Grappa and liqueurs from Trentino by the Marzadro family
Since 1949, the Marzadro distillery has been distilling grappa from fresh grape pomace in Trentino, as well as cream liqueurs, lemon liqueur, and gin. It was founded by Sabina Marzadro in Brancolino di Nogaredo, and today the company is in the hands of the third generation of the family. Distillation takes place in a copper water bath, using eight stills side by side, for one hundred days.
Distilleria Marzadro is a family-run distillery from Nogaredo in the Vallagarina, that stretch of valley between Rovereto and the northern tip of Lake Garda where Marzemino and Teroldego grow. What began in 1949 with a single still and a woman who taught herself the craft of distilling now fills three aging cellars. Grappa is the heart of the business, complemented by cream liqueurs, limoncino, and herbal spirits.
1949, a copper still, and a determined woman
The distillery was founded by Sabina Marzadro, who returned to Trentino after twelve years of service for a member of parliament in Rome and decided to distill the winegrowers' pomace.
She had served in Rome for twelve years, as many daughters of poor Trentino families did at the time. Back in Brancolino di Nogaredo, she had a local coppersmith, Arnoldi, build her a small still that still operated over an open flame, and placed it in the old family home. By 1949, the first carts of pomace were appearing in the courtyard.
Her brother Attilio was a farmer and became the salesman. He would strap bottles to the sidecar of his Moto Guzzi and ride to Rovereto and the neighboring villages. Before long, people in local bars were no longer ordering "a grappa," but "a Marzadro" – a glass bearing the family name. In 1960, Sabina handed over the management to him.
Attilio and his wife Teresa had six children. In 1964, a proper distillery was built complete with a yard scale, bottling line, and a small shop; in 1975, the grappa made from pure Marzemino from Isera was a success. Sabina’s notebook was also passed on to him, the one containing the alpine herbs she had collected: woodruff, mountain pine, juniper, stinging nettle, and rue.
At the end of the seventies, the company switched from open flames to a water bath, which immediately took the harshness out of the spirits. In the early eighties, Attilio handed over responsibility to his children, who responded to a difficult market situation with a grappa liqueur made from blueberries, picked in Baselga di Pinè at an altitude of one thousand meters and placed by hand into the bottleneck one by one. Berries with tweezers. That is how craftsmanship begins.
One hundred days of distillation between September and December
Since 2004, the distillery has been located one kilometer away in Nogaredo, built of stone, wood, and glass on Attilio’s former vineyard.
Bolzano architects Walter Maurmayr and Günther Plaickner oriented the building according to the position of the sun and planted the roof with 60,000 pre-cultivated plants that keep the heat out in summer. Beneath a dome of glass and metal, eight copper stills stand in a circle. In Nogaredo, they call it a "forest of copper."
Distillation is carried out exclusively using fresh pomace still dripping with must, processed in a water bath in a discontinuous still – slower than a continuous system, but gentler on the aroma. This method is considered the quintessential Trentino process. It runs for one hundred days between September and December, around the clock, without a break.
Each batch is checked by the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino, which has been monitoring quality in the province of Trento since 1968, in collaboration with the Istituto Agrario San Michele all'Adige and the Trento Chamber of Commerce. The company processes around 5,000 tons of pomace per year, and some 4,000 barrels lie in three aging cellars.
Andrea Marzadro, the company's master distiller and Attilio’s son, is responsible for selecting the raw materials. His brother Stefano is president, his sister Anna runs the family holding company, and with Mattia, Alessandro, and Luca, the next generation has long since joined the team. The company now employs over a hundred people.
According to the company, it sources 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, verified by certificates of origin. A photovoltaic system with 300 kilowatts of peak power is installed on the roof, co-financed by the Autonomous Province of Trento. And the green roof saves on cooling, just as an added bonus.
From Trentina to Giare Amarone
The grappa range extends from clear, young spirits to distillates aged for three years in oak barrels, and can be read across four lines.
The pomace comes from the grape varieties that define Trentino: Teroldego from the Rotaliana plain, Marzemino from Isera, as well as Merlot, Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Muscat, and Gewürztraminer. Because every grape brings its own unique character, a single-varietal spirit tastes different from a cuvée – narrower, clearer, but less multi-layered.
At the beginning is the clear Trentina made from Teroldego, Marzemino, and Merlot, unaged and straightforward. The Morbida barrique then matures in the very same barrels that previously held the Diciotto Lune, becoming softer and rounder as a result.
The company’s most famous grappa was created in 2002: Le Diciotto Lune, the eighteen moons. It rests for eighteen months in small barrels made of cherry, ash, oak, and locust, distilled from five Trentino pomaces, at 41 percent alcohol. Spicy, velvety, complex – with a hint of vanilla and dried fruit.
