The Grappa Diaries

Distant memories

2009-08-31T19:01:00.002Z

It's been so long since I came here, I almost forgot why I started this off in the first place. It seems like another world, a simpler time, when my biggest worry was where my next big meal would be and how much grappa I could sample afterwards.

Not that I really have anything more important to trouble my mind nowadays. It's just that everything seems that bit more difficult. Two children, bills to pay and that thing all men must try to duck and avoid - responsibility.

I'm not going to pretend it has been plain sailing. I have had some bad times in these first years of parenthood. I don't cope well with a lack of sleep, I miss being able to pretty much suit myself what I watch on television, listen to in the car or do at weekends. Sometimes I forget the payback for these little sacrifices and my life looks bleak.

But I wanted to come back to this blog when I was in a better place than I have been of late and that mood has landed on me tonight. It is pouring with rain outside - as it has for most of this Scottish summer - but I don't care much. Something inside my brain has clicked onto a positive setting for the time being and I am going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts. I know there will be other fights with the darkness to come.

Above all, I want to get back to my writing. There are ideas rattling around inside me bursting to get out. Who knows, some of them may even be worthwhile. The clock is counting down to 40 and a certain urgency seems to be pressing me onwards. Since ever I can remember this has been what has driven me forward - a love of words, of storytelling and trying to put a structure on the chaos of existence.

So let's get on with it once again.

Tasting notes #1

2009-06-28T20:14:00.005Z

Cooked myself a nice sirloin steak the other night with a red wine and mushroom sauce. Definitely a success - accompanied with just a little steamed broccoli. All in all, very pleasant.

It was joined by a £5.99 bottle of Barbera from Marks and Spencer which did not disappoint either. I like a Barbera anyway and this was a decent example. Nice and warm and reassuring - my only complaint, if any, was that it was almost too smooth and easy to drink. Now that really is getting picky...

Brothers in a bottle

2009-06-14T18:32:00.004Z

You know, there is something in the chemistry of a good night out that I would love to bottle and preserve. You can put all the same ingredients together 20 times and they won't work out. Then one night they all fall into place. This Thursday was a good example.

Yes, when my old co-conspirator of the Grappa Diaries, Martino is in town there is always a high percentage chance of a fine night. In presidential parlance, his approval rating is about 100%. It has never dipped below that, as far as I can recall. Pull up a chair, pour him a grappa and sit back and relax.

However, his presence alone is not enough to explain the magic which took place. There I sat with a local shopkeeper, a fish and chip man, a farmer, a furniture restorer and a water worker and had a fantastic time. The meal was good, naturally. A starter of pasta with Italian sausage followed by pork escalopes in a cream and mushroom sauce. Also, my surrogate father (for when my own is out of the country) kept topping up my glass with a lovely Vermentino. All that before the grappas even arrived!

You know how a conversation just sometimes flows? That was how it was. It was daft, irrelevant, crude, nonsensical and fantastic. That's the part you just never know about.

It inspired me to come back to this blog - I have never really been away. This is my security blanket, I think. I need a little snuggle every now and again and couldn't live without it. Viva la Grappa, ragazzi!

Mine's a large one!

2009-03-29T14:58:00.003Z

I feel a bit guilty now. First time I've blogged in ages and I'm blogging over children's birthday greetings to their nonna. So to make up for it a belated happy birthday from me too Mrs R!

Anyhoo this is what has brought me out of blogging retirement as I thought it deserved a bit more publicity than it is currently getting through sitting on my phone. On a recent visit to Milan I stopped at the Panzera close to central station and as is customary ordered a grappa at the end of the meal. This is what arrived.......

Now that is only a half bottle of wine next to it but is that not just about the largest grappa measure you have ever seen?

Happy Birthday Nonna!

2009-03-16T19:59:00.003Z

Happy birthday from Dumfries!

Where did it all begin?

2009-03-09T21:50:00.004Z

Where did it all begin? Well, let me tell you.

It started off up in the Tuscan hills, the Garfagnana to be specific. It was there that my great-grandfather Rizzieri discovered that there was not enough money to live on and set off for Glasgow. That was after the First World War and the story would be more simple if he had stayed in Scotland but he didn't.

He went back home after a few years and spent the rest of his days in Italy. One of his children, Maria, died at the age of 18 from one of those diseases that would probably be easily cured nowadays. Her four sisters survived to much riper ages, one of them is still alive. The only boy, Romeo, my grandfather, was born in Scotland during his father's time in the country. He returned to Italy to spend his childhood in those wild cowboy lands of the 1920s and 1930s.

However, by 1936 - at the age of 16 - he too realised there was no money and little future in that family home nestled in the hills. He set off towards Glasgow with the plan of spending a year and making some money before going back to the land where he felt he belonged.

Now that, I guess, is where it all began.

Nostalgia

2009-02-25T22:49:00.003Z

Is it possible to have nostalgia for a place where you have never lived? I sometimes feel a generational pang for the homeland not of my father but my grandfather.

It seems real enough, like a calling back to somewhere I belong. But how can it be? It's impossible, isn't it?

Visions of Barga 2009

2009-02-04T10:39:00.003Z

Just got back from the old homeland for too much grappa, vino and food. The weather was amazingly good for January. Not warm, mind you, but beautiful sunshine every day.

I may chronicle some of the eating and drinking at a later date. In the meantime, these lovely images will have to suffice.

A two for one grappa scenario

2009-01-16T16:25:00.002Z

My traditional grappa bet with the owner of one of our regular haunts has just got better. We were on an even stake but he is so confident he has doubled his contribution. Now I get two bottles if I win.

If you remember the terms, I have Inter as my team to progress the furthest in the Champions League while he has Arsenal. The Nerazzurri have their work cut out against Man United but I am hopeful Roma can give the Gunners a hard time.

Anyway, Forza Inter e Roma...

The fatted pig!

2009-01-12T15:55:00.002Z

Amazing, truly amazing. Our Thursday evening escapades have always had a medieval banquet feel to them but never quite so much as last week. Our host provided nothing less than a whole suckling pig for us to feast upon (vegetarians turn away now).

Basted in honey, the pig was essentially sliced into eight big chunks for us to dine on. All washed down, of course, with the grappa on the table. A fine time indeed...

All I want for Christmas

2008-12-24T14:43:00.002Z

When you get to a certain age, Christmas is more about the kids than it is about you. Still, be honest, you'd like to get a few of your favourite things on 25 December. Strangely, mine have never really changed from about age 12.

What I would love to get for Christmas:

1) Ipod Touch
2) Play Station 3
3) Scalextric
4) Some kind of internet radio/wireless music system.

What I will actually get for Christmas:

1) A jumper
2) Nice shirt
3) Maybe after shave...

I dont want to seem ungrateful because I will like the jumper, shirt and maybe after shave. It is just I would get so much more excited by a gadget. Ah, we boys never grow up. I think it is an overrated pastime anyway.

Getting the festive feeling

2008-12-18T16:55:00.003Z

A double-header, can I cope? Out on Thursday night with the boys then the following evening with work colleagues. That used to be water off a duck's back but, then, I used to be able to sleep in or snooze in the afternoon. Now I have two kids and those are not really options.

It's not so much that I can't still do the drinking, I just can't recover. I end up tired and grumpy for about three days after the event. Hardly an endearing combination. Still, we shall see how I get on. Strangely, going Chinese on both occasions which is unusual - although Friday night is more modern European meets Chinese.

I will keep you posted.

An evening with a hero

2008-11-27T10:57:00.003Z

Adelmo Fornaciari - better known as Zucchero - stopped off in Glasgow last night. It was an event no Scottish Italian could miss. So, of course, I was there.

My first memory of hearing his music was when his hit "Con Le Mani" was used on some television advert in the late 1980s (I think). I was immediately hooked by its beat. It started me searching out his back catalogue and following his career. From the great Oro, Incenso e Birra (Gold Frankincense and Beer) and beyond.

Anyway, the Loch Lomond Suite in Glasgow's SECC was the intimate venue for his only Scottish date. And it was among the most pleasant couple of musical hours I have ever spent. His voice is holding up well despite the fact that he is now in his 50s. There were some good rocking numbers and a few more gentle-paced songs too. Personal highlights were "Diamante", "Per colpa di chi" and "Diavolo in Me".

The dialogue with the audience was minimal. "It's better to speak in good Italian than bad English," he explained. "Many British acts come to Italy and we don't understand them." That was the sum total of his chat for the night.

It was just a good, old-fashioned gig with high class musicians and a singer who knew how to get the best out of his songs. It was all over too soon but not before the voice of Luciano Pavarotti echoed through the hall on the haunting Miserere. An emotional and powerful package. Grazie mille, Zucchero.

Lidl goes Grappa!

