Amarone Grappa: dry or barrel-aged?

During this period, between December and January, the pressing of the grapes placed to dry in the fruit sheds in Valpolicella has begun. Some wait a bit longer to achieve greater concentration. However, in the end, it does not go beyond the end of January, except for the grapes intended for the production of Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG. But what do producers do with all the pomace still dripping with juice?

Most of the wineries and the most prestigious distillers in Italy have made agreements for the production of exceptional grappas. Most of these are obtained from freshly pressed Amarone pomace and left to ferment for a very short time before being distilled in an alembic. The largest distillers agree that the great grappas, the hardest to obtain, are the dry whites. They are products of style where the slightest mistake is noticeable. Amarone in a dry white grappa offers beautiful sensations of undergrowth, red fruits in alcohol, and a pleasant balsamic freshness.

There are also distillers who place grappa in barriques or wooden tonneaux to refine it. They are much more complex and leave outstanding sensations of vanilla, honeys, sweet toasting, and the grappa, from dry white, transforms into soft and amber grappa.

What is the best? It depends on the taste!
The dry grappa is more useful as a digestif alongside a good hot and aromatic coffee, for soaking some candied fruit or to enhance cream ice cream. In the Mantua and Verona regions, Amarone grappa is excellent for soaking Sbrisolona mantovana or to moisten butter cookies.

The soft or barrel-aged grappa, on the other hand, is mainly used as a digestif in a nice wide glass held in the palm of your hand. It pairs wonderfully with dark chocolate or Modica chocolate, especially enjoyed with a great Cuban cigar like Toro Cohiba.

S&M