L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano I f w e w e r e t o f i n d a good Cinderella story in the world of spir- its (of the liquid sort), grappa might just be the one the slipper fits. Thought of for centuries as the poor man's drink, the 20 th century has seen grappa elevated to connoisseur wor- thy heights as a distinguished distillate…and the fairy tale continues. If Italian digestives, those after meal drinks said to aid in one's gastric perfor- mance, are not something you've paid much attention to other than an occasional tip- p l e o f a n o v e r l y s u g a r e d limoncello, you may be won- dering what, exactly, is grap- pa. In short, the potent drink is the result of salvaging the remains – the stems, pulp, s t a l k s , s e e d s – o f g r a p e s pressed for wine and distill- ing the lot into a vigorous spirit possessing 35 to 60 percent alcohol. The story behind the product is a wor- t h y o n e f r o m i t s h u m b l e beginnings to its lofty status today. Once considered the elixir of downtrodden farmers and peasants, grappa was certain- ly not esteemed enough to be memorialized in painting or song. But like a good detec- tive story, adequate evidence exists to illustrate a fairly reli- able accounting of grappa's origins. As any spirit must u n d e r g o a d i s t i l l a t i o n p r o c e s s , g r a p p a a n d a n y other distillate could not exist prior to the ability to distill. An old legend says that a Roman soldier first distilled grappa sometime during the 2 nd century near the north- ern Italian town of Bassano Del Grappa. Using a device he'd slipped out of Egypt with, the soldier executed the process he'd observed: gather the pomace (mashed seeds, skin, etc.), boil, then distill to a liquid powerful enough to mummify ones insides. While it's a good story, it's also unlikely; instrumentation didn't exist at that time that could distill properly. Oh well. R e l i a b l e e v i d e n c e d o e s exist, however, validating that the distillation process was fully developed in the Middle E a s t b y t h e 8 t h c e n t u r y . Moorish crusades and those to follow spread not only m a y h e m , b u t d i s t i l l a t i o n know-how, as well. Written evidence details the produc- tion of "acquavite" (water of life), the antiquated term used for distilled pomace, underway in Solerno by the 1300s. Its purpose, however, had nothing to do with plea- sure; it was the perfect vehicle f o r p r e s e r v i n g m e d i c i n a l herbs procured and sold by the Benedictine Monks. It's easy to imagine some- one on a bone-chilling Italian n i g h t m a k i n g n o t e o f t h e warm, fuzzy feeling that came with imbibing on the monks' tonic. Written evidence from the 14 th century verifies that other folks caught on, as well -- grappa production in the northern regions of Trentino- Alto Adige and Val d'Aosta had taken off. The poor man's drink was now a valuable commodity for chasing away the toils of a hard life and the winter's chill. Eventually, the popularity of the drink caught the eye of the officials and production became licensed… and taxed, of course. The claim that grappa is uniquely Italian can be credit- ed to the efforts of one man. Bartolo Nardini made his way from Trentino to Veneto in 1779 in search of a viable location to build a distillery. His choice of a spot adjacent the town of Bassano del Grappa was a good one – Italy's first grapperia was established. In short order, the Nardini name became synonymous with fine grap- pa…and it remains that way today. It remains uncertain whether grappa was eventu- ally christened with its name as a result of Bartolo's choice of location, or if in actuality it's a throwback to the Latin grappapolis, a term meaning "bunch of grapes." Nardini o n l y k n e w h i s p r o d u c t a s "aquavite di vinaccia," literal- ly translated as "water of life from grape pomace" – a term still included on the Nardini label today. What is certain, though, is that the term grap- pa wasn't in widespread use until 1951 when the spirit was awarded recognized denomi- nation. Grappa's undeniably hum- ble beginnings have certainly evolved. Italy's post-World War II economic boom cata- pulted Italian style and goods onto the world stage, includ- ing this peculiarly strong digestive. Once crudely dis- tilled into something akin to a euphoria-inducing turpen- tine, sophistication developed along with grappa's populari- ty. I n 1 9 7 3 , G i a n n o l a Nonino opened a new chap- ter for grappa. Seeking to modernize her family's dis- tillery, Giannola championed the concept of single varietal grappas. Her perseverance paid off. Single varietals, known as monovitigno, have become the elite of the grappa world. Another aspect of Giannola's quest included her efforts to preserve pro- duction of ancient varietals. What was good for the grapes was good for the farmers; t h e s e v a r i e t a l s r e c e i v e d recognition as protected her- itage products, while farmers became incentivized to culti- vate the ancient vines. M u c h m o r e t h a n f i e r y Italian moonshine, today's grappa offerings come in a tasty array of classifications. Varieties such as Aromatica distilled from highly aromatic grapes, Stravecchia's bar- r e l - a g e d " o l d g r a p p a , " o r A r o m a t i z z a t a w i t h i t s i n f u s e d n a t u r a l e s s e n c e , afford something to please individual palates. Not sure what you might prefer? No problem…just as with wine, grappa tastings have become quite popular. One method, if you prefer to skip actually partaking, involves taking a f i n g e r t i p d i p , b r u s h i n g i t across the back of the hand, and inhaling the aroma. Not only will a reliable sense of the flavor be gained, but what is creatively known as the " p e t s h o p " s m e l l w i l l b e detected, indicative of a bad grappa, before your tongue makes the unpleasant discov- ery! While most novices are introduced to grappa after a fine Italian dinner and a few glasses of wine, there are other options for enjoying this uniquely Italian distillate. An after-dinner espresso is almost a requirement in Italy, yet how to deal with that late night caffeine? Correct it with a caffè corretto, of course! Simply splash a dose of grap- pa in with your caffè…correc- tion accomplished. If you think you need a bit more, s h a l l w e s a y , c o r r e c t i o n , request ammazza caffè – a coffee killer. Toss back one cup of espresso, immediately follow with a shot of grappa… sweet dreams are guaranteed to ensue! But if you're not feeling quite that daring, a resentin (small rinse) might be in order. Simply put, once the espresso is downed, a few drops of grappa are swirled about the cup to collect the last clinging remnants of cof- fee…and down it goes. If your initial experience with grappa was not so won- derful, perhaps it's time to give it a proper try. Allow someone in the know to sug- gest a label, then sniff – swirl – sip. This beautiful Italian tradition may warm not only your stomach, but your heart, as well. PAULA REYNOLDS Enjoying a good grappa after a meal is a real pleasure. But grappe are not all the same (Photo: MLIN/Shutterstock) From rags to riches: the history of uniquely Italian grappa LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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