Wines from Sospiri Botaniche

The distillery

Sospiri Botaniche Veneziane is a small Venetian spirits brand created by Marco Vian. He first ran a bar in Venice, and that is where his interest in the city and in cocktails began. He then studied the trade in Italy, London and Barcelona, where he improved his bar technique and became bar manager of two speakeasy style restaurants. He came back to Venice to launch a line of his own. Press accounts date the project to 2020, with a first bottling in 2021.

The name comes from the Bridge of Sighs behind Saint Mark's Square. According to the story the brand tells, prisoners of the Venetian Republic crossed it on the way to the state inquisitors and breathed deeply, sighing for a freedom they might lose for good. The brand wants its flavours to recall those sighs. The bridge appears in the logo as well.

The brand says its idea is to bring out the Venetian territory: the people, products, flavours and places that do not belong to the usual postcard city. It avoids plastic at every step of production. The label is printed on cotton paper, and the ink is made from botanicals of the Sant'Erasmo garden, which makes it fully recyclable and gives it a scent. The idea came during the first lockdown, when Paolo, the grower who finds the Sant'Erasmo botanicals, had a large surplus because restaurants and markets were closed.

The spirits

The main product is Gin dei Sospiri, presented as the first gin of Venice made with glasswort and botanicals from Sant'Erasmo. This island, nicknamed the vegetable garden of Venice, sits in the lagoon with clay soils that drain well and carry a lot of salt, which have long supported fruit, vegetables and herbs sold at the Rialto market. The wild plants are picked by hand and only in season.

The botanicals are juniper, glasswort, castraura (the small violet artichoke), lemon thyme, basil and milk thistle. Glasswort, also called sea asparagus, is a protected wild plant of the lagoon whose harvest is regulated, and it is the lead botanical.

In the glass the gin is perfectly clear. The nose shows Mediterranean juniper with green, herbal notes of the lagoon marsh. On the palate the glasswort gives a distinct savoury quality, followed by a soft, almost velvety finish. The producer suggests it for cocktails and as an aperitif, and says it also works neat. Retailers list it at 40 percent alcohol.

Today

The business is registered as Sospiri di Marco Vian. Besides the gin, retailers list a bitter. Bottles are sold online and at a list of selling points on the site.

Founded

2020 to 2021 (press accounts)

Area

Venice, Veneto

Owners

Marco Vian