Sarpa Barrique Di Poli Grappa: Hate Grappa? Think Again. This Spirit Bloody Rocks!

Fresh from our Italian adventure (not that fresh really, our livers feel like they've been drinking with the ghost of George Best!), we've brought you a grappa this week that has filled us with more smooth talking Italian delight than all the carb loaded pasta, velvety ice cream and raven haired stallions could ever bring us. But we know what you're thinking; grappa? Good God, that stuff taste like the entire contents of a rotting fruit barrel! Well, our liquor-loving friends, that is where you are wrong! And we’re going to stunningly prove this to you right now because we’re delivering you one exquisitely insane grappa that will win you over quicker than a honey dowsed Megan Fox offering you a spare Fifa controller! So, say a buoyant bonjourno to this silver tongued hottie: Sarpa Barrique Di Poli Grappa.

This was really our first proper contact with grappa. I suppose we’ve dabbled with it in the past when offered a horrifically vile version in some back street Italian, but in all honesty it's a drink we’ve not only misunderstood but also underestimated. So when we landed in the vineyard laden, sun soaked pastures of Italy we thought to ourselves, we need to get to know this spirit like it was our bloody best mate! Whilst on our tour round Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome, our favourite one we came across was whilst we were drinking with one crazy ass scenographer for the La Scala Theatre in Milan. In a haze of €500 notes (not our notes by the way!), countless empty bottles, God awful chat up lines and with the help of Google Translate, we were introduced to this fella and it blew our freaking mind. And blew our mind it did! We woke up the next day in a bloody field 10 minutes from Milan! All the signs of a good night though, you have to admit. So, let’s grab this bull by the horns and delve into this bottles background.

Founded in 1989 by GioBatta Poli, this family run distillery is proud producers of some fantastic grappa and work hard to help people understand to love that goes into making such a wonderful spirit. Artisanally distilled in small batches in a discontinuous cycle copper still, Sarpa Barrique Di Poli is made from grape marc (for those not in the know, ‘marc’ refers to the waste left over after grapes and other fruits have been pressed for winemaking) that comes from grapes cultivated in the beautiful Veneto foothills, a breathtaking amphitheatre stretching from the Dolomites to Venice. Sarpa Barrique Di Poli is made using marc from Merlot and Cabernet grapes and is aged for four years in French oak casks giving this spirit a wonderful golden colour and a full, rich flavour. What’s interesting is that grappa was originally made to make use of the left overs in wine production, but today there are such fine examples of the stuff made purely for the love of creating such a damn fine spirit and it's no longer just an after thought. So, now we know a bit about this spirit, let’s get to know it personally.

Well, to start off with, the aroma of this grappa is very intriguing but also extremely puzzling. At first you’ll get hints of, well, this really is the only way to describe it, but wax, like candle wax or kids crayons. Yeah, we know, weird! But that’s the first scent burst eager to leave the glass. This may leave you more baffled than if your next-door neighbours cat started conversing with you but stay with it, this grappa is Italian remember, and they like to take their time. Inhale a little more and you’ll find those waxy tones start to develop into beautifully sweet apricot and dried apple accents that will whisk your mind away to reams and reams of sunny orchards. Take a few more minutes to soak this gentleman up and you’ll find whispers of brown sugar emerging, adding a wonderful toothsome element to this grappa’s character.

But it’s the taste of this electric Italian that will really change your tarnished view on grappa. This dram so softly and elegantly glides its way onto your tongue with a silky and ever so light precision. Those wickedly luscious apricot tones plunge their way in, delivering an unwavering blow of jammy, fruity delight, the likes you’d expect from a conserve tasting session at a village fair. Those dried apple notes poke their head up again and you’ll find the mouth-feel build in concentration. On the back foot you find a nutty element emerging, alongside a touch of vanilla and a hint of honey, moving on to a dry finish. But beware of the fierce grip this seductive spirit has. It will pull you in and take you down so quick it will not only leave your head spinning out of control, but also your decision making skills completely obsolete! Aside from that pinprick of a problem, this grappa delivers such a mammoth taste and a warming, long finish that will leave you writhing in sheer ecstasy!

But what we love so much about this grappa is those jammy apricot blows that charmed us quicker than an Italian speaking David Beckham! It delivers such a fruity burst of sheer delight whilst still delivering that righteous wallop of alcoholic enjoyment and such a warming finish, you’ll no longer need that hot water bottle when winter creeps its villainous way round again! But maybe we took to this particular grappa more because we were in the company of an individual that was as crazy as us, or maybe it was the bewitching setting of Milan that made this experience so utterly enthralling. Either way, this grappa is a game changer and will make you never again screw your face up in pure distain when those six letters are spoken. Whether you love or hate this spirit, we urge you to indulge in this particular grappa. It might not only change your perception on this gracefully delicate spirit but who knows, it might even change your life!

This isn't that easy to get hold of but you can pick yourself up a bottle from here.

#Grappa #SarpaBarriqueDiPoli #Italian