Distillerie Nonino

From an itinerant still to Percoto, 1897–1967

The Nonino family’s distilling history begins in 1897, when Orazio Nonino established a permanent distillery at Ronchi di Percoto. Before then, the operation consisted of an itinerant still mounted on wheels. The succession presented by the family runs from Orazio through Luigi, Antonio and Benito, followed by Giannola, Cristina, Antonella, Elisabetta and Francesca Nonino.

In 1928 Antonio, son of Luigi and father of Benito, married Silvia Milocco. Silvia became Italy’s first woman to produce Grappa, and the distillery moved from Ronchi to Percoto.

A Royal Decree dated 27 November 1933 required grappa to be bottled and packaged with a proper label and State seal. Antonio responded by designing a label showing the fogolar furlan: the large, perpetually lit fireplace at the centre of a traditional Friulian home, around which a family gathered to work, converse and share a bussul of Grappa. That same year, Antonio—identified as the family’s third generation of distillers—began producing liqueurs. Drawing on inherited knowledge, he created Amaro Carnia by infusing mountain herbs from Friuli in his own grappa.

After Antonio’s death in 1940, Silvia became the first woman to manage a distillery in Italy and the first in a succession of Nonino women distillers. Her botanical knowledge led to Aperitivo Bianco Nonino. During the 1940s and 1950s she also reworked Amaro Carnia, adding carefully selected botanicals—including varieties associated with distant cultures that had influenced Friuli Venezia Giulia—to create Amaro del Friuli.

Benito Nonino married Giannola Bulfoni on 20 May 1962. Together they began a sustained programme of study, trials and tasting intended to raise both the intrinsic quality and public standing of Grappa. Their daughters Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta grew up within this project. In 1967 the family introduced Aquavitae Optima, distilled from single-variety pomace obtained from selected growers. Its label recorded the year, quantity distilled, litres obtained and bottle number. It was an important precursor to Monovitigno® Grappa.

The Monovitigno® revolution and protection of Friulian grapes, 1973–1977

After ten years of experiments, Benito and Giannola rejected the prevailing practice of blending pomace from different white and red varieties and storing it for prolonged periods. They selected pomace from one grape variety grown in a suitable habitat, fermented it separately and distilled it while extremely fresh. On 1 December 1973 Benito obtained the first Grappa Monovitigno®, a Cru made from Picolit pomace, through artisanal drop-by-drop distillation. Giannola associated the first drops with ripe quince and acacia honey—the aromas she had encountered in the vineyards from which the pomace came. The innovation joined a new production method to distinctive presentation in a hand-blown, reliquary-like bottle with vintage-dated labels signed individually by Giannola.

A second Picolit distillation and the first single-variety Ribolla distillation followed on 1 December 1974. The search for pomace from other historic Friulian grapes then exposed a problem: Schioppettino, Pignolo and Tazzelenghe were approaching extinction because their cultivation was prohibited after their omission from the European Community register of varieties cultivated in Friuli. Ribolla Gialla was subsequently included in the campaign.

On 29 November 1975 Benito and Giannola established the Nonino Risit d’Aur Prize—Gold Vine Shoot—to reward the grower responsible for the best planting of one or more threatened varieties. A scholarship supported the best technical or historical study of Ribolla Gialla, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Tazzelenghe. The initiative was intended both to secure national and Community recognition and to preserve regional biodiversity. Its technical jury included Luigi Veronelli, Orfeo Salvador, Antonio Calò, Ruggero Forti, Amelio Tubaro and Ennio Nussi.

Giannola began the formal recognition procedure on 21 April 1976 with a letter to Orfeo Salvador at the Regional Centre for Viticulture of Friuli Venezia Giulia and continued pressing the Experimental Institute for Viticulture in Conegliano. Ministerial Decree 14 June 1977 authorised the previously prohibited Friulian varieties. In 1983, EEC Regulation No. 382 changed the authorised varieties’ status to recommended. The original agricultural prize expanded with the Nonino Literary Prize on 30 June 1977 and an international section in 1984.