2008-10-09T10:16:00.002Z

A humble hunt for cut-price food - this is the credit-crunch you know - produced unexpected results this week. There, stacked among the 50% off veg and strange imported snacks, was a familiar-looking bottle. Could it really be?

Yes, that slightly gold liquid was well-known to me. On the shelves of supermarket chain Lidl there appeared a bottle of grappa! At an acceptable price of £12.99.

Now, I know what you are asking - did you go and buy it? Well, the answer is not yet. Somehow, I had some reservations about the quality of the brew. What has happened to me?

I feel bad even as I write this. Call myself a grappa man and I turned down the opportunity to purchase a bottle? Changed days, I fear, changed days...

Eating for Dumfries and Galloway

2008-09-14T18:15:00.002Z

I have been trying this crazy experiment for a week, attempting to eat only food grown or produced in Dumfries and Galloway, the region where I live. It might have been easy for those who like meat and two veg for their evening meal every day. For a Scottish-Italian who loves his pasta it has been a bit of a nightmare.

The nice thing, however, has been going into little shops and farmers markets. Places where the conversation amounts to something more than "Would you like help with your packing?" followed by 59 beeps from a cash-register and then "Would you like cashback?".

The food DOES, by and large, taste better. Once you get over your fear of a big slab of meat or a fish tail or some such that doesn't come pre-packed in clingfilm it is actually quite nice. You feel a bit like a hunter-gatherer of old.

Still, be glad to get back to the pasta...

I grow old, I grow old. I shall wear my trousers rolled...

2008-09-04T23:30:00.003Z

It is Thursday, therefore I shall go out. I sped back from a scriptwriting course just to meet my friends for a good meal. It was a Chinese. Should I, as an Italo-Scot feel ashamed? Should I shun the noodle and the fried rice?

Most importantly, can I admit my love of Chinese food is largely due to the woman pictured above? Ching He Huang has made the cuisine both fashionable AND sexy. Something which has largely failed most people. Except, perhaps, Nigella when she talked about Italian food and nipped down to the fridge for extra dessert in her dressing gown in the middle of the night.

Oh lord, I am an old fool...

PS. We had a platter of ribs, seaweed, spring rolls, chicken wings and satay skewers followed by sweet and sour chicken, crispy beef and duck in a chilli sauce. Heaven.

Hurrah! And then not hurrah!

2008-08-19T19:59:00.002Z

I have been away from this blog too long. I realise it is one I can only turn to in my hour of need. Or, when I read a story like this...

Could it be that grappa comes full circle? Remember the old brew they used to offer you with a rag in the top and watch your face for a reaction when you drank it? Well, apparently they want to make it legal.

The mind, quite rightly, boggles.

I can picture it now - Acquavita dal bagno di Ginkers, Grappa Cucina di Martino or even Spirito di Cencio! Heck, any fool would be looking to brew their own. Now where are those grapes the kids just threw away...

Grappa goes legit?

2008-03-27T16:36:00.002Z

I was sitting down with the wife the other night wondering what to watch on television. The kids were safely tucked up in bed, a nice meal consumed, it was time for some mild entertainment.

And what better than the tried and tested format of Mastermind? There were a couple of decent specialised subjects (The Godfather Trilogy and something else which I have forgotten). And you can always get a few general knowledge answers.

But there, in the grand final, the programme's crowning glory, what did I hear? A question about my favourite drink! "What do you call the Italian liqueur made up of all the old guff left over after wine-making?" asked the quiz meister. I nearly choked on my post-prandial espresso.

Ah, that it has come to this. What next - Oz Clarke and James May's Grappa Tour?

Go on, give the kids a treat

2008-03-17T12:28:00.003Z

It is nearly Easter so why not look at a sweet treat for the kids? But this year, forgot all the chocolate eggs - give them doughnuts instead. I like to think I have found the perfect ones here!

Can you imagine the fun you could have with these little beauties? I bet you will never have such a peaceful Easter Sunday as the children snore away the afternoon...

That it should come to this!

2008-02-21T09:26:00.001Z

The headline sent a chill down my spine...

"More bikies charged over grappa shooting!"

That the nights out with the boys should come to this!

http://news.theage.com.au/more-bikies-charged-over-grappa-shooting/20080208-1r2q.html

Co-author finds fame?

2008-01-17T16:58:00.000Z

What is this I see before me? Under a thinly-veiled pen-name have I caught my co-author entering the world of novel writing?

Surely he would have used a less obvious nom-de-plume? And yet listen to the plot details and you will realise it has his fingerprints all over it.

"The book follows Poppy Shannon as she goes from a spoilt little rich girl to a lose it all poor girl.

"The subject is a familiar one, but the way Reilly deals with it is not.

"Her (His) dialogue is the funniest ever - I have read most of her (his) books now - still trying to get my hands on Is This Love though.

"The book starts as Poppy's husband informs her that his business partner has run off with the company profits.

"He tells her that they have to sell their huge house, downsize and move to suburbia.

"For Poppy, who has lived in the best places all her life, this is a major shock."

Talk about writing what you know!!! Lived in the best places? Sounds like Leith to me!

Honey Grappa!

2008-01-08T21:34:00.001Z

Grappa Honey? Now there's two words I'd like to hear Monica Bellucci whispering in my ear at the end of a meal!

However someone in Italy has came up with a different way of combining them. The above was an unwanted Christmas present for someone at work and being a generous soul and knowing that I partake of a grappa or two every now and then, he decided to pass it over to me.

Grappa Al Miele does sound like a strange combination but as it is only a miniature bottle I have to admit I'm intrigued enough to have a wee taste. Well, what have I got to lose? Although I did notice that the manufacturer is La Benedettina. My Italian isn't that great but is this something to do with Benedictan Monks?

Is this Italy's answer to Buckfast!!??

The bottle's on the table

2007-12-22T21:29:00.001Z

There are sweet words on a night out which are a pleasure to hear. Perhaps the whisper of your loved one telling you how they feel. Possibly one of your dining partners saying they don't really like langoustine and could you finish their portion. But, above all, your host saying: "There's the grappa, I'll leave it on the table".

It was one of those nights on Thursday. A table for 12, some good friends down from Glasgow and a lot of old pals round a table. A mix of stupid football talk, memories of nights gone by and crude humour. A perfect combination - I am sure you would agree.

When the bottle landed on the table, it knew it was being consigned to history. With a dozen grappa drinkers round about what did you expect? All credit to our host for sacrificing a bottle to us. Although work was a bit slow the following day...

A pleasant parcel

2007-12-09T21:25:00.000Z

I have recently been lucky enough to receive - whisper it - a Grappa Handbook! I hardly believed such a thing existed but those wonderful people at Nardini have produced one and, trust me, it does justice to my favourite drink.

One of its aims is to help raise the profile of grappa and get it more recognition for the quality drink it is. Amen to that, I say.

Among the sections are some recipes with grappa and a list of grappa cocktails. Normally I would be against this kind of thing and yet, to tell the truth, they looked quite good. I may share some recipes in future. I am intrigued to find out just how many are drinkable and what quantity it might be possible to consume them in.

Diaries on tour (again)

2007-11-28T11:04:00.000Z

No posts for a few days but, be warned, when I get back there will be plenty of grappa to talk about. Please feel free to post all suggestions as to what grappas to buy for Christmas in my absence!

If I knew you were coming, I would bake a cake

2007-11-22T16:37:00.001Z

I've never really thought much of baking. It seemed too much like science and not enough fun. Cooking, I love. But baking? No thank you.

However, thanks to a suggestion on this blog my inventive juices started to flow. Maybe there is a place for baking in my repertoire after all. Imagine my interest at stumbling across this recipe for, yes you read it right, strawberry, grappa and mascarpone fairy cakes.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,2112324,00.html

Now, my old Nonno is probably pulling his baffi out from beyond the grave at the very thought. Bad enough to put fruit near grappa (A woman's drink, he might have said). But to add in mascarpone? And to call it a fairy cake?

You know what though, I might try to bake some. If I do, be sure you will see the results of my labour here. Remember not to feed them to the kids.

A brighter beat

2007-11-16T22:00:00.000Z

A Thursday night out always has the power to make you feel more positive about the world. Good company, good food and bad alcohol make for a powerful mix. It was a Chinese edition this time with a huge platter of starters. Honestly, they would have been enough on their own.

As I remember there was squid, king prawn, satay chicken skewers, duck and pancakes, chicken wings and mussels. And maybe a few other things I have forgotten.

Our main course (did we really need it) was duck in a plum sauce, chicken with garlic and chilli, some kind of king prawn, fillet steak, and at least three other dishes I cannot even recall. Of course, there was no grappa moment - I was going to compare it to something rather filthy there but I think I shall refrain.

Still, a good night and a few brandies to finish things off. Of course, today at work was a "slow day" but, what the hell, I am used to it by now. Early to bed tonight old boy, early to bed tonight.

