As a welcome, the brothers Gianfranco (†) and Enrico Berta hand us a Monprà, which is also enjoyed in renowned Zurich restaurants. Berta Grappa is so popular north of the Alps that Switzerland has become the second most important market for the traditional family business from Piedmont. Gianfranco wants to show us the inner sanctum of Berta Grappa. We follow him into a cathedral-like vault deep underground. The air is cool and permeated with the wonderful scent of grapes. A fascinating light show makes the vaults shine alternately in green, blue, magenta and delicate pastel colors, accompanied by gentle classical music. Enchanting! We happily let ourselves be captivated by this atmosphere, gliding weightlessly past the 7,000 neatly stacked barrels. You can almost feel how noble and finest grappas are maturing in them. Gianfranco Berta, who had just greeted us outside with a sonorous, loud voice, now speaks quietly, reverently, as if he did not want to disturb the harmony down here unnecessarily. "Without the factors of peace and time, the grappa does not find its character!" The bearded expert seems to me like an alchemist who refines the grape pomace - the waste product of grape pressing - into liquid gold.

We taste a cuvée made from Barbera and Moscato, the Riserva Di Lidia. It reminds us of Gianfranco's mother Lidia, who in the 1950s and 1960s bought wooden barrels that had once been used to store Marsala or local red wines. Her intuition told her that unexpected aromas would develop in them. How right the lady was! There is also history in the Grappa Marisa: Berta created it especially for Marisa Vergani, Reto's mother. A unique expression of friendship and cross-generational collaboration between the two families.

The Berta distillery is one of the largest and most renowned distilleries in Italy. Paolo Berta laid the foundation for the success story of Berta Grappa in the middle of the 20th century. Grappa Berta is distilled exclusively from pomace from high-class wine producers. Berta buys the best pomace from wine producers in Piedmont and all over Italy. Berta is not only well known in Italy. Grappa Berta Tre Soli Tre, Paolo Berta and Solo Per Gian are also drunk in Switzerland. Grappa Berta Solo per Gian is particularly popular in Japan. Berta Grappa has managed to make its name known beyond Piedmont and Italy. Why not stop by Berta on your next trip to Piedmont or Italy and enjoy a glass of Paolo Berta.