Distillery
Zeni
Zeni is a Trentino–Veneto producer with a family background in viticulture and distillation: it offers a range of monovarietal and aged grappa made from the pomace of its own vineyards, including releases dedicated to Teroldego, Nosiola, Chardonnay and Cabernet.
- San Michele all'Adige (Grumo) / Bardolino (cellar headquarters) · Trentino-Alto Adige (distillery location); Veneto (Cellar, Bardolino) · Italy
- Since 1974
- 24 products
The story
The Zeni family has viticultural roots dating back to the 19th century in the Lake Garda area (Cantina F.lli Zeni, founded in 1870). The family's modern distillation activity began in the 1970s; Distilleria Zeni developed from that period with the aim of transforming estate pomace into high-quality grappa. In the 1990s the pot still was modified to improve purity and aroma transmission; some labels (e.g. the “Pini” Teroldego line) undergo long aging in wood.
Production philosophy
Starting from origin: use of fresh pomace from the estate vineyards and care for the local heritage. Production favors the varietal character of the pomace (monovarietal grappa) and selected maturation for the aged bottlings.
Territory
Campo Rotaliano and the Trentino area (Grumo / San Michele all'Adige) for distillation; the family is also active with Cantina F.lli Zeni in Bardolino (Lake Garda, Verona).
Production method
Batch pot still distillation with a water bath (pot still / batch), focusing on processing fresh pomace from the estate vineyards; some bottles are left to age in wood for years.
Distillation
Batch pot still with water bath (pot still / batch); the pot still was modified in the 1990s to improve aromatic purity.
Ageing
Aging in wooden barrels for some references (e.g. Pini line: multi-year aging, 10–15 years on some versions).
Characteristics
- Type
- Distillery
- City
- San Michele all'Adige (Grumo) / Bardolino (cellar headquarters)
- Categories
- grappa
- monovarietal grappa
- aged grappa
- distillates and liqueurs (artisan production linked to the vineyard)
- Raw materials
- pomace (Teroldego, Nosiola, Chardonnay, Cabernet)
- Casks and ageing vessels
- oak (wooden barrels)
- Representative products
- Grappa Zeni Cabernet 70cl
- Grappa Zeni Chardonnay 70cl
- Grappa Zeni Nosiola 70cl
- Grappa Zeni Teroldego Pini 70cl
- Grappa Zeni Teroldego Pini 93 70cl
What makes it distinctive
- Production focused on monovarietal grappa (e.g. Teroldego, Nosiola).
- Notable aged lines (e.g. Pini Teroldego with multi-year maturation).
- Family-run distillation activity started in the 1970s, with technical interventions in 1994 to improve the still.
- Artisanal, limited production (order of magnitude reported: a few thousand to tens of thousands of bottles per year depending on the source).