Old father time

2007-11-12T20:14:00.000Z

I feel weary. I am struggling to muster up enthusiasm for anything - even grappa. I can only point the finger at one thing - parenthood.

Children are great, don't get me wrong. Just not all the time. Not 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, etc. Well, they probably are great all that time. It's me that isn't.

Nobody really writes much to prepare a father for how his life will change with kids. One day you watch all the football you like, take long-weekends with your wife/girlfriend (ideally both at once) and go out to the cinema/restaurant/pub. The next twenty years or so - nothing.

Of course, of course the rewards are great but sometimes it seems like such hard work. Now is one of those times. I hope to turn that corner soon...

Grappa and the City

2007-10-22T21:17:00.000Z

As you will no doubt know by now, I don't get out much. Certainly not beyond the confines of south west Scotland. Yes, it is true, I sometimes break free for Tuscany. Occasionally, I know, I seek island solace on the Isle of Cumbrae. But, by and large, as a father of two young children my forays into what normal people call "having a social life" are few and far between.

The times when that involves my wife are even fewer.

So, it was with great fear and trepidation that I ventured to Edinburgh at the weekend. It was, by my good lady's reckoning, the first time we had been away overnight as a couple sans enfants (how's that for pretentious?) in five years. Yes, you read that right, FIVE YEARS!

I was so convinced that this weekend would not actually happen that I did not pack my bags until the last minute. I knew, with every pessimistic bone my dear old Nonna put in my body, that one of my children would start coughing and wheezing and we would be unable to leave. I stayed up the night before we left, fully expecting to have to wrestle off an infant's duvet cover strewn with sick. So, when none of the above happened, I was in a state of delirious shock as we left for - the Capital.

My sister and brother-in-law travelled with us and we had a splendid time. A glass of wine with lunch at All Bar One gave that light-headed, floating-in-a-bubble feel to walking along Princes Street.

http://www.list.co.uk/place/100320-all-bar-one/

There was footballing entertainment, of sorts, as Hearts succumbed to Motherwell 3-1. Tragically, there was no pie to review here as they had sold out of all food! I ask you, this is a club with delusions of making it into Europe!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/7051961.stm

Then, at night, dear sweet Librizzi. A favourite haunt of my co-auteur of the diaries, this is the place where they offer you a choice of grappa. The whole lovely meal - duck liver followed by monkfish in lemon and chilli - was but a preamble to this moment. "Chiara o scura?" the waiter asked. "Chiara! Chiara!" I almost belowed. He furnished me with three bottles from which I selected a Cabernet/Merlot mix. Fantastic, truly fantastic. My only gripe was that I spotted him using a measure to pour it out.

http://www.librizzi.co.uk/

There is a vaguely amusing postscript to this story which will certainly entertain any Edinburgher reader. We were staying very central, and decided to park in a big NCP car park just off Princes Street. It was busy when we arrived on Saturday but, laughed smart driver me, look how empty level 4 is! I swung into my parking space smugly and left the Grappa Diaries People Carrier (GDPC from here on) until the following morning.

Have you guessed the punchline? Perhaps not. This was the Omni Centre car park where, unknown to us country folk, they hold one of the biggest car boot sales in Edinburgh every Sunday from 9am to 1pm, guess where? On level 4!

http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1523342006

We emerged with our cases into what I can only describe as my idea of hell on earth - even if I wasn't trying to wheel my luggage. The four of us bravely fought through but I had visions of us being stuck their forever (or at least until the afternoon) gazing forlornly at Neil Sedaka LPs and unwanted wedding presents. It was only good fortune that a kindly security person took pity on us - "Happens all the time," he smiled and limped up the down-ramp to set us free.

God bless you sire, whoever you were. You guided me from the depths of despair back to a semblance of sanity. Then it was back down the road to the children howling the house down. Ah, we must go away again some time soon. I've got a free weekend in 2012...

The Wall Street Guzzle

2007-10-12T20:45:00.000Z

We knew, by now, that grappa had friends in high places but we never suspected quite how high. It now even features on the pages of the world-renowned Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119101080352243003.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

A very good read, indeed. Particularly enjoyed the references to old-school grappa as a real man's drink and Hemingway's short story where our favourite beverage is involved. I must dig that one out.

Proof, if proof were needed, of the worldwide appeal which grappa now enjoys. And not before time...

Is it a crime, to drink white wine?

2007-10-04T11:05:00.000Z

I have meditated on this for a while, which is highly unusual for me. But recently I have taken to supping white wine mostly as it is my wife's preference. And, I have to say, I have got a taste for it.

However, I always have the feeling there is something a little bit, how can I say, effeminate about drinking vino bianco. Why do I feel that way? It seems manly to order a bottle of Barbera but a bit girly to ask for a Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio?

Is there any basis to this in fact? Or am I prejudiced?

When it comes to grappa, of course, I am happy with anything that came from either the red or white wine varietals originally.

From Toscana to Lombardia

2007-09-17T21:01:00.000Z

I recently undertook another pilgrimage to Italy, the land which gave us grappa. I was lucky enough to sample a few fine brews, in particular in the environs of my family's home village - as pictured. However, I also made the trip to Lombardy for the first time in maybe 20 years to sample what they had to offer.

My first day involved an early rise to catch a flight from Liverpool to Pisa and then on towards Barga. At Il Garfagnino we stopped for a nine euro lunch and a nice house vino bianco "frizzantino". Afterwards, still somewhat tired from the air travel, I still mustered a grappa chaser which was more than presentable. For more on the restaurant you can look here...

http://www.garfagnana-food.com/core.php?id=15

I found the service nice, fast and attentive. The food was unfussy and tasty. The surroundings were nice although the fact that I had just flown from Liverpool may have made it seem all the more glamourous. The sun was bright, we sat outside in shirt sleeves in September and all was right with the world.

Some might be a bit put off by the roadside location but, on the other hand, it made for a quick escape back up the road for a much-needed siesta.

A grappa shared

2007-09-02T20:37:00.000Z

What is the point in having a grappa collection, I realised on Saturday, if you don't have anyone to share it with? My father spends so much time in Italy or, possibly, vowing never to drink the stuff again that it often rules him out. And sitting sampling a fine Brunello grappa on your own can be a sad experience.

So thank the Lord for the visit of a fellow grappa-holic at the weekend to take my collection project to a new level - namely, putting it into action. I think it stood the test pretty well. We warmed up with the Torba Rossa and laughed at its pretentious label. Did it give us peaks of pleasure? I'm not entirely sure.

Then we switched to the Sibona moscato which, despite its appearance as a hospital sample bottle, proved to go down a treat. Finally, we moved to the clear, sharp rasp of the Col d'Orcia Grappa di Brunello. By this stage, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had slammed in two goals for Inter against Empoli and I had also invented the Space Invader wine rack (patent pending).

Good grappa, good company, good times...

Let this be a warning

2007-08-13T15:30:00.000Z

I have just finished reading an amazing story about a girl who suffered some kind of overdose after taking SEVEN double espressos. Now, even as a man who likes a coffee, I would stop short of such a quantity.

Indeed, I have never actually seen the point of a double espresso. In fact, I might go further and say that I have only ever seen it ordered by show-offs. You know the kind of people - I am so tough I can drink three coffees at 3am and still get a perfect night's sleep. Balls.

Anyway, apparently this poor girl was unaware she was drinking double measures. Mind you, I think even seven SINGLE espressos during a day would give you a bit of the shakes. I remember daring a friend to drink freshly ground coffee and he had the jitters for about 48 hours.

The main lesson, however, is clearly that such an exploit should not be undertaken without the obligatory espresso companion, a grappa. If the girl had taken a glass of our favourite tipple with each shot of coffee I am sure she would have been fine. Or, alternatively, she would have passed out until the effects of the espressos had gone. Or possibly passed out before she got to the seventh coffee...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/6944026.stm

A question of style

2007-08-09T15:37:00.000Z

One of my new reader posed an interesting query recently. Not about the quality of grappa nor its quantity but rather the manner in which it is delivered. Namely - do you prefer a shot glass or a long-stemmed affair?

My gut reaction (how appropriate is that?) was to say long-stemmed. Having recently purchased one for a good friend's birthday and also received a set from my fine father, it seemed the only possible answer. It seems a fine way to take a grappa, perhaps with a pinkie pointing provocatively in the air.

But then I reflected for a moment on how it is dished out in the mountains. The rag is dragged from the top of the bottle and then any receptacle will do. A shot glass, maybe, the dirtier the better.

Still, I think, on balance I have come so far down the road of the long-stemmed glass that it is too late to turn back. I like the grappa that arrives like that. You can hold it up to the light, perhaps contemplate its colour - and then get fired into it. Some, of course, prefer a pint glass but there are very few of them alive to tell the tale.

