SALUTE!
The pleasure and passion of the table.
V I C A R I O
imported or produced by Salute! LLC
VICARIO SPIRITS AND LIQUEURS
Vicario spirits and liqueurs are created by Renato Vicario, his wife Janette Wesley and their family in the Northwest corner of South Carolina. The small but developing 7 acre farm and 8000 square ft. warehouse and distillery is located in Greer, South Carolina, at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. Principally, all VICARIO products are hand crafted with the finest ingredients possible, many grown on the Vicario farms, one located in South Carolina directly behind the distillery, and the other in Tuscany Italy. The garden to glass approach allows the Vicario family to have the most control over the specific varieties of plants, and to control the biological methods of farming, in order to craft the finest herbs and fruits, grown without any use of chemical herbicides, fertilizers or other non-organic means, and which can be collected at their optimal harvest times.
Raised in the Piedmont of Italy, Renato Vicario was nurtured in a family who taught him the delights of the kitchen, and advocated for the best tasting ingredients. His grandmother had a soda pop business, and his great grandfather was involved in wine making in Gattinara. He began at the age of 5 working with his grandmother and developed his recipes throughout his life. He traveled the world in his business of cultural travel, and discovered where and how the best tasting products grew as well as a vast knowledge of the terroir. Through many years of making liqueurs at home, all the while researching ancient recipes from old traditions in the early pharmaceuticals of the monks, Renato Vicario has developed 16 captivating liqueurs- white labels, designate easy to drink tastes, black labels are more for the acute enthusiast.
VICARIO began after Renato Vicario wrote “Italian Liqueurs, The History and Art of a Creation” a book published by the Aboca Museum in San Sepolcro, Italy, which is now included at the Italian Academy of Historical Gastronomy. Touring with the book, pouring his homemade liqueurs, and sharing his knowledge on the mysteries and traditions of liqueur making, there were so many requests to purchase the unusual homemade liqueurs, and therefore, the decision was made to create a portfolio of unique and interesting liqueurs to share with the public. Thought was given towards not only offering amazing cordials to the market, but the products would also give bar masters, restaurateurs and enthusiasts as artists in their own right, a new “color to the pallet” to invent amazing cocktails, desserts, or applied imaginatively in the kitchen.
Beginning in the business as wine makers, Renato and Janette planted vineyards on their property in Cortona Italy in 2010. From the farm in Italy, Grappa and Brandy are made from the Tuscan vineyards growing Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc grapes, by working with another small family distillery in Tuscany. Passionate for saving rare and endangered fruits, they found an optimal position for cultivation of the Visciole di Cantiano, a rare and endangered sour cherry, listed on the Slow Food Ark of Taste. The Cortona farm was planted in olive groves for olive oil, but also lends their young spring leaves for the creation of one of the oldest liqueurs known, olive leaf liqueur. Florentine artichokes and Mediterranean Myrtle are also cultivated in larger numbers. These fruits and herbs are harvested, placed under spirit, and shipped to the distillery in South Carolina to finish the Vicario Liqueurs: Savage Cherry, Olive leaf, Artichoke and Mirto. The farm in South Carolina cultivates artichokes, cardoons, Lemon Verbena, French Tarragon, mint, rosemary, and many aromatic herbs used in the liqueur making of Artichoke, Herba Luisa, Dragoncello, Monk’s Secret and others.
The primary mission is to offer an outstanding taste experience. The herbs, fruits, and spices, if not grown directly by the Vicario family, are sourced organically grown or wild harvested, from the regions and places of the world where the plants are renowned for exceptional quality and taste, presenting the best of terroir in every element. The spirits used in the liqueur making are non-GMO, and are wheat based, and the sugar is certified organic, evaporated cane juice. These efforts are recognized immediately when tasted. Well-balanced, highly intriguing, sophisticated and complex, yet simply delightful, Vicario Liqueurs and Spirits stimulate the senses and give pleasure to the table.
Trade Tools
Sell Sheets and Portfolio Booklets are available here.
Where to Buy
Wholesale Distribution
SC LKN Distributors.
NY, NJ,CT, PA, RI and CA through Skurnik Wines.
GA contact National Distributing.
AZ Quench Fine Wines and Spirits
Washington DC and Maryland Forager Imports
Retail-
Greenville, Charleston and Columbia: Bottles Beverage Superstore
Wholesale to restaurants through Bottles, Bouharouns, O'Darby's or your favorite spirits shop.
Bouharoun's Fine Wine and Spirits.
301 Falls St. Greenville, SC 29601
864-233-2738
Salute! or "To your Health!" celebrates the true tastes of fine olive oil, wines and spirits made in limited quantities by the Vicario family artisan producers.
Salute! exclusively imports extraordinary Tuscan olive oil, wines, and grappa for VICARIO TM and Soc. Agricola Sant' Andrea a Bacialla, Srl in Cortona, Italy.
VICARIO tm Earthly Delights Liqueurs tm An extraordinary journey to taste.