Grappa, etc.

Does anyone else like this stuff, I did a quick search and saw a few positive references but no detailed discussion. Seems like 9 out of 10 people I talk to compare it to jet fuel. I find the concept and product fascinating, and also I’m wondering if anyone has good US west coast sources or producer recommendations. I found an online place shipping out of the Netherlands, but they shipped USPS and one of three bottles arrived broken. I got chewed out by the local post master, but I did get two pretty interesting bottles.

Cheers,
Chris

Drank quite a bit of it when visiting Italy in 2017. Hated the stuff, but kept trying as a lot of really good wineries we visited (unbeknownst to me) made some and figured worth trying since I enjoyed their wines.

Good luck with your search.

We always pack a bottle with us when we travel.A shot in the morning and before bed takes care of any bug we come in contact with, works like a charm. [bye.gif]

I love grappa and Marc (mostly de Bourgogne) I haven’t found any suppliers stateside, but I did like the grappa produced under the Aroujo label a number of years ago

Scott, yeah discovered it in Italy when I was there way back on 2006 or 2007 I think. It’s definitely an acquired taste of sorts.

Haha, good idea Mike!

David- haven’t ever tried Marc and don’t know much about it. I presume it is the same/similar process? The words ‘de bourgone’ are almost always a good indicator for me (although some village wines perhaps not as much).

I’ve read a bit about the process for grappa and it has to be made from pomace with no additions. This requires steam distillation equipment to avoid burning the solid organic matter. The better ones I’ve had tend to have a yeasty aroma which reminds me of a bakery with fresh bread.

I did get one bottle made from moscato and one from barbera. I’m not sure how the process works with white wines, since pomace usually only contains alcohol from red wines fermented on skins. Thinking maybe the whites are skin fermented “orange wine” then the grappa is made, but that’s pure speculation? The moscato grappa has a definite aroma profile like the grape.

I had a few bottles of this when I was on the list, and it wasn’t too bad.

Just found one of the Araujo Grappa’s , Harvested 09/27/00, made from Cab Pomace, buried in my bourbon stash. [wow.gif]

Is Marc more like grappa or more like armangnsc

More like grappa. Distilled from pomace as is grappa, but it is given some wood, so it’s not as fiery. Fine de Bourgogne is made from pressed juice

Nice to finally see at thread about Grappa. I really love the stuff and have more than 100 different Grappas at home.

It was my wife who first got hooked after being served an unoaked San Felice (distilled by Nannoni) after a dinner at Il Campo in Siena in 2001. It took me a couple of years to get used to it, so to speak, but now I am also completely hooked.

Provided you like other spirits, like whisky or Cognac, I would be very surprised if you couldn’t find a Grappa that you could enjoy. During the last couple of years I have converted a number of friends from Whisky to Grappa. It’s quite easy, like with wine you just need to know what to serve to whom. I struggle for words here since English isn’t my first language but in my humble opinion the diversity in flavors is greater in Grappa than in any other distilled spirit, from the unoaked and very aromatic Moscato or Gewürztraminer over the really hash and simple ones you sometimes get for free after dinner to the high-quality ones aged for decades in different types of wood. The last category can be almost Cognac-like but still with the distinct flavor of the grapes the pomace is made of.

You also need to remember that the distiller is very important since the wineries never (as far as I know anyway) makes the Grappa. They only supply the pomace and the distiller makes and (in most cases) ages the Grappa. Three Grappas made from the same Barolo pomace but distilled by different distillers, let’s say Berta, Marolo and Dellavalle, will taste distinctly different. I often serve my wife her Grappas blind and she can always nail her favorites, the ones made by Berta, Beccaris and Dellavalle. I have another Cognac-loving friend and he loves the aged Barolo-Grappas from Montanaro but have a hard time enjoying the Brunello-Grappas from Nannoni, which are among my favorites.

So, if you haven’t found any Grappa you like, don’t give up. There is something out there for (almost) everyone!

Thanks Gunnar!
Appreciate hearing all of the additional info about variety of Grappa.
The list of producers in your post is very helpful!
I have one bottle from Dellavalle (moscato) and one from Marolo (Barbera). First smaller production. Type grappa that I’ve had.

Cheers,
Chris

I haven’t had many, but the Grappas from Marolo have been my favorites by far. Their unaged Moscato Grappa is beautiful, with lots of varietal character. The age designated Barolo Grappas that they do can be very impressive in a completely different way. They develop a Cognac like sort of maturity and complexity.

Hi Chris

Between those two, which one do you prefer?

I personally need my Moscato Grappas to be older and of high quality to be able to enjoy them. The Marolo Moscato 2007 is one of the few that I really like.

Doug
Yes, Marolo is a high quality distiller and the prices reflect that. The same goes for the prestige bottlings from Berta.
In my opinion, and for my taste, Montanaro and Dellavalle, to name a few, offer almost the same quality for a lot less money.

I like both quite a bit, but I’d say I prefer Marolo slightly as it is perhaps more delicate. I do enjoy the Moscato as it’s unlike any grappa I’ve ever had before.

I had a Nebbiolo on order that was broken in transit. Would like to get more, but haven’t heard back from the company regarding the breakage.

Chris: Marolo is imported to the US, so you should be able to find them somewhere without dealing with international shipping.

Gunnar: thanks for the recommendations. I’m going to see if I can find those locally.

Thanks Doug and Gunnar!

Doug,
Please keep us updated on what you find imported from Gunnar’s list.

Cheers

Any updates? Has anyone tried something new since the last post?

My soon to be son in law gave me a bottle of Nonino Grappa Picolit. At 50%abv, it requires a bit of a chill to enjoy at full strength. Delicious.

A grappa thread with no mention yet of Romano Levi? True they are expensive and that easy to source, but my word are they delicious. And the labels are a treat.

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They certainly are, but they are beyond expensive