An auld acquaintance

2007-08-06T21:34:00.000Z

I bumped into an old acquaintance at the weekend. I would say friend but that would be putting too strong a term on the relationship. Someone I used to work with, socialise with occasionally but who, I eventually realised, I didn't actually like all that much.

We had a brief conversation which I will relay as best I remember.

Me: So, what you up to these days?

Him: Trainee manager, mate. Tesco, mate.

Me: (Wondering why it was said with such pride) Oh!

Him: Be managing my own store in no time.

Me: I'll watch out for their shares plummeting, then.

Ah, it was short but sweet. I set off with a spring in my step...

Potter envy

2007-08-01T21:39:00.000Z

I never thought it would come to this but blogging elsewhere and wandering around bookshops I have had a strange feeling. It has come over me slowly and I have tried to deny it. But the time may have arrived to come clean - I'm a bit jealous of adults who read Harry Potter.

It's not that I like the books - I read the first and found it completely put-downable. However, I am envious of the excitement they generate. I also turn a bit green at the sheer collectability of the series. It's a bit like Panini football stickers, although obviously not quite.

Having said all of that, there is little or no chance of me trying to recoup my losses and starting out on the whole lot of JK Rowling's works. I already have a book which I almost completed on holiday but have read not one page of since I got back to work. Maybe its this darn blogging that gets in the way...

Never look a gift horse...

2007-07-25T15:56:00.001Z

I am a man of few demands when it comes to what constitutes an enjoyable night out. Good food, good company and good drink usually clinches the deal. Even two out of three is usually sufficient.

So imagine my delight on a recent night out when I got all three and an extra special surprise. A top notch meal, family and friends and a lovely Argentinian red - PLUS a free bottle of grappa (pictured right).

My host had a few bottles in his cupboard and asked if I would like one. Well, who was I to refuse?

I had the chance to sample it at the weekend and it is not half bad. I have got a taste for Moscato grappas of late even if they are a little bit on the perfumey side for some people's liking. I find them, in general, to have a little bit of the roughness I like without being downright undrinkable. The grappa equivalent of a rustic Tuscan farmhouse which at least has double glazing and central heating installed.

Anyway, one of the funniest parts of the bottle is that it has measuring marks down the side. It reminds me of a giant test tube. Still, handy for checking how much I drink the next time Martino comes to visit. Although, usually only the zero millilitre marker is any use after that.

Grappa Ma Raki update (see below)

2007-07-20T10:40:00.000Z

Aniseed!!! Yeeeeuccchhhhh!

If you didn't know by now then remember unless it says Prodotta in Italia on the bottle stay well clear of anything claiming to be grappa.

Looks can be deceptive

2007-07-01T16:47:00.000Z

This is the grappa I was served in Librizzi's in Edinburgh on Friday night. Have you ever seen such a dark grappa? It was almost like a malt whisky in colour. The owner explained that it was a Francoli grappa that had been matured in oak for 18 months and that's what gave it such a dark colour.

Although it didn't look like a grappa I'm pleased to say that it certainly smelled and tasted like a grappa.

As did the second one I had just to make sure.

Is there anything wrong?

2007-06-28T11:54:00.001Z

I have been wondering this for a while but never got round to blogging about it. It has been prompted by my wife's great love of white wine and the number of bottles we have been consuming of late. It has caused me to ponder - is there any difference between a cork and a screwtop?

There was a time when the screwtop was the sign of a truly awful vino - maybe a Liebfraumilch or a dodgy Valpolicella. But now nearly everything comes with the easy access option. I am no wine expert but I am intrigued as to whether using a cork makes any difference to the quality. Or is it just pure snobbery?

I wonder if it could be extended to grappa too. Although I like the reassuring "pop" of a cork stopper. There is something almost scientific about opening a bottle. You feel like you should pour it into a test tube and watch the fumes fly...

Holiday present

2007-06-21T20:29:00.000Z

My brother and sister-in-law have just returned from holiday in Crete and as a present brought me a bottle of something called

"Grappa Ma Raki"

Somehow I dont hold out much hope for this one.........

A rare sortie

2007-06-17T21:21:00.000Z

It is unusual for me to travel on a Thursday night. Usually, I like to stick close to home and be able to enjoy a glass of wine or two withing 'stoating' distance of my house. But sometimes the call of the wild - or, more precisely, a good meal - can be too great. It was thus last Thursday.

I was called to a friend's house to sample Chinese cuisine of the highest order. Won ton soup, followed by a wonderful beef dish, sweet and sour chicken, satay prawn skewers, Singapore noodles and probably a few other things I have forgotten. And all in good company. Where else could I hope to hear about people being attacked by a hippo in Botswana, discuss whether Rod Hull was murdered by emu AND listen to a tale or two about gay pornography.

A great night indeed.

Long time, no grappa

2007-06-10T20:09:00.000Z

You know, I can't actually think of the last time I had a grappa. That, for me, is a bad sign. It is a sign that life has become too serious and there is not enough nutty nonsense going on. There was a time when I lurched from one grappa-daze to another.

True, my Thursday night regular outings have mostly been at the Chinese of late where, sadly, grappa is in short supply. Still, there is no excuse. I have my fine collection building up at home. I must make a return to using it very soon...

Too much of the tipple?

2007-05-29T21:09:00.000Z

A worrying event, recently, even in my own grappa-addled existence. While idly flicking through the pages of the latest Champions League magazine while trying to feed my daughter her porridge, I spotted an intriguing letter. "Good on that man!" I thought to myself as I read it. Essentially, it sang the praises of Milan's achievements in comparison to the three English sides to reach the semi-finals. What a laudable world view, I thought.

So, imagine my surprise when I got the end of the letter and saw my own name. Yes, apparently I sent it in "via email" but I have absolutely no memory of writing it - let alone sending it to Champions magazine. Spooky or what? The only options are 1) There is another person with my name who thinks exactly the same as I do. 2) I sent it in but was so drunk/stupid I forgot all about it. 3) Somebody aped my views and used my name as a nom-de-prune!

Whatever the explanation, it has sent me scurrying for another drink.

The where and when guide

2007-05-23T15:33:00.000Z

Everything, but everything, depends on context. Where and when you do something has a great impact on how it feels. You might think I am hinting at something else but, of course, I speak of grappa.

Definitely has to be at the end of a meal, almost inevitably Italian. In the company of a large group of friends or family is best. Accompanied by a good espresso, of course. Probably served by a dark-haired, tan-skinned waitress (copyright Martinobhoy). A view of a sunset over the Tuscan hills is ideal too. After a Fiorentina victory, preferably over Juventus. With a lot of money in your pocket courtesy of a win on the horses.

Do I ask too much? Never enjoyed all of the above circumstances, but still, one lives in hope.

The pursuit of P and Q

2007-05-11T11:50:00.000Z

I often wonder, when I read the blurb on the back of a book, how did the author manage to get their work done? How often do you read something along the lines of "So and so is the father of four children, aged six, five, four and one" or "Such and such is a mother-of-six who splits her time between Kent and Tuscany". How did they write 100 words, never mind 60,000 plus?

When did they get the peace and quiet they needed?

Take my house with just two children. The screaming usually starts about 5.30am (and it's not my screaming before you ask). Then children need breakfast, bottom changed, dressed, entertained, etc. Then I go off and do a day's work to return to teatime, bathtime, suppertime, stories and bed. At the end of that I can barely read 500 words, never mind write them.

Am I lazy? Or should I be more selfish and go and run to a soundproof room somewhere to get some work done? That's the trouble with trying to write - it is so antisocial. There must be plenty of parent/authors out there but it seems so daunting sometimes. It does get easier as they get older, they keep telling me. Still, I am going to try and do it, I swear I am.

A project in mind

2007-04-27T15:28:00.000Z

After what seems like an eternity away from the keyboard in any creative sense I think I might just about be ready to get back into book-writing mode. My target this time is the totally unambitious idea of writing "The Great Scottish Italian Novel" (that's not the title, by the way). As far as I am aware nobody has done it so far. There have been a few non-fiction books on the subject, some plays and screenplays and a few novels that have scratched the surface. But nothing going into the depth I would like to reach - a kind of Godfather trilogy for the fish and chip frying fraternity.

The premise is simple enough, really, tell the story of a family forced to leave Italy through poverty in the early 20th century. Their trials and tribulations in Scotland, tough times through the Second World War when many were interned and finally, I guess, their victory over that adversity. Something along those lines anyway.

At the moment I am trying to immerse myself in the culture of Italy from about 1900 to 1940, if anybody has any recommended reading material it would be gratefully accepted. Of course, another part of my inspiration will be some truly bad, home-brewed grappa. Although probably not too much or I might find myself slumped across my computer.

