The origins of the famous Italian drinks manufacturer based in Chieri near Turin (Piedmont) date back to 1847, when four businessmen founded the company "Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino". One of them was Carlo Agnelli (1861-1912) from the Fiat dynasty. Wines, liqueurs and other alcoholic beverages were produced there. In 1863, three employees acquired larger shares. These were the sales representative Alessandro Martini (1812-1905), the accountant Teofilo Sola (1821-1879) and the winemaker and herbalist Luigi Rossi (1828-1892). They reorganised the company and called it "Martini, Sola e Cia". In Turin, Antonio Benedetto Carpano (1764-1815) invented Vermouth in 1786 and his nephew created the famous Punt e mes brand as his successor. Luigi Rossi developed his own vermouth recipe and is the actual inventor of the Martini brand.
![]()
The Wine lexicon helps me to keep up to date and refresh my knowledge. Thank you for this Lexicon that will never end in terms of topicality! That's what makes it so exciting to come back often.
Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden