The history of the Marzadro Distillery – Finest Wine

The history of the Marzadro Distillery

1949
1959
The post-war period

The history of the Marzadro Distillery seems like a black and white film, the story of an era that seems remote but is not. It was the post-war years, in an Italy where poverty left no escape, especially in mountainous regions such as Trentino. For this reason, girls in difficulty went to the service of the lords, escaping the troubles and finding acceptable living conditions in the more affluent homes.

A dream: to distil

Sabina Marzadro, too, was not spared from this harsh reality and, after spending 12 years in the service of a deputy in Rome, she returned to her region where her brother Attilio, who had always been an active farmer, was still waiting for her. Sabina returned home, however, with a firm desire to change her life, and she brought with her a dream: to undertake the art of distillation and make good Grappa using the pomace that had evaporated in the courtyards of the vintners' houses.
The first alembic

In the old house in Brancolino di Nogaredo, Sabina managed with great effort to have a small still built by Arnoldi, a well-known boilermaker. Commitment and hard work were the daily rule, above all to get out of the sad state of poverty once and for all. This was the turning point, 1949, when the first wagons full of marc began to arrive in the courtyard. Hence also the first customers and the clear vision that in order to make a name for themselves in the world of distilleries, it was essential to produce quality Grappa at reasonable prices.

A glass
named Marzadro

At the bar, it was increasingly common to hear people say "give me a Marzadro". Never before had a glass been named after a family. Excellent raw materials, passion, tenacity and a queue of buyers at the door. Attilio gave Sabina a hand in the small distillery and then off he went, riding his Moto Guzzi with the sidecar full of bottles to sell in Rovereto and all the surrounding towns.
1959
1969
Nature in a bottle

When she wasn't distilling, Sabina never missed an opportunity to go up into the mountains to gather wild alpine herbs, roots and berries to combine with Grappa: woodruff, dwarf pine, nettle, juniper and rue. A woman who knew to perfection when the time was right to pick the herbs and, in her extreme precision, she used to jot down notes and details in a notebook: a precious treasure of knowledge passed on to Attilio who, over the years, continued to develop the distillery.

Attilio and Teresa

In 1960 Sabina left the running of the distillery to her brother Attilio, by then an undisputed expert in Grappa and all the procedures for its production. At his side was Teresa, his wife who bore him six children. A decisive but loving woman, sweet but unshakable, Teresa was a fundamental element in the creation of the company we know today. A wife and mother who combined the importance of bringing up her children with a willingness to contribute to the work of the distillery.
Necessary growth

In 1964, the need for more space and a more efficient distillation plant became a reality. There was a general renovation of the company: a new distillery was built a few steps away from the house where they had worked for so many years. In addition an office, a large weighbridge in the courtyard used to weigh the wagons full of marc and a row of gleaming stills. There was also a room for the final stage of bottling and a small shop for retailing.

A car in the village

The production and sale of Grappa turned out to be a fortunate choice. Attilio bought a Fiat Multipla 600D, the only car in the village at the time. It was a car with many functions since, as well as being used for deliveries, it was used for all the village's emergencies, such as when a woman had to give birth and it was essential to reach Rovereto hospital in a short time.
1969
1979
One family, one passion

Once the children had grown up, they soon began to help Attilio, especially Stefano, Erino, Andrea and Elena, who were joined a few years later by their youngest daughters, Anna and Fabiola. A family story... a passion that Attilio, proud of his descendants, handed down in detail year after year, revealing to his large family all the secrets of the art of distilling.

Marzemino Grappa
in purity

It was 1975 and Distilleria Marzadro started a revolution: they launched Grappa made from a single grape variety, in their specific case produced from Marzemino grape marc from the nearby village of Isera. It was an immediate success, especially at a time when Grappas made from single grape varieties were an absolute novelty. The varietal fragrance, the richness of the vine and the hand of the distiller combined to create an inimitable set of sensations, a mix that, until then, seemed to belong only to wine.
1979
1989
The new stills
stills

At the end of the 1970s, the shiny new copper stills in Bagnomaria arrived. Previously, to heat the marc, the fire was lit directly underneath the boiler and attention to adjusting the intensity of the flame had to be extremely high. With the bain-marie system, however, the boiler is immersed in water. The water, after being heated, has the task of transmitting the heat to the marc until it reaches the right temperature. Heating is thus more gradual and allows the steam to enrich itself with all the aromas and alcohol necessary to obtain an excellent, softer and more fragrant Grappa. This process takes longer but ensures a superior quality product.

