Antonella Nonino is just that. In true Italian fashion she talks vivaciously with her hands and is fashionably late: but makes up for it with a zealous desire to share her family’s livelihood with the rest of the world. She owes this all to her mother, who decided to make headlines for consumers of fine spirits, around the world for the most unlikely of beverages. On our venture to a long lunch at Waiheke Island’s Poderi Cresci Vineyards, we hear the amazing tale of how Nonino came to be. What now is their divine love of what they sell and some sophisticated marketing, started in the Italian countryside 40 years ago.
Part of Gianolla Nonino’s quest to increase the reputation of the Italian countryside was to create a note worthy product. Grappa was known as a poorman’s drink; fiery and hot with the aftertaste of ethanol and acid. She wanted to prove that grappa could be rich, elegant and showing unique qualities and complex layers. She wanted to make grappa the Queen of Spirits, but to do this, she would be the first distiller in the world to produce grappa from a selection of single wine varieties. Little did she know, that it would become the first ever grappa to make it to the ‘Hall of Fame’ in the prestigious quarterly Spirit Journal. It started with crystal clear ambition.
“Our overriding goal is to make the best grappa in the world, in full respect of the territory and its culture: a grappa so fragrant with the aromas of its grape that seduces even the most discriminating of consumers.”
~ Gianolla Nonino
History in the Making
The first one she created in 1973 was from a grape native to Italy, called Picolit grown in Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Picolit was the most famous dessert wine. Meaning ‘small’ these grapes have a lot of hen & chicken, the berries are small and few. They are left to raisin on the vine and once picked are aged in barrels where they acquire honey, floral, herbal and fruity qualities -namely peach and apricot. It was then they knew they had found something special, and no viticultural laws that tried could scare out of preserving native Italian grape varieties. In fact, it was Gianolla that created an award to accomplish just that.
While most spirit manufacturers use continuous stills not batch, at Nonino they have FIVE artisanal distilleries each containing 12 batch stills. The difference is, each batch has a unique set of grape pomace and the distiller can decide when to cut depending on the unique characteristics. Continuous means no manual selections are made: the process is cheaper and faster, but with less control on quality. At Nonino the distillation is cut when fermentation is complete: preventing the formation of methyl alcohol and capturing the unique aromas still present in the grape skins.
You might ask yourself, just how it manages to encapsulate the taste of woody oak, herbs, almonds, figs, oranges? Or possess the perfect acidity to match prosciutto or chocolate? Only very few spirits can display attributes from the land they come from, and capture the very essence of Italian countryside. But no matter how surprised you might be, its all part of the fun – and you certainly don’t see me complaining.
Nonino Tasting
Tradizione 41 The first level blend, this smells of aniseed, nuts, bready yeast. Still a very fresh product as the pomace is distilled straight away. The palate is refined with lovely acidity.
Picolit 50% BV An explosion of complexity on the nose: it is apple, honey, apricot (all characters of the grape – a dessert variety for the region that typically has small berries, is aged till raisin form for wine, and then aged in barrels where it acquires fruit and floral notes). True to this grape it very delicate honeycomb, full and lovely palate with green grape character. Beautiful. Would go wonderfully with Lemon Cake.
Il Prosecco Floral nose, herbal nuance, green grapes, a little sweeter than the others. The palate again is delicate and refined – very clean – not as complex as the other single variety grappas. The perfect match with chevre and green grapes.
Il Moscato With yeast, rose and blossom; this is a delightful bounty on the nose – very sweet, sherry like, biscuit, cream, golden syrup. Turkish delight, expressive orchard flowers, direct palate and fourth coming acidity. Antonella’s philosophy to leave it in the glass a while before serving is very true here, where aromas leaped in interest after only a few minutes. Match with roasted almonds, hazelnut or pistachio.
Il Merlot Musky, blueberry and lavender characters spring out of the glass. The palate is more textural, perhaps due to tannins, with bold and big red fruits. The match of cherries, boysenberries, prosciutto or other meats is ideal as the finish has a touch of heat but still ends soft and round.
Il Chardonnay Oak and almond nose, with a palate of butter and cashew, Chardonnay grapes are not as apparent as the oak characters here, which follows through in viscosity and texture. It is by far the most texturally sublime of the whole range, and for this reason is loved by men and restaurateurs.
The first batch was bottled for the masses in a hand blown, flask shaped glass bottle. The labels were hand made, marking the year of production and personally signed by Gianolla. In 1974 Aldo Ballo was the most famous stylist in Italy, and he photographed the bottle making this a timeless marketing tool. Four decades later the same timeless packaging is a true testament to a very clear spirited journey. It is this, alongside the noble product inside, that are a reflection of their determined history.
Evviva!
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