The Giare line spends three years in oak barrels: Giare Amarone made from Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara, the floral Giare Gewürztraminer, and the sleek Giare Chardonnay at 45 percent. For those who like aging without an oak note, there is the Anfora, aged for ten months in clay amphorae from Tuscany.
Above these are the limited series. After its eighteen months, the Diciotto Lune Riserva Botte Porto gets an additional round in a Portuguese port wine barrel, becoming darker and fruitier. The Espressioni Solera matures for five years using the Spanish Solera method, where younger distillate is repeatedly added to older stock.
Andrea Marzadro selects the Espressioni line anew each year, in small batches of a few thousand bottles; the Espressioni Aromatica is one of them. And the Affina reserves rest for ten years before they are bottled. You can find everything under Marzadro Grappa.
Crema Alpina, Bellabomba, and a lemon liqueur
In addition to grappa, the Distilleria Marzadro produces a world of liqueurs that are softer, sweeter, and much more suitable for everyday enjoyment – and which make up the larger part of the range in the shop.
The cream liqueurs in the Crema Alpina range are made with cream from fresh Trentino milk and consistently have 17 percent alcohol. They are available in pistachio, hazelnut, coffee, lemon, wild strawberry, melon, marzipan, and salted caramel. Creamy, cool, mild – they taste best served ice-cold, near zero degrees.
This is joined by the Bellabomba made from Trentino milk, egg yolk, and rum, known in Italy as "bombardino" and traditionally drunk hot in ski huts in winter, the Limoncino made from lemon peels at 35 percent, and Noiela, made from roasted hazelnuts, the base of which is none other than the Diciotto Lune. The full selection can be found under Marzadro Liqueurs.
Over the years, a whole series has grown from Sabina’s herbal book: grappa with gentian, licorice, juniper, mountain pine, or rue, as well as amari and fruit brandies. And for some time now, the company has also been distilling a gin with 45% vol with their Luz Gin, which contains nine Trentino botanicals, from juniper and sage to rosemary and mint. Each plant is macerated individually and distilled in the company’s classic copper still; it is enjoyed in a gin and tonic just as much as it is neat.
World's Best Aged Grappa in 2016
At the 2016 World Grappa Awards, the Distilleria Marzadro’s Diciotto Lune was named World's Best Grappa Aged – the pinnacle of a long line of accolades.
The same grappa won Gold Outstanding and a trophy at the 2013 International Wine & Spirit Competition, and in 2023 it added Gold at the Spirits Selection of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The Giare Amarone received an IWSC trophy in 2010 and 2018, Gold at the 40th Premio Alambicco d'Oro of the A.N.A.G. in 2023, and the Gran Medaglia d'Oro from Città del Vino in 2024.
The Giare Gewürztraminer was awarded Gold Outstanding and a trophy in 2015, and Gold Outstanding again in 2017. And the young Anfora took Gold in Brussels in 2023, and the Ampolla d'Oro from Spirito Autoctono a year later. It is the distiller who is being honored here, not the merchant – we are simply passing it on. Hats off.
What is remarkable about this list is its length. Since 2008, a spirit from Nogaredo has appeared in almost every vintage of the major competitions, sometimes in London, sometimes in Brussels, sometimes at the Italian Alambicco d'Oro. Anyone who has been at the forefront for over fifteen years didn't just have one lucky year, but a process that stands the test of time.
Start with the miniatures
If you want to get to know the Distilleria Marzadro without committing to a full-sized bottle, it is best to try a tasting set.
Our recommendation for beginners: the Le Mignon tasting set with five 5cl miniatures. It contains four grappas ranging from the clear Trentina to the aged Diciotto Lune, and the Corretto coffee liqueur for dessert. After the second glass, you’ll know whether you prefer it edgy or barrel-mellow. For the sweet side, there is the Crema Alpina miniature set.
As a gift, the Diciotto Lune with two glasses is a wonderful choice, because the glass is included and nothing is missing. You can find further combinations under Marzadro Gift Sets, and if you have developed a taste for Trentino, it is worth taking a look at our Italian department.
A word on pouring: Young grappa can be served cool, aged grappa at room temperature, but none should be ice-cold. The glass should preferably taper towards the top so that the aroma does not escape. The cream liqueurs, on the other hand, should be served cold, preferably from the freezer. And those who drink Bellabomba hot in winter are doing it just like the Italians in the ski huts.
"We were born as grappa distillers," says Alessandro, of the third generation, about his family. After one hundred days of copper, pomace, and steam per year, one is surely entitled to say so. Taste your way through.