A salute to the Generali

2007-04-16T13:54:00.000Z

I like to think it takes a special occasion to prompt the opening of a new bottle of grappa. So what better occasion than it being Thursday night again? Or, more truthfully, the fact that my best grappa-guzzling pal and co-author of these diaries was in town.

Whatever the reason, I plucked my new bottle down from the shelf with the usual feelings of joy and trepidation. Don't get me wrong, I know I am going to enjoy the drink but just how much? Will it measure up to the anticipation as you open its cardboard box, cut the plastic seal and hear the reassuring "pop" as the cork slips from the bottle?

The answer, of course, was yes. What do you expect from a grappa di brunello? Like Milan in Europe, they rarely let you down. This particular variety hails from Il Forteto, a vineyard just one kilometre from Montalcino which also produces Brunello (of course) and its own olive oil (which lacks the same punch). I have put a link at the bottom if you want to read more.

I was not firing on full review cylinders when I sampled it - but then a huge Chinese meal and a couple of Peronis will do that to you. Nonetheless, it seemed to have the right mix of rough and smooth, pleasure and pain that I look for in a good grappa. I may give a more considered opinion in future but drunk with a good friend on a Thursday evening after some fine conversation this certainly hit the spot.

http://www.ilforteto.it/frt/ns.asp?wci=home&lng=1040&cur=3057

A farewell to Zen

2007-04-11T15:09:00.000Z

During my recent sojourn overseas (Millport) I was shocked to open the obituaries section in the Times to find one for one of my favourite British crime writers. Michael Dibdin, who brought the world the Venetian sleuth Aurelio Zen, was no more.

What I liked about his books was how deeply rooted in their locations they were and also how authentically he captured Italian attitudes. In addition, as a real Venezian, there was usually a bottle of grappa involved somewhere. I am sure it was Zen who claimed a cure for a bad cold was to drink a good bottle of red wine and a whole clove of garlic. Certainly worth a try, if not likely to boost your chances with the opposite sex.

The news reached me just as I was finishing Back to Bologna, the latest Zen novel I think. Which featured both football and grappa on its pages. Hard to think of a better combination than that. Addio, Zen.

The perfect day?

2007-04-04T21:30:00.000Z

So I was offered a new job today which I accepted and decided to go out to celebrate at my local Italian restaurant with my brother and sister-in-law.

Anyhoo my brother was driving so when it came to ordering the after dinner drinks he decided to only have an espresso while I had my usual grappa and an espresso. Fortunately the waiter misheard and brought two grappas and two espressos. My brother being the sensible chap that he is decided not to say anything to the waiter but instead gave me the grappa. Could a man hope for a better brother?

So a new job and a free grappa. I've had worse days.........

Off to the islands

2007-04-02T11:11:00.000Z

It is almost time for one of my regular trips to a small Scottish island to drink my father-in-law's whisky. Although, I have some fears since I heard reports he has given it up. Does that mean I will drink it alone? Or, worse, not at all?

You can imagine my concern. Perhaps a hip-flask of grappa will have to be packed. I just hope the kids don't get their hands on it...

Another trip, another bottle

2007-03-22T16:52:00.000Z

Guess what? My dad is due back from Italy on Saturday and you know what that means - hopefully another grappa for my collection. I think he is beginning to suspect that it is not him that I am happy to see. It's the way I say "yeah, yeah, where's my grappa!".

I will, of course, file a full report on these pages as I endeavour to return to more regular postings. A mix of illness and work have kept me away. Surely neither will get in the way so much again.

Back on track

2007-03-09T14:59:00.000Z

It's been a while since I felt inspired to pen something for the Diaries. However, last night I was back in action with a bottle of Bocchino Gran Moscato on the table and boy did it feel good. Mysteriously, it also cleared up the nasty cold I have been suffering for about a week. Lemsip Sinus - who needs it?

It was a small outing, just me and my uncle, but we talked plenty of rubbish about football before I turned my attentions to a nearby table. Two Manchester United fans were spouting forth about how Celtic would get on in their league. To be fair, one reckoned they would be a top six team easily, the other said midtable. Midtable? I spluttered. Behind Bolton? Behind mighty Reading or some such?

I was also lucky enough to get deep in conversation with an American woman of some kind of Italian extraction who had never drunk grappa and had no idea whereabouts in Italy her Italian grandfather came from. What a joy to be able to spout forth about my favourite drink to somebody who had not heard all my patter before! Needless to say by the end of the evening she was looking round for an emergency exit. But still, it felt good to hold court on one of my specialist subjects.

The witching hour

2007-02-22T16:54:00.000Z

This has been a bad week to build up to a big Thursday night grappa fest. My son has decided that 5am is a good time to start talking to us through the intercom. This is endearing for about 30 seconds and then soul-destroying. Maybe grappa fume breath is the only solution?

A team of 11 good men (and Martino, hee hee) will be gathering to celebrate the Giovedi club over a hearty steak and a few glasses of red wine. I know there will come a point in the night when I should switch to softer beverages and head to the hills. Will I learn the lesson at last? Unlikely, I would imagine. But then my little five o'clock alarm will sound...

Return of the boys

2007-02-16T11:53:00.000Z

The anticipation is building for another big reunion Thursday night next week. A lot of my old grappa drinking partners have pledged their attendance which raises the question. Should I try to get the Friday off work?

On the one hand, it would be nice to have a lie in. On the other, I have two young children who make it virtually impossible. Also, I have survived plenty of Friday's in dodgy condition before so why not just work this one?

Oh decisions, decisions!

A new brew

2007-01-31T16:44:00.000Z

It is always nice to see my old father return from Italy and even better when he carries with him a shiny new bottle of the good stuff. In truth, it is pretty rare that he lets me down on that front.

So, imagine my pleasure when he furnished me with a nice bottle of Torba Rossa made - so the bottle tells me - with smoked red grape stems.

Now, in many ways the imbibing experience is unlike drinking grappa at all. The colour is a pretty intense amber and the smell almost akin to a malt whisky. Even the taste is much lighter than a hardened acquavita fan would be used to.

Indeed, in some ways this looks like one of those "designer grappas" intended to make you part with a lot of money for what ought to be a good old-fashioned mountain man/woman's brew. The packaging is similar to the long, cardboard tubes which the finest whisky comes in. So the whole experience leans on the pretentious side.

Nonetheless, I had no problem sampling my first "dram" at the weekend. Yes, it is more refined than some may like and carries an almost delicate perfume. But, if it takes grappa to a wider audience I am not going to speak out against it. It also prompted me to tidy up my drinks cupboard which led to the discovery of a tiny amount of long-forgotten Grappa Moscato. So that takes my "collection" to three bottles!

Overall, it won't rip your throat out or burn what remains of your windpipe but it is a pleasant after dinner drink - especially if you don't want to feel its aftermath for a few days to come.

Rating: 71%.

Scotland Italy partnership

2007-01-26T18:22:00.000Z

I celebrated Burns Night at my brother's on Thursday. It is a night when Scots traditionally have a Scottish dish (typically haggis) but I also have a duty on a Thursday to keep the spirit of the Giovedi alive. See Ginkers post "Say it aint so Giovedi" for the problems he is facing in that regard at the moment.

For this reason, even if I'm not going out on a Thursday, I like to have a plate of pasta, a glass (or two) of wine and finish the evening with a grappa. So what to do when tradition and duty clash? Fortunately my sister-in-law, who is the finest cook I know, came to the rescue. I supplied an excellent bottle of red which was accompanied by a fine dish of haggis lasagne.

And it was absolutely delicious.

Oh and of course I sneaked in a grappa before going to bed.

That's more like it

2007-01-25T14:57:00.000Z

After my despair of last week it is only fair to post better news. My father is back from Tuscany and promises me he has a bottle of grappa which he secreted in his case for me. The anticipation, as always, is great.

I don't know if I mentioned this before but I have decided to escalate my grappa passion by endeavouring to collect as many bottles as I can. It is my ambition to invite friends round, have a good meal and then, with coffee, offer a variety of my favourite tipple. "Morbida, secca o fatta-in-casa-dio-mio-quanto-brucia?" will be available to all.

People are proud of their malt whisky bottles, I want a little mini-bar area full of grappa. OK, I'm starting small, I now have two bottles in the house. And a visit from Martino is imminent. The omens don't look that good for building the collection, do they?

Say it ain't so, Giovedi!

2007-01-18T12:52:00.000Z

Anyone who has ever met me or cast a weary eye over this blog will know that Thursday is a special day for me. For the past 20 years or so it has been the traditional meeting night of the Giovedi Club. An institution of dishevelled, disgraceful and dissolute fellows which meets once a week to eat pasta and steak and drink red wine and grappa.

Over the years the dedication of its members has become legendary. People have rearranged holidays, travelled through six foot snow drifts and generally overcome all sorts of obstacles to make a "meeting". Nowadays, however, it seems that things have changed - for the worse.

