Top 10 Distilleries in Italy
Grappa is Italy's most distinctive contribution to global distilling: a marc brandy distilled from the pressed grape skins, seeds, and stems left over after winemaking. For most of the 20th century it was a cheap, harsh, rural spirit consumed as a digestivo by northern Italian farmers. A generation of quality-focused distillers — beginning in the 1970s in Friuli and Piedmont — transformed it into a sophisticated category with varietal specificity, aged expressions, and international critical recognition. Italy also produces fruit eaux-de-vie, herb-based liqueurs, and a small but growing whisky sector. All these producers are findable on the map.
1. Nonino, Friuli
Benito Nonino and his wife Giannola in Percoto, Friuli, are the pivotal figures in modern grappa's transformation. In 1973 Giannola Nonino distilled the first monovitigno — single-varietal grape marc — grappa, using Picolit skins from the indigenous Friulian grape variety. Before this, grappa was made from mixed pomace of whatever grapes remained; separating marc by variety and distilling it separately required the cooperation of winery partners and a willingness to forgo efficiency for flavour. The Picolit Nonino that year demonstrated that varietal character survived marc distillation in detectable form. Nonino's range now covers Grappa di Ribolla Gialla, Grappa di Moscato, Grappa di Chardonnay, and the aged ÙE expression (distilled from whole berries, technically an acquavite di uva rather than grappa). Their L'arzente, also from whole berries, was awarded the World Spirits Award in 2004. Giannola Nonino also created the Nonino Prize, one of Italy's most prestigious literary awards.
2. Berta, Piedmont
Distilleria Berta in Mombaruzzo in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont has been family-operated for four generations and is among the most internationally admired Piedmontese grappa producers. Their cru expressions — Grappa di Barolo, Grappa di Moscato d'Asti, Grappa di Brachetto — use marc from the most renowned Piedmontese wine zones, distilled in copper bain-marie stills that provide indirect, gentle heating to preserve delicate aromatic compounds. The Tre Soli Tre, distilled from Nebbiolo marc and aged in small oak barrels, is their flagship aged expression.
3. Marolo, Piedmont
Santa Teresa Distillery, run by Paolo Marolo in Alba — the heart of Barolo and Barbaresco country — produces grappa using fresh marc sourced directly from the Alba winemaking zone. Marolo's Grappa di Barolo Riserva, aged in French oak casks, is among the most sophisticated aged Piemontese grappas. The Grappa di Moscato, using the aromatic marc from Moscato d'Asti production, captures the grape's honeyed apricot character in distilled form. Marolo's operation is small and production-focused rather than visitor-oriented, with marc freshness — distilling within 24 hours of pressing — a central quality principle.
4. Capovilla, Veneto
Vittorio Capovilla in Rosà, Veneto, is the most perfectionist and least commercially conventional figure in Italian distilling. A former mechanical engineer, Capovilla applies rigorous temperature control and batavian still techniques to distilling not just grape marc but an extraordinarily diverse range of fruit: cherry, plum, Williams pear, fig, raspberry, apricot, and quince, among others. His fruit eaux-de-vie — distilled from fermented whole fruit rather than marc — are among the most precisely aromatic spirits produced anywhere in the world. The Capovilla Grappa di Amarone, using marc from Valpolicella's dried-grape Amarone production, is the most celebrated of his grape-based productions. Total annual output is tiny; bottles are allocated, not sold through standard distribution.
5. Distilleria Bonaventura Maschio, Veneto
Bonaventura Maschio in Gaiarine, Treviso, is a substantial Veneto grappa producer with a long history in the category, operating since 1939. Their Gioiello series of single-varietal grappas — Grappa di Prosecco, Grappa di Pinot Grigio, and others using northeastern Italian varietals — has brought quality-focused grappa to accessible price points. The Maschio Amarone Invecchiata, aged in small oak barrels, demonstrates the family's capability at the premium end.
6. Sibona, Piedmont
Antica Distilleria Sibona in Piobesi d'Alba, near Alba, has operated since 1840 and is one of the oldest continually operating grappa distilleries in Piedmont. Sibona uses traditional bain-marie pot stills — discontinuous, indirect-heated stills that the best Piedmontese producers consider essential for preserving aromatic quality — and sources marc from Barolo, Barbaresco, and Moscato producers in the immediate area. Their Grappa Riserva, aged 24 months in small French oak barrels, is a refined expression of the Piedmontese style.
7. Sarandrea, Lazio
While not a grappa producer, Distillerie Sarandrea in Collepardo in the Lazio hills near Frosinone represents Italy's herbal liqueur and acquavite tradition. Founded in the early 20th century, Sarandrea produces Amaro del Monastero and a range of herb-based digestivi using alpine and Mediterranean herbs, roots, and botanicals gathered from the central Apennine region. The production is small-batch and traditional, using cold maceration and pot still distillation for the herbal extract component. The distillery's rural location and traditional methods make it a model for the southern and central Italian herbal liqueur tradition distinct from the northern marc brandy focus.
8. Distillerie Franciacorta, Lombardy
Distillerie Franciacorta in Cazzago San Martino, Brescia, works within one of Italy's most prestigious wine zones — Franciacorta DOCG, the metodo classico sparkling wine region. Their Grappa di Franciacorta, distilled from the marc of Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, and Pinot Bianco from Franciacorta estates, has a finesse consistent with the appellation's wine reputation. The distillery also produces acquavite di frutta and herb-based spirits. Their aged grappa riserva uses barrels from the distillery's wine-region connections.
9. Pojer e Sandri, Trentino
Pojer e Sandri winery in Faedo, Trentino, operates a small distillery as an integral part of their estate wine operation. Mario Pojer's approach — distilling marc and whole fruit from their own estate and from partnered Trentino producers — reflects the Alto Adige and Trentino alpine tradition where grappa, fruit brandy, and wine are part of a single agricultural economy. The Pojer e Sandri Segnana grappa (produced partly in collaboration with Segnana, the Trentino grappa brand owned by Ferrari sparkling wine) and their estate-label fruit distillates are distributed mainly in the domestic market.
10. Roner, Trentino/South Tyrol
Roner Distillerie in Termeno (Tramin) in the South Tyrol operates in the bilingual German-Italian alpine border zone and produces a range that reflects both Italian grappa and Austrian/German Obstbrand traditions. Their Grappa di Gewürztraminer — using marc from the celebrated aromatic Gewürztraminer grape endemic to the local area — is among the most fragrant and distinctively varietal of any Italian grappa expression. The Williams pear brandy and the alte Pflaume (aged plum) represent the Central European fruit brandy side of the range.
Grappa designations
The Denominazione Geografica Tipica on a grappa label identifies the grape variety (e.g., Grappa di Barolo, Grappa di Brunello di Montalcino, Grappa di Moscato) and links the spirit to a specific Italian wine zone. These designations are not AOC or DOC-level geographic protections but they carry significant implicit quality and provenance signalling. Exploring them on the map reveals the direct connection between Italy's great wine appellations and their grappa counterparts.