Winestillery
BACKGROUND
Winestillery is an unprecedented production reality and is proudly the first and only independent craft distillery in the Chianti Classico region.
Created by a family that has been in the wine world for two generations. The distillery is in a unique territory, Tuscany, in particular the Chianti Classico region, with its hills that seem to be drawn by the hands of God, splendid rows of grapevines alternating with olive groves, thick dark woods filled with oak and chestnut trees, long lines of austere cypresses that mark a path to the horizon. Surrounded by so much beauty, they decided to base the project on one simple desire: to celebrate their land by creating with their own hands products that capture the terroir with all of its nuances.
Enrico Chioccioli Altadonna
Master Distiller
Second son of the famous Enologist Stefano Chioccioli, Lawyer and Master Distiller, Enrico has stepped away from his legal career to pursue his passion for distillation. After graduating with honors in Law at the Catholic University of Milan, he traveled to the United States to work in a Bourbon distillery in Brooklyn, NY.
“For the first time in my life I came face to face with a still. It was a life changing experience shared with extraordinary people, to whom I will always be grateful. I treasure this indelible memory”.
Returning to Italy, Enrico’s enthusiam led him to Conegliano at the E. Cerletti Wine School, where he studied the art of distillation and became a Master Distiller.
Following this experience he immediately decided to cross the Alps to study enology at the University of Bordeaux, the famous I.S.V.V., where he obtained the D.U.I.O. diploma in oenology. Returning home to Tuscany he formally became a lawyer in Florence where he remained briefly before leaving for Cognac, France for another distilling experience :
“Working in 3 different distilleries, in Cognac was a dream come true; I finally managed to combine my two passions: wine and distillation!”
This experience marked him irreversibly and pushed him to hang up the lawyer’s suit and devote himself completely to his personal project: the creation of Winestillery. After long years of studying and waiting, Enrico opened with his brother Niccolò the first and only independent craft distillery of the Chianti Classico region.
The Winestillery project is the first and only “Vinstilleria” in the world. The family merged together a Winery and a Distillery to reinterpret an extremely traditional product, wine, creating unconventional Tuscan products, such as Gin, Vodka, Vermouth and every other category of Wine and Spirit that could challenge our Master Distiller. Winestillery is a radical project, lively and evolving thanks to the experimentation and dialectic between the Highest Oenological knowledge and the finest Art of Distillation. It eembraces a holistic production philosophy, expressed in our Grape to Glass Manifesto. Each of our products is “custom tailored from the harvest to the glass”.
Niccolò Chioccioli Altadonna
Wine Production Manager
Niccolò, the first born son of the famous Enologist Stefano Chioccioli, graduated in Viticulture and Oenology from the same University as his father. “It was my father who cultivated my curiosity, and encouraged me to try to distinguish between the multitudes of flavors and aromas of Italian grapes, to recognize qualities and potentials for each wine”.
Niccolò is the Wine Production Manager of our Family Estate. With his long viticultural and oenological experience, he has managed the vineyards and the cellar of our Family Estate since the very beginning, following all the delicate phases of the production of our wines, the soul of our spirits that is the foundation of every Winestillery product. All of our spirits come from our wine. Only excellent winemaking can create our extraordinary base spirit.
Niccolò has a strong knowledge of the wine and spirits market. He has traveled to more than 30 fo the United States. “Traveling has always been a constant for me. I find it enriching to meet people from every corner of the world, I enjoy discovering and understanding different cultures and lifestyles. I love traveling because it inevitably shapes and influences the way you see the production too. The experience of travel makes you question yourself every time”.
Stefano Chioccioli
Agronomist and Oenologist
Stefano Chioccioli, world famous oenologist and agronomist, has been working for prestigious wineries in Italy, France and Hungary for over 30 years. The wines he has signed during his consulting activity have won numerous awards and prizes: more than 100 wines with Tre Bicchieri in the Gambero Rosso guide, numerous 90+ points in Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate magazines, up to 100/100 attributed by Robert Parker.
He is a member of numerous organizations dedicated to viticulture and oenology and various tasting commissions. He is the one who embodies the oenological knowledge of our family, his great experience is an inexhaustible source of analysis and comparison.
For him, Winestillery is a new stimulating adventure, in which his knowledge both in the wine world and in the agronomic world is essential and represents a strong asset for this truly unique project.
“Winestillery led me to analyze the production of wine according to new perspectives, pushing this noble product towards a purpose that goes beyond itself, bringing it to its sublimation, that is its transformation into a spirit. This new family project represents a new challenge, which I embrace with enthusiasm”.
The distillery
In the distillery, each phase of production has been designed to be done firsthand with an approach that is both artisanal and refined.
Even Bacco is unique. Bacco is a Pot Still designed to distill with both the Bennet Method and the Carter Head Method, thus allowing the distillery to maximize the quality of the raw materials and all of their nuances. The base spirit is made 100% from distilled wine.
THE spirits
london dry gin
Style: London Dry Gin.
Production: 500L Pot Still, Carter Head and Bennet technique at the same time. Non-chill filtered for a superior taste
Body: Stain smooth with a bright texture
Nose: Very intense and complex with fruity wine notes, sweet delicate menthol, juniper, coriander with forest undertones, lemon and orange peel. It’s scent-filled still through the hills of Tuscany.
ABV: 42%
tuscan dry vermouth
Style: Dry White Vermouth
Production: Trebbiano wine from both ripe grapes and late harvested grapes, infused with traditional Tuscan botanicals. Non-chill filtered, no caramel used.
Color: Golden yellow with bright shades.
Nose: Very intense, wide, and complex. Delicate floral notes of white flowers, vibrant fruity aromas of orange fruits married with fresh herbs. A long-lasting finish with zesty citrus notes.
Palate: Very elegant, round and silky mouthfeel. Yellow fruits married with dried flowers and herbs. A long mineral finish with a bright sapidity.
ABV: 18%
tuscan vermouth
Style: Dry Red Vermouth
Production: Sangiovese wine infused with traditional Tuscan botanicals and matured in French oak barrels. Non-chill filtered, no caramel used.
Color: Deep bright red with purple shades.
Nose: Very intense, wide, and complex. Delicate floral notes of violets, vibrant fruity aromas of small red berries married with fresh rosemary and artemisia. A long-lasting finish with fresh spicy notes of crushed red pepper.
Palate: Very elegant, round and silky mouthfeel. Red fruits married with blackberries, a delicate bitterness from fresh herbs. A long rich mineral finish with a bright sapidity.
ABV: 18%
tuscan bitter
Style: Bitters
Production: Natural botanicals, from the Tuscan tradition, unfused in wine alcohol. Natual color, non-chill filtered.
Color: Natural bright ruby red.
Nose: Wide and intense with aromas of gentian root, rhubarb, and china with inviting citrus notes.
Palate: Intriguing and extraordinary balanced, bright bitter notes enriched by a balsamic breath and fresh citrus zests. A long-lasting finish with a very clean mouthfeel, a result of the naturalness of its ingredients.
ABV: 25%