Valle d’Aosta
Châtillon, Ao
Vertosan is a historical Valdostan company producing liqueurs and infusions with a strong territorial connotation with production facilities in Châtillon, in the central valley of the Dora Baltea. The company and the territory are closely linked even in the name: the word “Vertosan” derives from the homonymous Valle, also known as “Comba di Vertosan”, an Italianization from the dialect “Vert Tzan” or “valley of the green meadow”. A decade ago, precisely in 2007, the Bernardini Family, professionals in the food & beverage sector for a long time, decided to take over the Vertosan brand by embarking on a new adventure. The historical recipes, acquired with the company, have been revised and updated by the Bernardini Family in full respect of the Vertosan craft tradition and the deep bond with the territory: characteristics that are part of the company since its birth in the early 70s. To the Bernardini Family and to the new company mission (innovating in tradition) Amaro Ciardon, based on Milk Thistle, and the Genepì liqueur, declined in different types and gradations, become the flagships of the production.
“Our commitment is to keep intact the perfumes, aromas and characteristics that distinguish the medicinal herbs from which our products are born”.
The secret recipe of Amaro Ciardon dates back to the seventies and is one of the products that characterize and is strongly characterized by the territory of origin. Together with medicinal herbs and alpine roots, the botanical protagonist of this excellent Amaro is the Milk Thistle, in the Valdostan patois “Ciardon“. The scientific name, Sylibum Marianum, derives from the Greek “Sillabon” which means “Milk Thistle” and is linked to the legend according to which the white spots on its leaves were produced by the milk of the Madonna, when, pursued by King Herod, the Sacred Family used this plant as a hiding place. The plant, in fact, has large green leaves with toothed margin and with yellow thorns, has deep pink-purple flowers isolated at the ends of the long branches with a shell of leaf scales of the pointed and pungent end. The Milk Thistle, considered a infestant herb, diffused from the sea to the sub-mountainous regions and in the islands, knows a wide use in the popular tradition thanks to its important action on the digestive processes. The plant, like most of all digestive medicinal remedies, contains bitter principles capable of stimulating appetite, gastro-intestinal and biliary secretion. The choice of raw materials is essential to obtain excellent results and the Bernardini Family dedicates the utmost care in selecting first-hand only the best. The same attention to detail is also found in the production phases: the typical botanicals of the Valle d’Aosta selected and harvested are infused in neutral alcohol, at the end of the infusion period the liquid is filtered and left to affine in steel tanks. Even the packaging has a high attention to detail, the Amaro Ciardon is covered with a polite vintage air thanks to the original 70s bottle personalized by the company logo in relief on the shoulder. A couple of years ago, with a view to the company mission, Vertosan turns its gaze to the professionals of mixology and slightly changes the recipe of Amaro Ciardon, with a slight citrus nuance, in order to make it an ideal product for the creation of unique cocktails even thanks to its 36 ABV. Tasting Ciardon has an amber color, an intense and bitter aroma mitigated by subtle citrus cues. The taste of Amaro Ciardon is kind and aromatic, but at the same time manages to emphasize the unmistakable flavor of the thistle and its notorious bitter qualities.
Anyone wishing to purchase Amaro Ciardon can contact:
Vertosan Commerciale SRL
Loc. Soleil 32/b
11024 Châtillon – Ao
Tel. +39 0166563229
Fax +39 0166569819
Martina Proietti
