01

Yesterday

It would take another 15 years for Italy to be unified and another 50 before the first Fiat took to the roads. In the same region that initiated these two historic events, the Mazzetti family started its distillation business in the heart of Monferrato. It was 1846 when Filippo Mazzetti (1816-1855) established his first Grappa distillery in Montemagno. At that time, pomace, from which Grappa has always been distilled, was considered an unwanted by-product of the wine production process: as a result of many winemakers’ negligence and unpreparedness, pomace was not always preserved and selected in the best possible way, unlike today where pomace is highly regarded in the art of distilling. It is said that Filippo and, after him, his son, Luigi, often used to lament how this fragrant raw material went to waste rather than being – as it should have been – appreciated and transformed into a fine, unmistakeable spirit: Grappa

02

The Best Pomace
for Outstanding Grappa

In search of the best pomace, Filippo turned to wine cellars based in the land around his distillery (in the heart of Monferrato) and reached, not without some effort, given the means of travel at the time, the neighbouring areas of Piedmont such as Alto Monferrato, Canavese and sometimes even Langhe and Roero.

03

One of the most awarded Grappa Distilleries, in Italy and overseas.

If, on the one hand, this was both a significant and expensive undertaking at the time, over the years, first Filippo and then his son, Luigi (1842-1911) – who, in the meantime, had relocated the expanded distillery to Altavilla Monferrato – learned to recognise and appreciate the spirits obtained from the pomace coming from the various parts of Monferrato. They discovered – as the distillation technique gradually improved – the immense sensorial heritage hidden in the folds of the lands of Piedmont and its wine-growing treasures. In the early part of the new century, the Mazzetti distillery focused on consolidating itself as a company inextricably tied to adhering to the tradition of the Monferrini distilleries and became, first with Felice (1902-1981), and then with Franco (1931-2015), one of the finest and greatest award-winning Grappa Distilleries, both in Italy and overseas. Today, almost 200 years since Filippo took his first trip, the sixth and seventh generations are pleased to present a collection of Grappas made from a single grape variety, all from Piedmont, together with various spirits and liqueurs, which are perfect as an innovative, unforgettable gift. The pomace from these single grape varieties, skilfully distilled in copper stills using the discontinuous method, and the family’s passion are the only ingredients used in these Mazzetti d’Altavilla Grappas which, from the more traditional to the more refined and aged, are, like those made by Filippo, representative of all the perfumes, biodiversity, and traditions of the processing and of the land from which they come: Monferrato and Piedmont.