New stills, whole-grape distillation and the family vineyards, 1983–1992

In 1983 the distillery expanded from 12 to 24 stills and could process 1,200 quintals—120,000 kg—of pomace per day in discontinuous equipment operating around the clock, including holidays. Red fermented pomace was distilled immediately; white or sweet pomace underwent no more than 48 hours of ensilage instead of prolonged silo storage. In the former forge where Giannola’s father had made ploughs around the beginning of the century, Benito built six special stills and created a small distillery dedicated to Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta for single-variety Grappa and fruit distillates.

On 27 November 1984 Benito and Giannola distilled grape skins, pulp and juice together in a single operation and created ÙE® Grape Distillate, dedicating it to their daughters. The name means “grapes” in Friulian. Ministerial authorisation followed the family’s specific application and the overcoming of bureaucratic and trade opposition; the governing authorisation was D.M. 20 October 1984, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale No. 318 of 19 November 1984.

On 1 December 1984 the Noninos asked Murano glassmaker Venini to hand-blow a vessel containing the image of a grape bunch within the glass. This began the Nonino Collection ÙE® Cru Monovitigno® Picolit, subsequently bottled in dated hand-blown vessels by Venini, Baccarat and Riedel.

The permanent distillery’s 90th anniversary was celebrated on 31 January 1987 with a family book written by Emilio Rigatti and illustrated by Altan. Ageing trials for ÙE® began in the cellars dedicated to Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta. Agriculture Minister Filippo Maria Pandolfi formally inaugurated their distillery on 7 March 1987.

On 15 November 1989 the family planted a 40-hectare experimental vineyard at Buttrio with Picolit, Ribolla Gialla, Fragolino, Schioppettino and Sauvignon. Its grapes were intended for Grappa and ÙE® Grape Distillates. In 1992 Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta replaced the grappa in the historic family amaro recipe with ÙE® aged in barriques and small casks, creating Amaro Nonino Quintessentia®.

The centenary and diversification, 1996–2003

Centenary celebrations opened on 4 December 1996 with Samuel Beckett’s Oh les beaux jours, directed by Peter Brook and starring Natasha Parry. At the 22nd Nonino Prize on 25 January 1997, Altan presented Ben il quarto figlio di Noè, a graphic novel dedicated to Benito and the family saga. The anniversary also brought the “Nonino Vineyards” releases: Merlot, Tocai and Chardonnay single-variety Grappas, together with Sauvignon, Malvasia and Refosco single-variety ÙE® distillates.

In November 1997, 400 numbered bottles of 1986 ÙE® Cru Monovitigno® Picolit, aged in Nevers oak barriques, were issued in hand-blown Riedel glass designed by Luca Cendali. On 2 June 1998 the President of the Italian Republic appointed Giannola Bulfoni Nonino Cavaliere del Lavoro, recognising her work in improving Grappa, developing grape distillate, building a technologically advanced yet traditional and environmentally respectful distillery with Benito, and creating the Nonino Prize to defend rural culture.

After years of research, Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta introduced GIOIELLO® on 3 April 2000: a distillate made solely from honey, including acacia, chestnut, sunflower and wildflower expressions. Pieces from the Nonino Collection were auctioned at Christie’s in London on 22 June 2000, where the 1990 vintage achieved GB£1,540 (€2,531) and the 1989 vintage GB£1,595 (€2,664). The University of Udine and Claudio Demattè launched Cristiana Compagno’s Il caso Nonino, lo spirito d’impresa on 6 December 2000. The collection was presented at Bulgari in Rome on 14 December 2000 and a 1984 ÙE® Cru Monovitigno® Picolit by La Murrina sold at Finarte in Milan for €2,169 on 4 April 2001.

