‘Historia de una passione’: this is perhaps how Luis Sepulveda would have titled the film he wanted to dedicate to the story of the Nonino family, a Friulian company that today is synonymous with quality Italian grappa and one of the few all-female companies with a history spanning 127 years.
This success story began in 1897 when Orazio Nonino founded a small distillery in Ronchi di Percoto (in the province of Udine). Before that, it seems that Orazio used to distill pomace ‘door to door’, going directly to farmers’ homes with his cart.
Until the 1970s, however, grappa was undoubtedly not a valuable product; on the contrary, it could be considered something crude, rustic, just right for warming up. Tastings were not even in the picture: a glass of grappa was something you gobbled up and go.
Silvia, Giannola and the others
The female regency of the distillery began in 1940 when Silvia Nonino, after the death of her husband Antonio, became the first woman to head a distillery. Nothing strange, really, if one considers that knowledge of botany has been the prerogative of women since ancient times. And indeed, the ‘Aperitivo Bianco Nonino’, a spirit to drink as an aperitif, bears Silvia Nonino’s signature.
The turning point came in 1973, however, when Benito Nonino and his wife Giannola Bulfoni had a revolutionary intuition: they distilled the pomace of Picolit grapes on its own, creating the Monovitigno® Nonino. It is a prestigious grape and, above all, representative of Friuli, the land that produces it. However, the costs proved to be too high for the end consumer, especially for a product that until then had not been considered particularly prestigious.
Giannola’s marketing and ahead of the time influencers
It is here, however, that Giannola’s talent comes into play. She understands the importance not only of quality but also of the product’s image, and decides to package the grappa in precious blown-glass ampoules with labels handwritten by Giannola herself. Then, she decided to give the precious product to some ahead-of-the-time ‘influencers’: Gianni Agnelli, Sandro Pertini, Eugenio Scalfari, Indro Montanelli, Marcello Mastroianni, Sean Connery and many others.
From then on, everything changes. A representative of the Agnelli family placed a large order, and Silvana Mangano decided to give the grappa to her friends in America as a present. On June 2, 1998, Giannola Nonino was named Cavaliere del Lavoro (Knight of Labour). Two years later, in December 2000, the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine opened its feature dedicated to spirits with Grappa Monovitigno Picolit Nonino.
Leadership, feminine plural
Today, Nonino Distillatori Srl is the world leader in high-quality artisanal grappa. The company is still run by the Nonino family, now in its sixth generation. Giannola’s three daughters, Cristina, Antonella, and Elisabetta, are all at the company’s helm. Her granddaughter Francesca Bardelli Nonino, the acknowledged ‘Grappa influencer,’ is the web manager.
But we must not forget the role women played since the beginning of the company’s history. It was the task of the wives of the farmers working for the Noninos to separate the Picolit pomace from the rest. It was a completely new activity, which the husbands did not want to do because it was considered useless and boring. However, the company paid the women a 100% premium, thus contributing to their economic independence.
The Nonino Award
The Picolit grape variety is only the beginning. Giannola and Benito managed to obtain – not without difficulty – official recognition of the ancient indigenous Friuli vines, including Schioppettino, Pignolo, and Ribolla gialla. All this became possible thanks also to the Nonino Risit d’Aur – Gold Vine Shoot Prize, which offered a million lire as a prize for those who had put a lot of effort into planting these ancient varieties.
In 1977, the Nonino Prize Risit d’Azur was joined by the Nonino Prize for Literature with the aim of telling and keeping alive the memory of rural civilization. With Mario Soldati as jury president, the prize brought many of the most important Italian and international writers and intellectuals to Nonino.
Nonino has a historical headquarters in Ronchi di Percoto (UD), forty employees, a turnover of 17 million euros in 2022, and sales to all continents.
Congratulations to those who, in pursuit of quality, revolutionize and bring grappa Made in Italy to the world!
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