In Defense of Grappa
In Defense of Grappa
It wasn’t that long ago that I was a lot like you. I thought Grappa was the potable equivalent of lighter fluid, and why would I ever drink lighter fluid!? Phew! But something happened. One time, while on a work trip to Piemonte, I got a flu of the worst kind and it looked very much like I was going to be down for the count just as everyone else was getting dressed and preparing for yet another fabulous dinner with some very ritzy wines. In fact, that party was to be with Giorgio Rivetti at his cellar in Grinzane Cavour to celebrate our mutual birthdays, and who would want to be sick for THAT? It was Denise Pardini, my good friend and purveyor of the incomparable Castello di Sinio where we were encamped who, after taking one look at my sorry-ass visage, forced into my hand a glass of Grappa and told me to get on with it. Reluctantly, I took my medicine and…..like Popeye after a can of spinach, suddenly my eyes lit up, the strength returned to my legs and – cue the music- I was back on my feet yelling ‘I’m comin’ Giorgio!’ What was this magical elixir? Well, it wasn’t just Grappa, it was good Grappa, and good Grappa has been a fixture in my life, flu or not, ever since. No evening of good food and good wine is complete without a small glass ingested to make everything go down smoother. Good Grappa means artisanal Grappa- a spirit that has been distilled carefully from the very best raw material; pressed out grape pumice, often with its vineyard or grape pedigree noted right there on the bottle. Visit a quality distillery like Montanaro and you will see with your own eyes the difference it makes. The other nice thing about Grappa is because it’s a spirit, you can open it and sample it at your leisure over a practically indefinite period of time- perfect for sampling a wide variety of styles at your leisure.
For me, Grappa comes in four speeds:
Version One, my favorite, is grape- and, often, grower specific; clear, clean, aromatic and delicious. Version two is the same, only the spirit has been aged in oak barrels for some period giving it color, a rounder character and a lot more smoothness going down, but sometimes there is a reminder the next day in my cranial region that wood aging leaves a spirit less pure and, hence, we recommend restricting your intake to a glass or two at a time. One small glass, though, is perfect! Third, there is Grappa that has been distilled with botanicals or other flavorings. There are many, but my favorite is chamomile. This style is usually sweeter but its medicinal properties make it an indispensable item in every liquor/medicine cabinet. My wife insists on a glass of chamomile Grappa when she is feeling a little under the weather. A tiny glass before bed and it’s sweet dreams, Annie! Last comes a drier, more aromatic and bracing style of Grappa, often infused with citrus, herbs. We like this style for after dinner when the conversation is still flowing (and no one is driving).
Last winter was a cruel, wet one and Grappa consumption at Casa Rittmaster was at an all-time high so we’ve stocked up on all four of these for this coming winter too. Who knows what the season will bring?
Email us if you would like the Sampler Special: Order a bottle of each and we’ll include the shipping
Get your Grappa on with these four bottles and you’ll live to be 100. (Claim not substantiated)
Castello di Verduno Grappa di Perlaverga, 750 ml bottle (42% ABV)
$59.99
Castello di Verduno makes a wonderful Pelaverga di Verduno, a lightish, very fragrant, very food-flexible red wine. After its fermentation each year, the pressed skins are carefully collected and placed into plastic bins and sent down to the distillery they’ve relied on for decades in Barbaresco, just a few kilometers north of the winery. There the grape skins are distilled into a beautifully clear, wonderfully fragrant Grappa that dances across the palate while delivering the ultimate in post-prandial pleasure. I could (and often do) drink a glass of this after supper and feel very good about the prospects of a good night’s sleep. Proven under laboratory conditions to also go great with binging on Slow Horses or any PBS English procedural. Try it!
Montanaro Grappa Liquore di Camomilla, 750ml bottle (32% ABV)
$44.99
Bad weather given you a cold? The flu? The dreaded C-word? Skip the Nyquil and go right to Montanaro’s beautiful elixir of Grappa infused with chamomile. Montanaro is the quality mid-sized distiller right in the town of Gallo, in the heart of the Barolo wine producing region. They work with many of the best producers in the area and, hence, some of the best raw grape material available. You don’t require more than a small glass to cure what ails you, but you’ll be tempted, because it tastes so great, to drink more. And it’s also great for upset tummies.
Giovi Grappa Ortica e Limone, 650ml bottle (42% ABV)
$65.99
From the slopes of Mount Etna comes this markedly less sweet, bright and refreshing Grappa of nettles and lemon in a foundation of Nerello Mascalese grapes from the micro-distiller Giovi. It’s a 42% ABV splash of fresh citrus and green herb. Great with dried fruit or a wonderful Sicilian dessert. This is delicious!
Jacopo Poli Sarpa Barrique Grappa ‘4-year Oro’, 600ml bottle (40% ABV)
$54.99
Lastly, and this is one I personally avoid because I have been known to enjoy it a little too much, is Jacopo Poli’s delightful and delicious Sarpa Oro
, a ‘gold’ Grappa aged for four years in small French oak barrels before bottling. This is ‘recreational’ Grappa at its finest- delicious after a meal with good friends and a few nuts (not a qualitative statement about your friends), some dried fruit and a little aged cheese. Poli is, of course, one of the highest profile, top quality distillers in Italy and their distinctive bottles grace all the best back bars in the country!