How's this for a list of excuses? One is on holiday (reasonable but badly planned), one has been ordered by his mother to go to her house for dinner (feeble), one is worried about his waistline (astonishing) and another is packing a case for a trip on Saturday (disgraceful). I'm not even going to start on the people who come along and "really can't manage such a big plate of pasta!".

Has the lure of the grappa become so weak? Is my company really so bad (possible, but not to be seriously contemplated)? Or, as I suspect, has our new recruitment drive brought in some thoroughly soft members?

The club would never have started if people worried about their weight! The boys of the old brigade would not have dreamed of using such a lengthy list of feeble excuses for their absence. Is it time to call the whole thing off? Tonight it is just myself and my dad keeping the Olympic flame alive. Emergency! Emergency! Can anyone out there save the Giovedi?

Aglio, olio and ....

2007-01-12T11:27:00.000Z

So, tell me something I didn't know. It turns out that the latest BBC series on food is claiming that garlic is Mother Nature's answer to viagra. The Truth About Food has been running trailers making the claims about the stalwart of Italian cooking pepping up matters in the bedroom.

What is so intriguing about this is that it would answer an ancient conundrum. I regularly go out on a Thursday night and fill myself up with red wine, grappa and garlic-filled food. By the time I get home I always feel, to put it frankly, pretty much irresistible. I had always put this down to the alcohol but clearly the Italian food is playing its part too.

However, with every answer comes another question. What is Mother Nature playing at? Clearly a cocktail of Montepulciano, Grappa San Martino and garlic is her idea of the perfect aphrodisiac. But why has she made the smell of these favourite ingredients so repulsive that the chances of getting within 50 miles of a woman are minimal? The only solution, perhaps, is to ensure your would-be partner has consumed alcohol and aglio in similar proportions...

http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=32684&in_page_id=7&in_a_source=

Not a dream beginning

2007-01-08T15:24:00.000Z

This year has not got off to a flying start for me. Blogging, eating, drinking and being merry have all gone swiftly out the window - courtesy of a winter sickness bug.

For anyone unfamiliar with this little fellow he strikes lower and harder than a bad bottle of home brew grappa (see how he weaves in his usual thread?). The first attack came on my daughter provoking major collateral damage to bedsheets, pyjamas, cuddly toys and anything within a ten mile radius. Inevitably, that led to the wife being the next victim quickly followed by son and father. I leave it to your imagination who made the worst patient although if you guessed the 30-something male you would be correct.

It's been hard to contemplate anything, let alone my favourite brew of late. Indeed, going to bed every night has become something akin to walking through a mine field. Where and when will the next explosion come?

A grappa-filled Christmas to you all

2006-12-24T20:12:00.000Z

With holidays and family taking precedence over blogging of late, just a quick note to wish everyone a grappa-fuelled festive season. Sadly, it looks like my wife is taking a hard-line stance on alcohol consumption and expects to be allowed to be the drinker on either Christmas or New Year's Day (both big parties in our family). That means one of them without the grape juice for me! Still, I will endeavour to make up for it on whichever occasion I am allowed to partake.

Here's hoping you all get a bottle of the old firewater from Santa...

Match report

2006-12-20T13:48:00.000Z

How was my four day birthday drink-fest I hear you ask? Didn't I? Well, I have just about surfaced in time to tell the tales.

Thursday - A grand grappa-drinking session with 14 fellow fools. The tapas was a treat and the steaks cooked to perfection. Afterwards the bottle came round the table with pleasant regularity although I did have my suspicions as to the lack of bite to the grappa. Still, a wonderful evening and some excellent conversation.

Friday - Running at a slightly lower peep due to previous night's efforts still managed to partake of a crab/prawn starter and pork fillet in mushroom sauce main course at aforementioned jazz club. The only jazz was on a large screen next to us but, thankfully, drowned out by our conversation. Grappa points nil, unfortunately, but still a good night although the place lacked a bit of atmosphere.

Saturday - Indian time with my wife. Much more relaxed affair. Pakora/samosa combo to start followed by Balti chicken and king prawn dopiaza. Top notch but no grappa once again.

Sunday - As always an outstanding meal round at my mum and dad's. Once more nobly fired into the red wine and coffees before collapsing in bed for about an hour in order to recover. Luckily, off work for a week in order to prepare for festive binges to come.

Another year, another bucket of grappa

2006-12-14T11:36:00.000Z

With my birthday looming (Friday) what better way to celebrate than with a four-day long excuse for grappa consumption? My agenda has a hectic look to it over the next few days.

Thursday - The boys of the Giovedi Club are gathering for their Christmas do (among them that fine blogger Martino). A total of 14 (possibly 15) of the biggest scemi in Scotland will join together for wine, food and talk of a nonsensical variety. The venue this year is a tapas bar as our favourite local Italian has switched to its Christmas menu. There are only so many times you can eat turkey.

Friday - My actual birthday. Coincides, as it often does, with the Champions League draw AND a staff night out. This time around we will try a local Jazz Club which also does food. Given that I HATE jazz the omens are not good. Numbers, as always, have dwindled as people call off for a variety of reasons. Does nobody like Christmas parties any more?

Saturday - Queen of the South v Airdrie United, Fiorentina v Milan and, finally, a big fat Indian. Grappa opportunities nil (until I get home) but the chance to nibble a naan. Taking my wife out again. Twice in a year!

Sunday - The family gathering. Mum putting on a lunch for her kids and grandchildren. That should make a total of ten of us round the table for a bit of antipasto and the like. Then it will be off to a darkened room to recover.

Grappa as art

2006-12-10T17:54:00.000Z

While conducting my internet research that found a Slovakian version of grappa (see the comments on the previous post) I also found this. I don't know why but I like it. Perhaps I could get it as my first tattoo.

All creatures great and small

2006-12-07T16:02:00.000Z

Having returned from Tuscany with my father I think it would be fair to report that we did our bit for the grappa distillers of the nation. Indeed, we consumed more food and drink than I thought was possible in the space of four days. If it boarded Noah's Ark, we ate it. And that includes Mrs Noah.

The first day saw a traditional Bugno lunch when we arrived off the plane. A simple Penne Piccanti and main course ensued with grappa to finish (pictured above). It was the nighttime when things got going. At what looked like a roadside cafe we stumbled into an outstanding chef (although service was dreadfully slow).

Our seafood antipasto consisted of sliced squid, followed by salmon with aniseed, followed by cacciucco (seafood soup), followed by branzino (don't even know what that is in English), followed by some kind of mixed seafood. Needless to say, I struggled with my pasta al cervo (venison, I guess) to follow and my nodino di vitello (veal chop) after that. My dad had risotto with pigeon and a tagliata! The sweet came just after midnight. The indigestion lasted most of the following day...

The Road Trip 2011

2006-11-29T21:50:00.000Z

Some of the best ideas are hatched over a few grappas too many, and some of the worst as well. Where this rates in that grand scheme of things I leave for you to decide. Nonetheless, a grappa-fuelled idea it were...

A friend of mine and fellow guzzler of the grape juice happens to have in his possession the rather nice old automobile pictured. It's his mum's in truth but he swears that he can do it up a bit and get it roadworthy. So, old grappa smarty pants says: "That's brilliant, once my kids are both at school let's take it round Italy!"

The idea has now taken legs and the Grappa Road Trip 2011 is firmly on the agenda. One month where two men (one 100 per cent Scot, the other a half-baked Italian) take a leisurely drive around Italia seeing the sights and sampling the spirits. My excuse is that it would make a book, a Scotsman's introduction to Italy combined with an Italian's introduction to the wonders of British car design. Or something like that.

Anyway, enough rambling. I need a start and finish point and a few things we "simply must see dahling" in between. My inclination was to start in Trieste as, strangely, my grandmother was named after the city (Dinora Ridenta Trieste if you can believe it). Maybe end up in Sicily? All input gratefully received. And do you think the car will make it?

A bizarre Sunday.

2006-11-27T13:23:00.000Z

I had a rather bizarre experience for me on Sunday. As I headed back to Leith on the bus it suddenly occured to me that the grappa I had a few hours previously had actually been the LOW point of my day. A confusing experience for this grappaholic.

The grappa was served in Edinburgh's Lazio restaurant and, to be honest, was as rough as some of the bars that the restaurant shares Lothian Road with. Granted it was only £2.10, which is the cheapest grappa I have been served in an Edinburgh restaurant, but the sandpaper effect on my tongue confirmed my old granny's saying of "you get what you pay for".

Fortunately my day had these other highlights to make up for the grappa disappointment.

1. Celtic coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Hibs.

2. Seeing Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile in concert.

3. Falling in love with Italian actress, Olivia Magnani in Consequences of Love at the Filmhouse. These photos show why..........

