Business · Companies · 1 day ago
Berta ages grappa with music in Italy’s Monferrato hills
The Berta family makes grappa in Mombaruzzo, in Italy’s Monferrato hills, and has done so for decades.
Its distillery produces more than 30 varieties, exported to 92 countries, and some bottles have been served at official meals at the Quirinale and chosen by Bruce Springsteen.
The family helped make aged grappa more valued by keeping it in French oak barrels for as long as 20 years, rather than selling it young.
The barrels rest in underground cellars where classical music plays; one grappa, Ditirambo, ages to music selected by composer Peppe Vessicchio.
The business is also investing in historic local buildings, turning some into places to stay and restoring others for future hospitality use.
The family says this work can bring visitors and economic life to small towns facing population decline.
Its plans include more restored places to welcome guests, including the Castelletto dell’Annunziata and the Convento di San Giovanni in Nizza Monferrato.
Berta ages grappa in underground cellars in Monferrato, where classical music plays as the spirit rests in French oak barrels.
The grappa can age for up to 20 years, and one variety, Ditirambo, matures to music selected with help from composer Peppe Vessicchio.
The family distillery is in Mombaruzzo and is led by Enrico, known as Chicco Berta.
Berta produces more than 30 varieties of grappa and exports them to 92 countries.
The family has also developed hospitality projects and supports local heritage in the Monferrato area.
- Who
- The Berta family distillery, led by Enrico “Chicco” Berta.
- What
- The company ages grappa in barrels while classical music plays in its cellars.
- When
- The distillery has made grappa for 80 years; the article says the milestone falls in 2027.
- Where
- Mombaruzzo, in the Monferrato hills of Italy.
- Why
- Berta says aging reveals qualities in grappa that are missed when it is drunk young.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gianfranco Berta, Chicco’s brother and business partner, died.
The company’s reported turnover was more than 14 million euros.
The Berta distilleries are due to mark 80 years of making grappa.
- Location
- Mombaruzzo, Monferrato
- Barrel aging
- Up to 20 years in French oak barrels
- Range
- More than 30 varieties of grappa
- Exports
- 92 countries
- Turnover
- More than 14 million euros in 2023
What people are saying
The distillate is like a person: it is born young and dies old, but compared with armagnac, cognac, whisky, grappa was drunk too soon; we were among the first to give it the experience of aging, revealing unsuspected qualities
The mission of the entrepreneur—not the “take-preneur”—is to give back to the place where he works part of what he has received
For us, giving back means preventing the depopulation of our towns through a set of actions aimed at restoring their identity and centrality