La Valdôtaine S.r.l.

Valdôtaine is a company of “distillers with ham as a hobby”.

Grappa producers “La Valdôtaine” were founded in 1947 at Verres, in the low valley, and started distilling grappa in small copper stills using traditional steam distillation techniques. Company policy focuses on quality and tradition, starting from the rigorous care taken in selecting raw materials for distilling in the old “drip by drip” stills, which is followed attentively by the Master Distiller. Careful selection and keeping of the grape marc, the gentle squeezing of the grapes, the slow fermentation of the must – these are simple but important details which have meant the firm has been able to reach internationally-recognised, prize-winning standards. The Aostan traditions, the link to the land and quality are a basic creed for Valdôtaine, and the products that emerge are a natural consequence of this.

The distillery is made up of 4 traditional steam stills dating from 1947 which take 400kg of wine marc each, plus a still based on a new concept: using a vacuum and bain marie. In the stills the boiling takes around three and a half hours, producing between 14 and 16 litres of grappa, according to the quality of the marc. The steam is let out very slowly so that the mass warms up evenly and, after around an hour, the first distillate begins to seep out. We then remove the “head” (methyl alcohol), which is the first to emerge and represents around 1 litre per distillation. With this first operation done, we then proceed to extract the “HEART of the GRAPPA”, which is the part which is after the “head” and reaches 50° alcohol. Afterwards, from 50° to 10° we obtain the “phlegm” which will later be redistilled in the vacuum still, along with an addition of fresh marc. A high-quality product can also be obtained in this way.

The main products are young single-variety Grappas or barrique-matured ones which are available in 9 types, Genepy Extra which shows the artisan characteristics of the company production and the traditional Vuassa from Daddy Marcel, a grappa with infused herbs and fruits.

La Valdôtaine also produces Saint Marcel ham.“Saint Marcel” ham, is different to all other Italian raw hams, as aromatic herbs give it a special taste and smell which make it easily recognisable. It is also easily visually recognisable: on-the-bone ham is now packaged with a fabric hood emblazoned ”Saint Marcel”, and a large black label surrounded in gold to indicate the 18-month ageing process (there is a green one for 24 months) and a medal in fine wood, with the company logo. “Saint Marcel” ham is produced using small-scale tecniques, and is linked to the land from which it springs, it is a DE.CO (similar to DOC wine) product and is the driver of local projects such as the Via del Prosciutto Saint Marcel (the Saint Marcel ham route) with its snack stops which have become an idea which is increasingly growing in the area. 2014 saw the start of 24-month matured Saint Marcel, a source of pride to the company; 2015 will see the first Saint Marcel Ham Fair (19-21 June), an important showcase which will give still greater visibility, and consolidate Saint Marcel in the Olympus of Italian Raw Ham. www.prosciuttosaintmarcel.it