The family received the AIS Oscar del Vino 2002 Special Jury Prize on 9 June 2002 for its work on an Italian product, its image, research, experimentation and quality. In 2003 the Milan Triennale marked 30 years of Monovitigno® with the exhibition Story of a Passion. On 4 December President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi awarded Giannola and Benito the Leonardo Prize for Italian Quality, citing quality, research, innovation, family and commitment to work.

Return to Ronchi and the contemporary distilleries, 2004–2018

On 6 September 2004 the family returned distillation equipment to Ronchi di Percoto, the site associated with Orazio’s permanent distillery. Artisanal batch steam stills were re-established there—12 for each family member, with additional stills representing the grandchildren—to maintain handcraft rhythms and continuity from one generation to the next.

The University of Udine conferred an honorary specialist degree in Business Economics on Giannola on 1 December 2006, recognising her as a cultural entrepreneur who raised Grappa’s value and developed the Nonino Prize into an international cultural institution. The first Nonino Cocktail Competition took place in Percoto on 19 September 2007, bringing together bartenders from London and the Triveneto to create Grappa-based drinks.

The Nonino Collection ÙE® Cru Monovitigno® Picolit entered the Triennale Design Museum’s Permanent Collection of Italian Design on 16 November 2010, uniting Nonino distillation with the glass traditions of Venini, Baccarat and Riedel. In 2011 it also appeared in FOS’s Osloo at the Danish Pavilion of the 54th Venice Biennale and in Italo Rota’s OLC25 exhibition at the Milan Triennale.

The family celebrated 120 years of artisanal distillation in 2017. On 18 March it received the Meininger Award as Spirit Entrepreneur of the Year, the first time that honour went to a Grappa company. In October, 883 numbered bottles of a 22-year Riserva were released: distilled by Benito in copper batch steam stills, aged under seal in Nevers barrique No. 1062 and ex-Sherry small cask No. 362, and bottled without added colouring.

In 2018 Cristina, Antonella, Elisabetta and Francesca reinterpreted Silvia’s aperitivo tradition as L’Aperitivo Nonino BotanicalDrink, an all-natural, vegan-friendly botanical infusion incorporating ÙE® Fragolino Monovitigno® from the Nonino vineyards.

International recognition and the sixth generation, 2019–2026

Wine Enthusiast named Nonino Spirit Brand/Distillery of the Year 2019 for reframing a traditional spirit for the modern era. Giannola, Elisabetta and Francesca accepted the award in San Francisco on 27 January 2020, representing three generations. Nonino was the first Grappa brand and first Italian distillery to receive the distinction.

The 50th anniversary of Monovitigno® was marked in 2023 with a bottle design transformed into the form of a still: a serpentine linked the dates 1973 and 2023 and ended in a drop recalling the first Picolit distillate. In 2024 the family’s contribution to Grappa was represented at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy’s Identitalia exhibition. Giannola and Benito were made honorary citizens of San Giorgio della Richinvelda in March for their work to protect historic Friulian varieties.

In April 2024 the family, researcher Ninna Granucci and ReGeneration Hub Friuli introduced Farina Nonino–Green Spot. A patented fermentation and upcycling process converts white- and red-grape pomace into a gluten-free food ingredient while retaining nutritional properties, increasing yield and lowering production, environmental and energy costs.

Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta received the Guido Carli Prize in May 2024. Their work included opening international markets, expanding the Nonino Prize, developing new distillates and promoting Grappa in cocktails. Elisabetta was named among Forbes Italia’s 100 successful managers in October 2024 and received the CEO Italian Award for Made in Italy in December.

The 50th anniversary of the Nonino Prize was celebrated in 2025 and dedicated to Benito Nonino. In 2026 the sisters made the prize biennial and expanded its international activity, beginning with events in Paris; the next award ceremony was set for 30 January 2027 at Ronchi di Percoto. During the 129th harvest and distillation in 2026, 66 copper batch stills were working day and night. The family described the art as having passed through six generations.

