SISTEMA UNICO BONOLLO
Excellence without compromise
TheSistema Unico Bonollo was created to enhance everything that the vine, through its grapes, generously provides even after the wine has been crafted.
It is a tale that begins in 1908 and travels through the ages with a solid and ever-evolving innovative technology that has always been based on the ingenuity and passionate creative ability of the Bonollo family: an experiential knowledge that has been enriched over the past forty years by effective scientific research, carried out to support the achievement of the ambitious goals of distillate quality and the enhancement of everything that remains after they are obtained.
A production philosophy that has deep roots
At the heart of S.U.B. lies flexible distillation and the aging of spirits in wooden casks.
Depending on the specific characteristics of the raw materials to be used and the organoleptic properties of the spirit to be produced, the master distillers at Bonollo 1908 select the most suitable stills (discontinuous or continuous, with or without secondary distillation) and adjust their settings to achieve the desired profile.
THE HEART
OF THE S.U.B.
FRESHNESS OF RAW MATERIAL
In order to obtain high-quality grappa, we always start with a pomace rich in varietal aromas, which, under conditions of maximum freshness, is quickly transported from the cellar to our distillery so that it can arrive in the stills with the aromatic richness intact.
DISTILLATION
The first step involves placing the pomace into the still and passing steam through it to extract the aromatic and alcoholic components present. Depending on the organoleptic profile he aims to achieve, the master distiller chooses how to distil this initial raw concentrate of aromas and alcohol obtained in the previous stage. He may decide to use a discontinuous still, which maximises the intensity of character, or opt for continuous distillation, which ensures a high degree of smoothness. Through the careful selection of the ‘heart’ and the separation of the ‘heads’ and ‘tails’, the finest part of the distillate in terms of sensory qualities is obtained, namely grappa.
THE BONOLLO RIPASSO
At Bonollo 1908 there is a secret jealously guarded between generations, which finds expression in the so-called "ripasso": an optional additional distillation step that, starting with the previously obtained grappa, allows for a better and more frank aromatic expression of the character of the spirit.
CASK REST
Unlike many spirits, grappa boasts a lively and distinctive character from the moment it leaves the still, and is thus already capable of satisfying the palates of many consumers. However, it can also refine its youthful character through ageing—that is, maturation in wood—which develops and enriches its profile, imparting pleasant and alluring spicy notes. Bonollo 1908 boasts exceptional expertise in the art of ageing and selects the various types of casks used—from precious barriques to renowned tonneaux, from rounder barrels to more oval ones, and up to larger vats—according to the characteristics of the grappa it seeks to produce and the character already expressed before being placed in cellars sealed by the Customs Agency.
The S.U.B. also presides over important upstream and downstream phases of distillation: from the harvesting of the raw material, under conditions of maximum freshness, to the packaging activities of the distillates, with special focus on the valorization of what remains after distillation in a zero-waste logic that becomes at Bonollo 1908 an expression of Native and Innovative Circular Economy.
It thus becomes a path of continuous, exciting, forward-looking improvement, which with great ambition and sense of responsibility the Bonollo family continues to develop, giving value, contemporaneity and uniqueness to an entrepreneurial history that began over a hundred years ago.