A winning answer
to the market crisis

At the beginning of the 1980s, Attilio handed over full responsibility for the distillery to his sons, who always remained a valuable support. In that period, however, the "new" Marzadro distillers immediately had to deal with the Grappa crisis. The "commercial" Grappa, accompanied by big brands and massive advertising campaigns, became the protagonist. The Marzadro brothers' response to the crisis was not long in coming: they created a new product, in line with the emerging market demands but in full Trentino style. Thus the first Grappa-based liqueur was born, made with tasty Trentino blueberries, picked in Baselga di Pinè, at an altitude of 1,000 metres and then inserted manually one by one into the neck of the bottles.
1989
1999
The family expands

United by great complicity and a passion for distilling, the family grew even larger. Attilio too, strengthened by his past, began to follow his grandchildren and pass on to them his wealth of knowledge, made up of passion, commitment and years of work. The new generations were immediately ready to embrace their grandfather's legacy and, over the years, made their own innovative contribution, transforming Marzadro into a dynamic company that is constantly updated but always tied to its solid roots.

Expansion

Finally, once the crisis had passed, quality Grappa returned to being appreciated in Italy and expanded outside the national borders. Marzadro, while maintaining the distillery in Brancolino with its cooperage and ageing rooms, felt the need to develop further, in order to have new spaces for warehouses, offices and bottling. Rovereto, a short distance from the historic headquarters, seemed the most suitable solution and... this was the start of another great family adventure that still continues today.
The added value
of handmade work

The arrival of the new millennium inevitably changed the world of work but, while accepting and treasuring the improvements that the new years were bringing, Marzadro continued to keep intact both the tradition and the added value of "handmade" work. For this reason, contrary to what was happening elsewhere, it was decided to develop and expand the "artistic workshop", where artisan artists personalised the bottles with drawings and hand-painted dedications, giving each bottle the opportunity to become a unique piece.

1999
2009

The Eighteen Moons

The year 2002 saw the birth of the Grappa Stravecchia Le Diciotto Lune, even though the trials and experiments had begun several years earlier. It is well known that excellence is never accidental. The efforts were fully repaid, and in a short time it became the classic of high-profile grappas, a role it still maintains today. It is the result of a selection of the best Trentino pomace, from selected vines, distilled in the typical Bagnomaria discontinuous still. The resulting Grappa is aged for a minimum of eighteen months in small barrels made of various fine woods. Slowly, over time, the wood-Grappa combination evolves to create full harmony, while the final blend is expressed in the ethereal perfume and rounded taste.
The dream that
becomes reality

 

The Marzadro family still had one dream in common: to create an efficient distillery big enough to carry out all the tasks within and where they could welcome the many visitors from all over Europe. In 2004, in Nogaredo, 1 km from Brancolino, part of Attilio's vineyard was transformed into stone, wood and glass... a distillery with harmonious architecture was born, traditional in form but modern inside. The distillery, the cooperage, the offices, the warehouse and the bottling plant were moved from Brancolino to Nogaredo.

A forest of copper

The new distillation plant, circular in shape and composed of 8 stills, is a copper forest illuminated by the glass dome above it. Efficient and large, it is handcrafted in the traditional way.
2009
2016
The third generation
comes forward

These are difficult years for everyone, but the spirit of initiative and the conviction of having a quality product, unique in the world, are the driving forces. The successes and awards continue to arrive in abundance, a sign that what has been done so far has borne excellent fruit. In addition, a rich and generous territory like Trentino fuels the desire to grow and the courage to take on new challenges. Sabina and Attilio's dream has now become reality, and the family, which remembers them with great affection and esteem, is more united than ever.




The passion continues...