I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone besides a dyed-in-the-wool Italian who even remotely likes the taste of grappa. I know people who practically live on Fernet-Branca—the drink that inspired Bill Cosby to joke, “It does the job, but oooohhh, the taste”—who won’t touch a free glass of grappa.
Why? I think it’s the same reason people don’t like Riesling or merlot: It’s a combination of ignorance and exposure. If the first (and likely only) version of the potent elixir you experienced was poorly timed or a low-quality version, you’re probably not going to ask for another anytime soon.
For those who haven’t tried it, grappa is a distillate of pomace—the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of spent grapes after the production of wine. Therein lies the reason for its sometimes-poor quality. While grappa is often made in a manner similar to moonshine, and thus can burn the esophagus—making some complain it tastes like “jet fuel”—that’s not the case for every version.
Much like wine, the flavor of grappa depends on the type of grapes, the distillers’ attention to detail, and the quality of the distillation process. Quality grappa is not about the quality of the pomace; it’s about how fresh and moist the pomace is kept without incurring mold before distillation. Bad grappa smells similar to a pet store, while great grappa is perfumed with the floral aromatic of its grapes.
Grappa’s situation is not dissimilar to the plight of tequila 20 years ago. At one time, much grappa was mass-produced swill launched as a side project and marketing gimmick for large wineries. The battle to change people’s minds will be an uphill one. Still, it will be led by the drink’s best artisan producers, typically found in the small village of Bassano del Grappa, in the Veneto region of Italy.
The four most notable producers are Guarda Nardini, Poli Distillerie, Nonino Distillatori, and Capovilla Distillati. Nardini is the oldest, founded in 1779; it’s often considered the gold standard, producing a wide variety of grappas, liqueurs, and amaros. Poli is more of an innovator and artisan shop, producing solely distillates. Nonino hangs its hat on single-varietal grappas, which it first presented in 1973. Then, there’s Capovilla, the youngest of the lot and often the hardest to find. Capovilla’s high standards and attention to detail have earned it a place beside other great contemporaries.
In St. Louis, you can find a good range of quality grappa at Bar Italia, which even distills its own varieties. Although the restaurant stocked more than 100 grappas at one time, the number still stands at 50-plus grappas, 15 of them infused in-house. Go there for the best selection.
A former sommelier at The French Laundry, Hoel serves as a senior wine advisor for Soutirage, a Napa Valley wine merchant and advisory firm.