One enchanted evening

2006-11-24T12:27:00.000Z

Well, I did manage to go out for that meal with my wife at a poncy modern cuisine-type restaurant. It turned out to be a memorable night for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the place was completely and utterly EMPTY. It has an upstairs and downstairs section and there appeared to be nobody in either. That didn't exactly make for a great atmosphere and I felt the waitress (who was lovely) seemed more than a little embarrassed by the situation. Still, we weren't going to let that spoil the night.

I had a seafood risotto to start (or risoni as they called it) which was more than passable. My main was duck breast in a plum sauce with noodles. The duck was good and tender but, unfortunately, some unnecessary salady stuff had landed at the side of the dish. One for my one ingredient too many book. My wife had a goats cheesy tartlet thing to start (very tasty but again on a bed of too much rocket) and an amazing vegetable curry which came on a huge frosted glass plate. Pretty tasty and an impressive layout.

The whole experience was sweetened not only by the company but also by the fact that with expert eye I had spotted something on the menu at the start of the evening. Grappa Â£1.65! You little dancer. A night out with the wife AND an unexpected grappa. La vita e' bella...

A momentous day

2006-11-17T16:11:00.000Z

I don't like to tempt fate but, what the hell, this is shaping up like a famous day. The reason? I am taking my wife out for a meal.

Now we have been out for more meals than most of you have had hot dinners over the years but this one will be the first in months. We have done a few lunches but this is the first evening meal, I think, since Junior was born in March.

I don't know why but I've voted that we go to one of these fancy modern cuisine places which almost certainly neither of us will like. I always think they operate to a policy of "one ingredient too many". There are often too many flavours and the dishes are too complicated for their own good. Also, the chances of a grappa are slim.

Still, I intend to have a good bottle of wine, turn on the charm and remind my wife of why she married me. First, however, I need to remind myself...

Cosa manca oggi?

2006-11-07T22:38:00.000Z

I remember my old Nonna used to have a piece of cloth in her kitchen which carried the headline "Cosa Manca Oggi?" - What is missing today? Down the front it had a list of household goods and little plastic pegs at the side to mark them with. It was designed to produce the weekly shopping list years before Tesco online was invented.

However, I was recently on a trip to Selkirk (I know, don't ask) when I dined out in a fancy hotel in Melrose. Having settled a dispute between the couple next to me about the ingredients of Pesto sauce I partook of a reasonable meal. However, at the finish I realised there was a problem when I looked down at the table in front of me.

Espresso, perfectly acceptable, six out of ten kind of brew. But a big space next to it on the left where something else should have been. And it made me think to myself "Ma Cosa Manca Oggi..."

Scotland v Italy

2006-10-16T20:39:00.000Z

My recent 9 nights in a row of drinking grappa (and all the years up until now) have given me an idea on how the grappa experience varies in Italy and Scotland. Here I compare the two using various categories and mark each out of 10.

Quality – In my experience you tend to get a decent quality grappa when dining in Italy although occasionally a variety that is brewed in the mountains and strips the tastebuds from your tongue will be served to you. In Scotland good quality grappa is available although usually you have to know where to go to get it. Italy 8 Scotland 6.

Quantity – I don’t think I’ve ever had a small measure of grappa in Italy whereas in Scotland there is a tremendous variance in the quantity served up as one measure. I’ve had substantial measures in some restaurants (and even a second measure on the house) but in others the measure was so small it had almost evaporated before I’d even tasted it. Italy 10 Scotland 7.

Cost – The most I paid for a grappa on my recent trip to Italy was 3 euros. In Edinburgh restaurants the cost is typically between £2.50 to £4 although I have been fleeced £6 for a grappa. The fact Scotland has to import saves the country getting a smaller mark. Italy 9 Scotland 6.

Surroundings – I’m really talking about sitting outside drinking a grappa as a nice restaurant can be in any country in the world. I think the only Scottish outside grappa I’ve had was on Leith Walk in Edinburgh which although I love it, ain’t no Via Nazionale. I’ve also drank grappa in the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, beside the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in the Piazza Napoleone in Lucca and of course outside Onesti’s in Barga. Bit of a no contest really. Italy 9 Scotland 3.

Waitresses – As an unashamed admirer of Italian women it is a major bonus when an attractive waitress brings the grappa at the end of the meal. However the scores here are a lot closer than you might think as a lot of Italian restaurant owners in Scotland employ family or Italian students to give a restaurant a more authentic Italian feel. If it wasn’t for the diners ordering broo-sheh-ta or tag-li-telly you could almost swear you were in Italy. Italy 9 Scotland 7.

Overall grappa score out of 50: Italy 45 Scotland 29.

The case for moving to Italy gets even stronger.

Martino's 9 in a row.

2006-10-09T12:19:00.000Z

As a Celtic fan the phrase “9 in a row” has only ever meant one thing to me. Between 1966 and 1974 Jock Stein guided Celtic to, a then world record, nine consecutive league titles. Oh and he also made them European champions as well.

Anyhoo after Saturday night I set my own personal grappa 9 in a row. For nine consecutive nights I drank at least one grappa. I have to say it wasn’t intentional and I never set out to get nine but sometimes these things just happen.

Fri 29^th Sept – Was out at my brother’s and my sister-in-law had cooked Italian which was washed down with a few red wines. A grappa was the natural end to the night.

Sat 30^th Sept – Knew I was flying out to Italy very early next morning so had to leave Edinburgh at 3:30am to go to Prestwick. Had a wee grappa to help me get to sleep at 8 o’clock.

Sun 1^st to Tue 3^rd Oct – Visited Firenze, Lucca and Pisa. With large measures at 3 Euros it would have been foolish not to have had a grappa in each city.

Wed 4^th Oct – Quick stop back in Edinburgh and a visit to Domenico’s. Another grappa to end the meal.

Thu 5^th Oct – Visit to Ginkers in Dumfries. As is always the case a grappa in the restaurant then at least one more back at Ginkers’ house.

Fri 6^th Oct – A visit to Yorkshire for my nephew’s 6^th birthday. Fortunately the young lad has taste (takes after his Zio Martino) and wanted to go to an Italian for his birthday dinner. He’s a bit young for grappa but that didn’t stop me.

Sat 7th Oct - My brother, Brian, very kindly gives me the last of his grappa as a nightcap to ensure I make 9 in a row.

The streak continues...

2006-10-06T11:15:00.000Z

Last night was time for a reunion of the two sorry contributors to this blog (Martino and Ginkers). Of course, a little grappa was consumed both in restaurant and back at home. Over the course of the evening it emerged that Martino is on something of a "gold run" for grappa at the moment.

I think his "hitting streak" currently stands at seven. Yes, for seven nights on the trot he has ended a meal with a grappa. He is just back from a Toscana trip and has been on holiday, hence the quality of his performance. I am reliably informed he will be eating Italian tonight as well so the chances he will make it eight out of eight are just about 100%.

I can't actually think what my own PB on this front is. It must have been during an Italian holiday some time but I think usually after four or five I have to take a breather. Can anyone else challenge the great Irish guzzler?

Oh no I haven't

2006-09-30T22:31:00.000Z

I fear this lengthy silence might be misconstrued so I feel it should be explained. Firstly, I have not given up drinking grappa. Secondly, I have not stopped posting after letting Martino loose.

The truth is, time has been thin on the ground with work, time visiting relatives and a whole host of other issues taking over. I'd like to think I'll get back to the cut and thrust of the grappa diaries pretty soon. Given that a Martino visit is imminent, my father is due back from Italy soon AND I am about to take a week's holiday I can only think the opportunities for partaking of a drop of the special stuff will be more regular than of late.

One thought I have had recently is about the use of grappa as a psychiatric tool. A sober man rarely talks about his feelings - give him a bottle of the old Nardini or some such and you can't shut him up. Who says the male of the species has to be repressed? All we need is enough grappa to go around and we'll be pouring our hearts out for hours. Although, to be honest, sometimes it would be a relief just to talk about football and women...

What was Ginkers thinking?

2006-09-07T15:19:00.000Z

Ginkers has very kindly / foolishly (delete as appropriate) given me access to write on this blog. Anyhoo I recently visited Domenico's in Leith, Edinburgh and here is my review. Now how far can I push this access to someone else's blog before he bans me....................

Domenico’s, 30 Sandport Street, Edinburgh

Shhhhhhhhhhh, it’s a secret.

Knowing a fantastic secret is one of life’s great dilemmas. On the one hand you want to tell everyone you know but on the other hand you don’t want to tell anyone so that the secret remains unspoiled and special to you. Rather like knowing that Celtic’s Aiden McGeady is one of the best young players in the UK but you don’t want to go on about it in case clubs from the Emperor’s New Clothes Premiership in England start trying to sign him.

