by Sandra Crittenden

Next stop on the Grappa tour was in Parma at Faled Distilleries. Faled has been distilling spirits from local grapes Malvasia, Lambrusco, Fortana, Barbera, and Bonarda since 1945. Success in the region led the company to invest both in improving the plant, purchasing wooden barrels, and buying a 15th century castle to age their Grappa.  They spent several decades expanding their market and their portfolio of products. In addition to Grappa, Faled makes brandy and liquor infusions including Nocino a nut flavored liqueur, Bargnolino which is berry flavored and Limoncino, a lemon flavored spirit. In the new millennium, they started a new brand of premium Grappa called Spirito Verdiano. The Spirito Verdiano line was created to showcase the grapes that have been a part of the region's wine making since ancient times.  Giuseppe Scaltriti, Director of Communications, led us on the tour of the distillery followed by a tour of the Castle Roccabianca. The castle was original...

I couldn't have been more delighted that the Grappa tour would take me back to Castello Banfi . I stayed at the castle with my daughter back in the spring of 2015 when we did a mother/daughter  trip through Europe following her graduation from college. Castello Banfi is located between the Orcia and Ombrone rivers in the southern part of Montalcino in Tuscany. All of the pomace used in the production of the four Grappas comes from wines made from grapes in the vineyards surrounding the castle. After a vineyard tour and wine tasting at the winery, our group headed back to the on-site restaurant for lunch followed by a Grappa tasting. Banfi produces four different Grappas, one is made from a blend of grapes and the other three are made from Brunello di Montalcino, a type of Sangiovese and the most important grape variety in the region. The Tasting: All of these Grappas were double distilled in a continuous still and have 45% ABV. Grappa del Castello - Made from a blend...

The first stop on the Grappa tour involved getting a lesson in how Grappa is made at the Bonollo Distillery  located in Torrita di Siena in the heart of Tuscany. Bonollo owns five distilleries located throughout Italy that distill 200,000 hectoliters of alcohol per year which is equal to 50 million bottles. Grappa is an alcoholic beverage of Italian origin and it is their most important product. They also produce acquavitae and brandy. We arrived just as a truckload of pomace which is also called marc arrived at the plant. Pomace is the used grape skin and seeds leftover after winemaking. Our tour was taking place during the wine grape harvest so the distillery was operating in full swing. The distillation season is only about three months long. In addition to alcohol production,  they also collect the grape seeds during the production process to make grape seed oil, used both for cooking and in the cosmetics industry. The pomace must come from Italy, grapes from ...

I went on a Grappa media tour in October. Before going, I really did not know much about Grappa, other than that it fell in the same category as Brandy. It had been briefly discussed years ago when I was taking wine certification classes though I don't remember actually tasting any at that time. Then, a few years ago, a wine producer brought some to Houston when they did an event and did I taste one at that time, I was surprised by it. It wasn't the "firewater" that I had expected, it was a far smoother drink and a nice way to end a heavy lunch. Unfortunately, in the Houston area at that time, I was not finding Grappa on the after dinner drinks list at my favorite restaurants so I was not able to explore it more. Almost 3 years after that positive experience, I found myself on a Grappa trail in Italy eager to learn more. The trip started with a rooftop party in Rome. Our group had the opportunity to meet some producers, taste an array of Grappa, and most impo...

As originally seen at Wine-Thoughts.com . One of the highlights of this trip to Napa Valley was the opportunity to meet Mrs. Robert Mondavi, the Vice President of Cultural Affairs at the winery that bears her husband's name. I was introduced to her at the dedication of their newest art addition. The piece was placed in front of the main entrance to honor the mind that had originally imagined and then overseen all that each visitor views upon their approach. Margrit Biever Mondavi was instrumental in the selection of this bust of Robert Mondavi, a fittingly larger-than-life rendition of the head of the man whose mind had long ago envisioned the Napa that we see today. She discussed with me the initial difficulty in choosing the right piece of art to honor her husband as the founder of the winery. She had originally considered a life-sized depiction of him standing with a glass of wine in his hand welcoming all who came, a memory that all who knew him would have certainly cher...