Discovering Grappa Nardini With Robert Dessanti

[content_slider]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[content_slide]

[/content_slide]

[/content_slider]

Robert Dessanti aka “The Wog With The Grog” is the man behind wine importing company Euro Concepts, which aims to introduce the very best in premium Italian spirits to Australians. It’s not just about importing and retailing the spirits though – Dessanti has a genuine passion for the spirits and likes to educate people about the history of the spirits, and how best to use them, be it for drinking, or even as an ingredient in cooking. The City Lane was invited to an event at the Tuscan Bar to celebrate the launch of the “Grappa Nardini” brand in Australia and were interested to hear more about it.

Grappa is one of those drinks that has a lot of stereotypes around it. Mention grappa and the first thing that comes to many people’s minds is nasty backyard home brew made by some Italian nonno in the backyard that burns the throat as soon as it’s sipped. Grappa Nardini have been producing grappa since 1779, so know a bit about what makes a good grappa. We’ve got a theory at The City Lane, and that’s that there’s no such thing as bad spirits, just bad versions of spirits. There have been members of the team who have thought that they hated gin, vodka and tequila at various stages, then realised, after trying some of the best versions of the stuff that exists, that they only actually hated the bad stuff. With grappa it’s no different, and we very quickly realised after trying a few of Grappa Nardini’s offerings that we actually like grappa – we’d just never tried the good stuff before.

Along with grappa, we also tried a few other interesting spirits. There was organecello, an orange version of limoncello, Prosecco and Nardronis, which are specially aged versions of a Negroni – sweeter without that bitterness that turns many people off the traditional negroni.

If you’re interested in learning more about Grappa Nardini, and Italian spirits in general, Dessanti will be showcasing the spirits at the 2016 Good Food & Wine Show held from June 3 – 5 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. You can find out more info here.