Villa Zarri distillery: home of the Italian brandy
Just outside Bologna, in Castel Maggiore, to be exact, there is a place that any brandy lover should visit: Villa Zarri, the most renowned manufacturer of Italian brandy. In 1986 Guido Fini Zarri, following the footsteps of his grandfather and father, for the first time distilled some brandy with the Charentais Alembic, and that was born the myth of Villa Zarri.
Villa Zarri’s philosophy
The results were exciting, and since then, the quality put in the art of distillation has not changed. Despite the success, what is sought even today is the highest quality, a handmade product made by one man, without any addition of preservatives, additives, or colorings. The production method is complex and very long. The brandy is aged 10 years minimum before it is ready for the market. Like wine, it comes from exceptional grapes: only Trebbiano Romagnolo and Toscano are used. After the harvest, the grapes are pressed, the moist ferments, and finally, there is the distillation when the fermentation phase ends.
The method adopted is discontinuous, through the Charentais alembic. It is a prolonged process through which it is possible to obtain a concentration of great and intense aromas and, at the same time, to eliminate the heads and tails of the distillate.
At this point, the nectar that comes has an alcohol level of 72 % and is colorless. Follow long aging in French oak barrels: after a year in new barrels, the distillate moves to those already used, where it stays for 10 years.
Also, the climate, always wet and characterized by extreme temperature changes, significantly influences the brandy and imprints its flow on the spirit. As it gets older, the tannins of the barrels pass to brandy, giving flavors, aromas, tannin, and color. Consider that because of the evaporation, of the initials 100 liters, there are only 60-65 liters of the final product, a considerable sacrifice but necessary to allow the distilled to concentrate and find its balance.
Brandy traditional assembly 10 years
Assembling different vintages is common among brandy makers and is intended to make the brandy more complete and nuanced. In this case, we have a beautiful antique color tending to mahogany. The bouquet is wide, varied, and deep with barley, nuts, rhubarb, toasted pine nuts, and caramel. The palate is soft, velvety, and offers balance and warm shades. It runs clean and rich, with honey, almonds, and candied fruits returns. A brandy elegant to match with tiramisu, aged cheeses, and Neapolitan pastries.
Brandy traditional assembly 16 years
The color is hypnotic: topaz bright. The nose offers sharp sensations of nutmeg, pink pepper, canned peaches, tobacco, coffee, and coconut. In the mouth, it’s sumptuous, with a gallant personality. The taste goes beyond the classic “dried fruit combo,” bringing a hint of marzipan, saffron, and vanilla puffs. A classy brandy to pair with wild salmon, strawberry millefeuille, and apricot cheesecake.
Brandy vintage 1988 21 years
Yellow color with flecks of amber. The nose is large and voluptuous, elegant, crossed by hints of licorice root, chestnut honey, beeswax, brooms dried to and finishes with sweet tobacco. The palate is tasty, full, and delicate: a balance game between the sweetness of honey, toasted almonds, and the power of alcohol. Suggested pairings: sbrisolona cake, black truffle risotto, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.
Cherry Brandy Villa Zarri
The meeting of Vignola’s cherries and 6 years brandy. And the result is exceptional: we start from the color, a bright ruby red, full of vitality. The bouquet seduces with a refined symphony of ripe fruit, sweet spices that tickle the nose, and an ethereal finish. The taste is soft, modulated on a scale of incredible flavors ranging from orange peel to honey, with cherries always whispering on your tongue. Sweet, clean, elegant with a very persistent fruity finish. An ideal companion for meditation, cocktails, tart cherries, and sweet chocolate.
If you want to visit Villa Zarri, contact Guido Zarri.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0039 051 700604
How to reach the distillery Villa Zarri: via Ronco 1 40013 Castel Maggiore, Bologna, Italy