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The stages of our History

Craftsmanship, technological innovation, and artisanal traditions are at the core of the Bertagnolli Distillery corporate vision. 

Our distillates and grappas have steadily improved over the years thanks to creative thinking and investments made with the goal of delivering excellence in every glass.

1870 - The Foundation

The unification of Italy
Giulia de Kreutzenberg, a noble landowner, married Edoardo Bertagnolli, heir to an established pharmaceutical company.

The birth of the Bertagnolli Distilleria dynasty

The first medal was awarded in 1872, followed by other major international awards.

As history tells it, the Bertagnolli label was served in the Imperial House of the Habsburgs.





1949 - The Zadra Column

A coppersmith from Trento is credited with creating the Zadra Column . The "jewel" of the distillation process was then studied and tested by the Famiglia Bertagnolli. To this day, this device continues to be a crucial component of the Bertagnolli distillation process.

This extraction process uses alcohol vapors collected in the alembics which are then passed through the Zadra column. This delicate heating procedure evokes the finest flavors and aromas of the grape skins eliciting excellence.

1952 - The Steam Bain-Marie distillation system

The steam-fed, stir-arm Bain-Marie system was another crucial turning point in our history. This was a significant advancement toward a distillation procedure that is more sensitive to the environment and the raw material and more effective at determining the purity of the finished product.

The grape skins are combined with water and put in the body of copper stills that use the discontinuous bain-marie method and "Zadra" columns. The alcoholic vapors required for the production of distillates are then created during the mass's boiling process.

1991 - Technological monitoring

We installed a digital monitoring system at the beginning of the 1990s to support the delicate distillation process, achieving an unmatched level of perfection and minimizing any room for human error.

This digital system permits the main, or "heart," of the distillate to be kept while the “head and tail," which contain the unfavorable components, can be discarded, resulting in a superbly pure final product.

2020 - Corporate Brand Evolution

Since 2020, the brand's development has brought us full circle, back to the founding principles and spirit of the Bertagnolli distillery.

In rediscovering our roots, we are reminded of the value of craftsmanship, respecting the land and raw materials, and a precise production process. In this light, we are moving forward into the future with great potential for company growth.

The brand has undergone a thorough evaluation. To keep the company's close ties to its origins, the Riserva 1870 line was launched using recently rediscovered vintage recipes.