I'm not sure how to go about this, but of all the grappa we had in Italy (big on the aperitifs) one stood above the others, and I need to find it. Really, it was that good. I must possess it.

So the clues are: 1. We had it at Osteria Caffe Italiano (Via Isola delle Stinche, Florence). 2. The label was brownish, and the liquor was clear. 3. It was the only grappa I've had that had more than a whiff of the grape from which it came. Fruity (in a grappa way) but not sweet, not like a muscato, but full of flavor.

You may ask "Er, if you were there, why didn't you get the name, or perhaps buy a bottle?" Fabulous point. Well, I got the name, and lost it. It was our last night, and the stores were closed by the time we finished our dining extravaganza.

I don't know much about grappa, but I loved this one. So if anyone lives in Florence, or knows of what I speak - please share! If you just know your grappa and can perhaps draw a box around the possibilities, that too would be swell.

For everyone else: my wife, who ranks mescal above grappa (and compares both to gasoline) loved this one. And the restaurant was good too, so if you are in Florence this summer…

Jon

The grape you search is :

Grappa di Moscato
distilled and bottled by Distillerie Bonollo s.p.a.

Giovanna greets you (is the manager of Caffè Italiano)

carlo nocentini
Aceri Apartments
www.genie.it/utenti/carlo.nocentini

Carlo, bravissimo! Is this board -- and her participants -- useful, or what?

Amazing!

They have a website too. Bonollo

Make sure you click on "la storia della grappa". Its very cute(think animated grapes journeying to a sacrificial death...be sure to have your sound on.)I felt kinda bad for the grapes...

Janet

Glad someone else had a good experience at this restaurant...we had the worst experience at this restaurant ...extremely poor service, and a waiter who thought it was cool to be snobby and inattentive. Could be that when they saw we were not ordering wine by the case, and the people at the next tabel were, suddenly EVERYONE seemed to be waiting on the other table, and we became invisible! It was so bad that Art, who is usually very mild mannered, actually went back in to the restaurnat, asked for the manager, and told him how disappointed we were, and that we would never be back (I bet that one really got him!) Anyway, glad you had a wonderful find with the grappa there! Just be prepared to spend BIG bucks, or be completely forgotten

Stunning! I never expected an exact response, much less so soon! This message board is truly amazing. Thank you so much!

Our service that night was wonderful, attentive yet not overbearing, and the food was wonderful. We were one of the first people in on Wednesday night (that means about 7:30) and left around 10:30...not cases of wine, but certainly two from each course! And of course, there was the grappa recommendation, which iced our cake.
Luckily we missed Barb's experience!

Thank you Carlo

Jon

Actually there are quite a few grappas that will give you that wonderful "whiff of the grape from which it came." The secret is to select a grappa made from a distinct varietal (moscato, barbera, or whatever) and be willing to pay a stiff price.

Most grappas are blends, and lack that wonderful "whiff".

If you are in the Veneto, you can visit a nice little "grappa museum" in Bassano del Grappa, run by the Poli distillary. You can also sample all their grappas in the shop. It was there that I finally discovered that there are some that I do actually like!
Yes, the better ones are expensive. But a great buy in Italy, compared against the prices in the U.S.

Oh yes, good catch Pauline. I had actually just come back from an evening in a local Italian restaurant that came nowhere close to what I was hoping, and although the grappa was closer to lighter fluid, it still seemed to keep me from thinking straight.

Yeah, so I now have the key but can't get to the lock. As a last ditch idea I have a neighbor going in August, but I will definitely look into the ideas you have presented. I looked in local wine shops, and the (very) few I found were very expensive. I seem to remember the price being pretty reasonable in the enotecas ( it was only €6 a glass at the restaurant). If I find a source, other than my neighbor, I will let you know!

Jon

We visited, I guess two or three years ago, the distillery of Vittorio Capovilla, located a mile or two northwest of Bassano del Grappa. It was a sort of pilgrimage since I had read of his enterprize in the pages of "The Magazine of La Cucina Italia" previously. He was depicted photographically not only running the stills, but growing, harvesting and sorting the grapes and other fruit ingredients. He was kind enough to visit with us for a few minutes, but our language conflicts didn't allow me to gain a very significant understanding of his efforts. Unfortunately, it was early in our trip and I was appointed to schlep a four-pack all over Italy for weeks. His grappa is forgettable, but his fruit digestivi are remarkable. I still have a portion of a bottle of his apricot liquer and nurse it jealously. And I've never seen his wares for sale anywhere but at his fattoria. Alas.

the capovilla distilled fruit liquore's are to die for..I know him personally and I adore the Wild peach ( pesche saturnia) it is a flat peach that is grown inbetween the vines ..AHHHHHHH.again, almost impossible to find...

