Another highlight of our trip was heading to Cocconato in Asti to the Bava Distillery which houses one of our favourite Italian brands, Cocchi. A family-run company to this day, we were given a guided tour by Francesca Bava and were joined by her uncle (and Master Distiller) Paolo Bava for the tasting section of the tour. This was then followed by a traditional Piedmontese lunch in the town of Cocconato, which was a delight. Thanks to Naz Fazio, from Aperitivo & Co. for organising such an amazing experience and insight into this brand.
About Cocchi
Nowadays the name Cocchi is famous all over the world thanks to the production of aromatised wines – in particular different types of Vermouth, Barolo Chinato, Americano – and sparkling wines.
Giulio Cocchi’s adventure began with a bar, and this has marked its history and evolution. A network of outlets grows close to the Distillery, where customers can taste the renowned production of aromatized wines and sparkling wines. Between the 1910s and the 1920s, there are 12 Cocchi Bars or “tasting branches”, some of which still exist today. They were the perfect testing ground for Cocchi products.
“To stand in the botanical room, among the bags of freshly delivered gentian flowers, and be guided by Paolo through their processes was fascinating. We could have stayed all day.”
Cocchi was born as a family business and it is a family business still today. Giulio was assisted by his wife Giuseppina, who used to work actively with him in the Distillery, and then by his seven children. Giulio’s son Federico was considered instrumental in Cocchi’s international success. It was Federico’s daughter, Adria, that finally passed the company to Piero Bava in the 1970s.
Since 1978, the Bava Family, highly renowned wine producers in Monferrato and Langhe, have owned and made the Cocchi brands. They still follow the original recipes, formulated by Giulio Cocchi in 1891.
We were taken on a tour of the Cocchi distillery with Francesca Bava and were joined by her uncle (and Master Distiller) Paolo Bava. In true Italian style, there is much secrecy about their methods and recipes. But to stand in the botanical room, among the bags of freshly delivered gentian flowers, and be guided by Paolo through their processes was fascinating. We could have stayed all day. They only use macerated (rather than distilled) botanicals in their products. They do extractions in groups – a few botanicals at a time that can be used in various products.
Most of the botanicals are sourced locally in the stunning Piedmont region. They are fiercely proud of both their region and the town of Cocconato. We also talked to Paolo about the addition of the Extra Dry Vermouth to the range, a process that he said took five years to perfect. If you get a chance to sample it, it was really worth the wait and is a seriously delicious vermouth.
Cocchi Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry
Released on the year of Cocchi’s 130th anniversary, is a classic-style vermouth from the birthplace of vermouth, Piemonte. “Ricetta Piemontese” (Piedmontese recipe), stated on the label, is a very precise indication of the content: all the relevant ingredients for this vermouth come from Piemonte and have a strong bond with our region. The wine used for this vermouth is Cortese, the same grape used for Gavi DOCG. The Artemisia Absinthium, is 100% from Piemonte mountains. The aromatic profile is characterized by Menta di Pancalieri, a local variety of peppermint, and lemon, traditionally used to garnish vermouth in our region.