aroma, smoothness and sweetness.
All the Berta aged grappas begin their aging in the Cantina dei Tini, a cellar housing 13 large barrels of Slavonian oak; this wood is particularly suited for aging distillates in large casks.
After spending their first year in the wooden barrels, the Reserve grappas are transferred to barriques or tonneaux, where their aging is completed. The Cantina delle Barrique is home to the reserves for eight, ten, even twenty years, accompanied by a play of lights and classical music.
Completely underground and sealed off in order to prevent the natural temperature variations, the cellars were designed to take advantage of a natural ventilation system that recycles the without air conditioning; this yields the advantages of a traditional wine cellar while doing away with its problems, like some molds that develop when the humidity is too high.
The cellars contain thousands of barriques and tonneaux made of Troncais d'Allier, a prized French oak, ideal for aging premium distillates.
A moderate toasting gives the final product an amber color, an inebriating scent of vanilla and tobacco and an unmistakable fruited note.
Over the years, Berta has developed several barrique-aged grappas, which have received prestigious international awards. Among the most famous are the grappa Berta “Magia” and the grappa Berta “Riserva del fondatore” [Founder's Reserve].