I am trying to get someone on Florence to carry them at the Central Market so I can have access to them, they come with a little passport..of how many liters were made and how many bottles...

he is a true artisan..I took one of my food tours up there and we sampled about 15 of them at 8am..true foodies!!!!

Again ..he doesn't speak English!!!
But is charming!

As a follow up: Bonollo is imported into the US through CVI brands (San Carlos, CA). I was able to tfind the exact one I wanted at a store not 5 miles from my house! And it's just as good. Thanks for the tips!

Jon

That is good news! I guess we Americans are acquiring a taste for Grappa!

In 1997, our second big trip to Italy, we stayed at an estate in Chianti. One day we were at the pool and this young American guy was there with his kids. They were on their first trip to Italy and having a GREAT time. When he found out we had been to Italy before, he had lots of questions for us. Our favorite was "What's the deal with Grappa?" He said it is such an earnest and concerned way - he really wanted to know what it was! So we told him (probably said it is Italian Schnapps). Anyway, now we like to say to each other "What's the deal with Grappa?" - you can just imagine how much fun it would be to spend time with us.

Italophile though I may be, I gotta agree: what's the big deal with grappa. Grappa is a waste product of the stems and seeds and other rejects of the wine process, historically a farmer's rotgut. Most of it is still not very interesting, and it's ditto for the French version called marc. The Italians got the publicity machine going in the US -- the French, late, insisted that their grappa must be marketed as "marc", potential importers here rightly said that would involve a lot more expenses in marketing, to no good purpose, and as a result French grappa didn't make it in the US.

Some very rare grappe are good, but they are all still artificially flavored distilled spirits, and thus yes, they are close cousins to schnapps.

If you want wonderful stuff with a kick (usually 120 proof) but with extraordinary fragrance and flavor, you're looking for the German and French alcools blancs, which are not at all the same thing: rather they are actual distillates of fruit -- thus cousins to slivovitz. The best known are among the best -- framboise (raspberry), quetsch and mirabelle (damson and greengage plums, respectively), poire (pear) -- but there are several dozen far less well-known ones, some of which are equally good (sorbus, almond-fruit, mulberry, hawthorn, holly berry, etc. -- to say nothing of the picturesquely-named "gratte-cul"). Every one of them is better than almost any grappa I've ever had; and this sounds like the Capovilla distilled fruit liquori mentioned: also I've had a few Italian and Swiss alcools blancs, also just as good.
   "What's the big deal with grappa" is a pretty good call, the way I see it.

Bill, I think the surprise of still having skin left on the inside of my mouth was the big deal for me. I was just so surprised that there was actually something close to flavorful that was still called grappa. And since we were in Italy at the time, swept away in the romance of everything...well French liqueurs weren't really on the menu. But anyone who wants to suggest a good strong drink - that's OK with me!

Oh I'm plenty guilty of having grappa at the end of a meal, and even, although I know darn well it's not Italian, to ask that my grappa accompany the dessert; this works about 1 time in 3 by the way. After all, we're in Italy not France! Very occasionally too, grappa is actually good. (By the way, most of the alcools blancs are next to impossible to find anywhere outside the Jura and Alsace; even the commonest like framboise are not 100% available in restaurants in France.)

But I'm delighted to hear that Italians are starting to make their own. There's always a next trip. One hopes.

There are grappas of the E & J variety and grappas of the Germain Robin variety. So, there are $6 grappas and $200 grappas. I have tried quite a few and some of the grappas I bought for $10 a bottle were better than some I paid $20 or more for a bottle. I never liked grappa until I started drinking it all the time - it is definitely an aquired taste. I miss it now but I refuse to pay $10 for a tiny glass of grappa in a U.S. restaurant. I liked it better when it was offered to me for free in Italy, after the meal!

One use for grappa that I really miss, especially now that I have a cough I can't get rid of, is a trick the Venetians use to get rid of their persistent coughs. They pour some grappa in a pan on the stove, heat it up, and breathe it in for several minutes. It is hard to do, but it works. Of course, they aren't using expensive grappa to do this!

There is one book available in English on Grappa, called "Grappa." It discusses the methods of distilling and all the major producers.