This week’s post for my spirited Sunday is  Vecchia Romagna. This brandy is one of the most ubiquitous ones you see in Italy. Every single bar has a bottle of Stravecchio, Vecchia Romagna and many Amaro brands. It is as common as vodka or any other spirit in Italian bars. It has a very long history. In 1820 a man named Jean Bouton, a French cognac producer from Charente, came to Emilia Romagna. He thought the area had many similarities to his native area and believed he could make great brandy there. He began making liqueur from the local  Trebbiano grapes. In 1939 the spirit became known as Vecchia Romagna and adopted its distinctive triangular bottle. Today Vecchia Romagna is Italy’s best-selling brandy. In 1999, it became part of the Montenegro S.r.l,  a well-known group from Bologna in the spirits industry for 120 years.

Vecchia Romagna is made from Trebbiano grapes, the same grape as Ugni Blanc used for Cognac. After distillation, the brandy is aged in American oak cask, for at least one year. Vecchia Romagna is sold in its very distinctive triangular-shaped bottle. The aromas in the brandy are dried fruits, honey and vanilla.