Grapes intended for the family’s grape distillates are selected and harvested fresh at full ripeness. The broader agricultural programme began with the protection of historic Friulian varieties: the Risit d’Aur Prize rewarded high-quality new plantings and funded technical or historical research, contributing to ministerial authorisation in 1977 and recommended status under EEC Regulation No. 382 in 1983. The family connected this work explicitly with preservation of regional biodiversity.

Raw materials and rapid collection

All bottled Grappas and distillates are produced by the Nonino family at Ronchi di Percoto. For Grappa, the starting material is soft, fresh, clean and juicy pomace from selected grapes, completely destemmed and transported to the distillery immediately after winemaking. The family personally manages purchasing and follows the successive production stages.

Food-safe plastic crates are supplied directly to wineries when pressing begins. Pomace is collected in the family’s own vehicles within hours and transferred immediately into stainless-steel tanks, protected from air and light. The purpose is to keep it organically intact, preserve aroma and prevent degenerative secondary fermentations.

Whole grapes for ÙE® combine skins, pulp and juice in one distillation. Fruit for Frut® is selected at full ripeness in dedicated growing areas, stripped of leaves and stalks, washed in running water and fermented. Honey for GIOIELLO® comes from selected Italian areas and ecologically clean environments.

Fermentation

Pomace is destemmed before fermentation in stainless-steel tanks under temperature-controlled, anaerobic conditions, with careful pH monitoring. Another dedicated document describes the grape fermentation as taking place under vacuum and being followed immediately by distillation to prevent harmful secondary fermentation.

Fruit is fermented in sealed stainless-steel vats at controlled temperature after strict sorting and washing; pH, selected yeasts and enzymes are monitored. Apricots, cherries, plums and other stone fruit are fermented and distilled with only a controlled proportion of stones so that kernel character does not dominate the fruit. Honey is also fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel.

Artisanal batch distillation

The production method is entirely discontinuous. Each copper steam boiler is manually filled and emptied for every batch of pomace, grapes, fruit or honey. The master distiller evaluates each load, determines its distillation time and method, and performs the heads-and-tails cut at the appropriate moment to retain the heart.

The five artisanal distilleries contain 12 copper batch steam stills apiece, developed through Benito Nonino’s research, with six additional stills representing continuity through the grandchildren. During the 2026 harvest the complete installation was described as 66 copper batch stills. They operate 24 hours a day during harvest so that healthy raw material can be distilled immediately after fermentation. The family treats the sensory engagement, experience and judgement of the master distiller as essential: every heating is considered a distinct batch whose aromas are extracted drop by drop. Immediate batch distillation also avoids use of the industrial demethylisation column.

Resting and natural ageing

Unaged ÙE® may rest for six to twelve months in stainless steel. Aged and Riserva Grappa and ÙE® mature naturally in barriques and small casks inside seven sealed MIG ageing warehouses under permanent supervision of the Customs and Monopoly Agency. The current cellars contain 2,350 small casks and barriques. Woods include Nevers, Limousin and Grésigne oak, ex-Sherry oak, acacia, wild cherry and ash.

The porous wood admits oxygen and gradually contributes compounds to the spirit. Small vessels are preferred to large-capacity containers because their greater ratio of wood contact promotes natural development. Products labelled invecchiata receive at least 12 months in wood; those labelled riserva receive at least 18 months or the longer period declared on the label. Incoming and outgoing movements are recorded in books certified by the Customs and Monopoly Agency. Natural evaporation creates the angel’s share.

Aged, Riserva and white Grappa and ÙE® are bottled with no added caramel or other colouring. Labels identify the production method and, where applicable, the declared ageing period. The complete cycle is substantially more labour- and capital-intensive than continuous industrial production; primary-product selection, controlled fermentation, the five distilleries, skilled staffing, experimentation, cask stocks, cellar handling and statutory registers can raise production costs to as much as ten times those of continuous equipment.