Castagner presents Agadeìta, the first grappa from Cortina

An extraordinary snowfall marked the opening of the first bottle of Agadeìta, Cortina's grappa, this morning at the "L'Ambiente" store in Corso Italia 147 in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Belluno). Master distiller Roberto Castagner, one of the most famous names in quality grappa, thus wanted to pay homage to the "Queen of the Dolomites" by dedicating to her one of his creations obtained from pomace from grapes from the IGT Dolomiti vineyards grown in the Belluno area.

Agadeìta means "water of life" in Ladin, an evocative name and a frank sound that recalls the authenticity and deep connection with the culture and tradition of Cortina. The name was suggested by Elsa Zardini, president of the Union de i Ladis de Anpezo which by municipal statute has the obligation to maintain the language, habits, customs and traditions of Cortina. «To plan the future we must look to the past», declared Roberto Castagner who added: «Grappa is an emotion, we must drink a place». Agadeìta is the essence of a UNESCO World Heritage area, the Dolomites. The brands "Cortina" and "scoiattolino", present on the label, represent a graphic synthesis of the place of origin. «For us it is a great honor to grant our brand to a company that is an Italian excellence», said Roberta Alverà, deputy mayor of Cortina. «The synergy with tourism is fundamental for us, the more we create local products the more we create a cultural legacy», declared Stefano Pirro, president of the Cortina Hoteliers Association.

«Grappa - explains Roberto Castagner - is part of the DNA of the people of Cortina and of the mountains in general. In the past, grappa was drunk especially in the Alpine areas and almost all farmers produced it. There is a sort of respect and veneration towards this distillate which is part of the peasant tradition, it was produced to experience moments abstracted from everyday reality which could sometimes be difficult and was also considered curative. For this reason, precisely because of its strong emblematic value, I created Agadeìta."

Agadeìta can boast the name “Grappa Vigneti delle Dolomiti”. The grapes come, in fact, from vineyards grown in the Belluno area and are vinified in the Dolomite area. Roberto Castagner tells how it was born. «I received some pomace from the vines that my partner, Bernardo Piazza, has in the Belluno area, at about 400 meters above sea level, in an area characterized by a strong temperature range, and I felt that it had a particularly intense aroma. So I decided to distill it, but separating the four pomace of white grapes, Riesling, Muller Thurgau, Traminer and Moscato Bianco, and the pomace of red grapes, Pinot Noir. The result was extraordinary: a grappa structured like a red, but scented like a white". Agadeìta has a lively aroma that ranges from enveloping floral and white fruit aromas to hints of blackberry and raspberry with balsamic and mineral notes in a sensation of extraordinary intensity.

Grappa Agadeìta is offered in two versions: white grappa in a classic 70 cl bottle produced in 2,500 examples and Rara white grappa in luxury packaging in a 70 cl decanter bottle produced in another 500 examples. The equivalent of another 3 thousand bottles of Agadeìta has been placed in barriques to become a reserve in two years and will be ready for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

«We managed to create a high altitude grappa - concludes Castagner -, a traditional grappa, but with an international profile precisely in view of the Olympics. Finally, Cortina grappa exists, a unique grappa just as Cortina is unique"..