My World of Brandy

 Fantinel is a big wine producer in Friuli in the north eastern part of Italy. This grappa is made from wine pressings from the Fantinel wine Refosco which is a Friulian wine. It has an ABV of 38% and has been aged for a short time in Barriques. Otherwiese I cannot find so much information about this grappa. Colour: Light straw. indicating a small influence of the barriques. Nose: A sprit grappa smell.  Taste: Grappa, citrus and some light fruit. Aftertaste: Medium length showing off the distinctive Grappa taste. with some alcohol despite the low ABV. A nice Grappa however I can find better ones at this price range.  

Luigi Francoli Grappa Nebbiolo Del Piemonte is a grappa that I bought in one airport in Italy. The distillery was founded in 1875 in the village of Campodolcino above Lake Como. Over the years the company grow into Gruppo Francoli and nowadays they produce and distribute grappa, liqueurs, distillates, wines, dried ham (prosciutto) and electrical energy. All the grapes used by Distillerie Francoli come from the Piemonte region. They uses a slow distilling process, ensures that the grappa is smooth and has a distinctive flavour. Luigi Francoli Grappa Nebbiolo Del Piemonte has the ABV of 41.5% which is higher than normal. The grape remains used to produce this grappa is Nebbiolo. After the distillation the grappa has been stored for 8 months in inert tanks. Since this a young un-oaked grappa the colour is clear. The nose is strong with notes of sage and liquorice. The taste is of a full bodied grappa with a long finish. A very good white young grappa.    

 Nonino is a grappa producer in the Friuli Venezia-Giulia regionsituated in northeastern Italy. The distillery was started by Oraio Nonino in 1897 and today the distillery is run by the sisters Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta. They are the fifth generation Nonino. The grappa has been distilled in the traditional discontinual method. For the Antica Cuvée the grapppa has been aged in barriques and small casks under seal and permanent surveillance by the Customs and Monopoly Agency in the seven Grappa Ageing Warehouses of the Nonino Distilleries. They are bottled without the addition of color additives. No E150 is used here. The Antica Cuvée aged five years is a blend of Grappas from fresh pomace among which Cabernet, Merlot and Refosco, aged from 5 to 20 years in barriques and small casks. The ABV is 43%. Colour: Light amber Nose:  Rich aromas of grappa and spices Taste: Rich warm taste with notes of orange, brioche, spices and oak. Aftertaste: Long and lasting w...

Now the time has come to try a grappa. Grappa is not truly a brandy as it is made from the pomace that is left over from winemaking. Grappa has to be made in Italy and made from pomace. That means it cannot be called brandy as brandy requires the distillation of grape juice. Grappa has a long history in Italy and it has been done for maybe eight hundred years now. Grappa can be everything a bad tasting moonshine to an excellent aged grappa competing with good cognacs. For this tasting I have chosen the Morbida grappa from producer Poli in in Schiavone near Bassano Del Grappa in the Veneto region of Italy. If you have the chance please visit the Poli museum in Bassano del Grappa. It is very interesting and also have a part just focusing on corkscrews of all things. Poli distillerie was founded in 1898 in Schiavon which is like 8 km from Bassano del Grappa and it has been run by the Poli family since the start. Poli has five principles that they work after.  1. To choose only f...