Grappa

Shut the F...ront door!!! Grappa... my all time favorite after dinner drink! Nothing like a big, juicy steak, a glass of cabernet to go with it, but it would not be complete without an espresso afterwards and a good grappa to finish it off. Ahhh.... Grappa.
What is Grappa? Originally made centuries ago in the town of  Bassano del Grappa, where it gets its name, it is made by distilling pomace. Pomace is what it's left after making wine, a by-product. Composed out of grape stems, seeds and skins, it was originally discarded off. Until an Italian genius, figured out that was losing money by throwing it away.
Up until about 30 years ago, Grappa was made from all sorts of different grapes mixed together. The first single grape Grappa that I know of, was distilled by the Nonino distillery using the Picolit grape. The idea was, that Italians wanted to compete with the French and their eau-de-vie.  And man, did they compete!
Today, you can find all sorts of delicious grappas, from barolo to brunello grappas, from apricot flavor to cherry to pears to apples. It is produced in Oregon, California, South Africa, Australia and upstate New York. But even though a lot of these producers are coming out with some amazing Grappas, there is nothing like the original.
Grappa is around 40 to 45 percent alcohol, or 80-90 proof. The genius of making a good grappa, has to do with the distiller. The pomace is slowly heated, and the distiller has to find the perfect temperature. By law, you can not add water to the pomace, so methanol is released, which will kill you. So the distiller releases those vapors. Grappa is usually clear, but lately, producers age some in oak barrels, so you have light yellow to a dark brown Grappas, depending on the barrels used.
Buying grappa is where it gets a little tricky. You can find them anywhere from $10 to over $100 a bottle. Try staying around $50. Since they are so different, find one that you like based on the wine you like. Since, I've already told you I love Barolo, I buy Barolo Grappa. If you are a big Amarone fan, try that. Don't want to bash other producers, but buy Italian. There is way to much good Italian Grappa to waste your hard earned cash on South African Grappa.
Pairing? Friends and family. That's all you need. And you don't have to wait for after dinner. I just finished lunch, i think I'm gonna pour myself one.
Next week, wine for Thanksgiving.