Domenico’s in Leith is such a secret and I did have the dilemma on whether I should write a grappa review on it for fear of ruining the secret.

Then I remembered that no-one reads this meandering drivel anyway………..

So like Brokeback Mountain 2 – This Time It’s Cowgirls (starring Jolie, Bellucci, Johansson & Theron), Domenico’s cannot be recommended highly enough by this grappaholic.

You have to look carefully to find it as it is up a side street off Commercial Street but it is well worth the search. Your normal (and better read) restaurant reviews would now start to comment on the friendly yet not over attentive waiters, the cosy and comfortable atmosphere and the excellent food which avoids the standard spaghetti bolognese, penne piccante etc of a lot of Italian UK restaurants.

However as welcome as these things are they can all be of no use if the grappa experience is not up to standard as Ginkers’ previous post alluded to. Again Domenico’s doesn’t disappoint. Perhaps it was the shape of the glass (like a letter D on its side) but the measure did appear to be ample and the glass was filled to almost overflowing. As for the taste, there was just enough kick to give me the “grappa glow” but not enough to leave me unable to pronounce Jan Vennegoor Of Hesselink.

But for those of you have stuck with this review until here, the best was yet to come. After we had paid the bill and were getting ready to go, the waiter, like the shopkeeper in Mr Benn, appeared as if by magic at our table.

“Before you go can I offer you another grappa on the house?”

But shhhhhhhh, that is a secret.

A poser

2006-08-25T10:35:00.000Z

Fresh from another Thursday night's exploits in the world of grappa, this little question crossed my mind. Which of the following makes for the best night out?

1) Great food but awful service with grappa available.

2) Great service but awful food with grappa available.

3) Good food and good service but no grappa.

Now, I ask the question because it is one which is becoming more and more of an issue for my giovedi sorties. I think I end up going for option one on the basis that I love food and grappa and am willing to put up with shoddy service. On the other hand, why should I? Sometimes I get tired of it. Whatever happened to the customer is always right? I don't know. Maybe I worry too much...

I finished a book...

2006-08-21T15:56:00.000Z

It is not strictly a grappa related issue but, hell, I thought you would like to know. About five months after the birth of my son (my second child, daughter already in situ) I have actually managed to finish reading a book.

To get this in context - I love books. I love reading, just losing yourself in the pages etc but, with a young family, it is one of the first things you give up. It's hard enough to find time to watch a half hour television programme, never mind read 350 pages plus. In addition, after a day of work, entertaining kids, making meals, bathing, etc, you hardly have the energy to pick up a book. Excuses, all of them, you can judge their validity.

Anyway, the book I finished was Fantasyland by Sam Walker which I can unreservedly recommend to anyone who ever played fantasy sport. This one is based on baseball and it shows just how sad and obsessed players of such games can become. As my current portfolio includes two fantasy baseball teams, a fantasy golf team, a fantasy Premiership team AND a fantasy celebrity news portfolio I think I know where he is coming from. Anyway, check it out if that is one of your interests...

The curse strikes again

2006-08-13T21:08:00.000Z

On Saturday night I was at the wedding reception of a former colleague at a small hotel in south west Scotland. A lovely, informal gathering and chance to catch up with a few people I hadn't seen for a while and dance about like a fool to a couple of Buddy Holly songs.

So what? I hear you ask. Why bother us with this tale? Show me the GRAPPA!

Well, I'm getting to that. As a habitue or whatever the word is, of hostelries across Scotland my expectation of most hotels is that either 1) They will not stock grappa or 2) They will charge you most of your monthly paypacket for it. Imagine my surprise then when, as I got the first of several rounds in, my eyes were drawn (like a moth to the flame or some such) to a dusty bottle of grappa.

Two questions flitted through my mind. Firstly, can grappa go off? And secondly, does it improve with age? Having answered in the negative to both I decided to bide my time, slurp a little more of the house Shiraz and work my way up to the grappa moment after the buffet (ample with the highlight a hefty Melton Mowbray pie).

So, I approached the bar with an order for a round of four drinks with a couple of them being grappas. I watched with concern as the delectable barmaid (that's probably no longer in any way politically correct) totted up on the cash register. It came to the moment when all grappa drinkers hold their breath. How much am I going to be stung for? £1.90 x 2 flashed up on the screen. Result!

Yes, just for you Edinburgh and London readers that's £1.90 for a grappa. Try getting that in your wine bars and brasseries or wherever you go! If you get change from a fiver you count yourself lucky. I could nearly get three grappas for that.

FILL YOUR BOOTS! FILL YOUR BOOTS! FILL YOUR BOOTS!

That was the message flashing through my mind but it was tempered by the brand of grappa up for grabs. It was a Nonino and any regular reader will know my reservations about that little baby. Still, it was a Vuisinar which, my guide book reliably informs me, is "delightful in both taste and finish".

Let me tell you, that is not what my windpipe was telling me at three o'clock this morning. It was asking me why I had decided to gargle with bleach the night before! I am out of practice, of course, but it came as a nasty shock. Undoubtedly the guide writers do not make their judgment on the kind of quantity of the stuff I had consumed...

So, that's my story from the weekend. It was just like old times, really, until my son woke up at 4.30am and decided it was morning. Grappa and a young family don't mix - unless you slip some in his formula the night before and he will sleep until noon. (That's just a joke by the way in case anyone is thinking of phoning social services).

Apologies for rambling, feeling a bit loquacious tonight...

Forgive my rudeness

2006-08-10T21:43:00.000Z

I was asked a little while ago by one of my more regular readers, the Spangly Princess, if there was anything in my bible about the Roner grappa she had recently imbibed. For reasons too boring to go into, I never got around to answering but I have delved further into my grappa bible.

Roner, apparently, is the market leader in fruit brandies in Italy with the Bianca and Gold being their more bog standard mixed grape varieties. Their gewurztraminer (try saying that drunk) has apparently got a nutty finish. Oh, and the distillery was established after World War 2 by Gottfried Roner and is now owned by his widow Luisa. Hope this goes some way to making up for my previous lack of response.

The three horsemen of my holiday

2006-08-06T16:00:00.000Z

Three grappas, each of a very different style from my recent trip to Italy. The giant Trentino bottle came from my old favourite the Bugno, the dark image comes from another old home of mine at La Mocchia with the last one at Il Pozzo. All in all, a cracking good time. I shall possibly pen more later but my son sounds as if he is trying to scream the house down and I had better go and show some fatherly concern.

It's that man again!

2006-07-26T14:27:00.000Z

For those of you who are recent converts to the Diaries you may not be aware that one of our staples, particularly on the old site, was a review of grappa purveyors across the UK, courtesy of our oldest correspondent.

Anyway, after a long sabbatical in a secure unit and drying-out clinic he is back with more of his colourful ramblings. We hope you enjoy...

Pizza Express, 1 Deanhaugh Street, Edinburgh

Here is a box. A musical box. Wound up and ready to play. But this box can hide a secret inside. Can you guess what is in it today?

Who could it be children? Doctor Mopp on his rounds? Windy Miller skilfully dodging those windmill sails or could it be local gossip Mrs Honeyman?

Oh feck! It’s none of them. Instead it’s Martino the Grappaholic back with more inane ramblings of a scemo.

Saturday 22nd July was my birthday and as ever I thought, “I feel the need, the need for grappa” so I rounded up my wingmen (Ged – call sign “Guinness”, Lynne – call sign “Strega” and Lol – call sign “Tequila”), dodged a few MIGs and ended up at Pizza Express in Stockbridge, Edinburgh.

I admit I didn’t hold out much hope of hitting the grappa target on this hop. Pizza Express is a chain restaurant but where there are Italian words on the menu there’s always a chance. Anyhoo after the pizza was dispatched I decided it was the bottom of the ninth, the scores were tied and it was time for the big one. As the waitress approached to take the coffee order I was getting good tone so I switched to missile lock and took the shot.

“Do you have grappa?”

“Yes sir we do.”

And Ortiz has connected. The ball is flying towards the Green Monster. It’s over the wall and onto the Interstate. HOME RUN!!! Red Sox win! Red Sox win!

To be fair, the grappa was a pleasant surprise. Not a classic by any means but very drinkable nonetheless. Subtle in taste and colour (slightly golden), it was a great way to end a birthday meal. Pizza Express did make it a difficult mission by not having grappa on the menu and not displaying it openly at the bar but as a grappa Top Gun it takes more than that to stop me getting the prize.

So after a few more tours of duty round the bars of Edinburgh it was time to return to base. Hopefully it won’t be too long until I get a further mission to liberate the grappas of Edinburgh from their glass prisons.

The time Lord

2006-07-07T15:39:00.000Z

Sunday night is going to be such a special and nervous event at the same time. I admit, I have never known time drag so much as waiting for the World Cup final to arrive. I remember the same thing back in 1982 and 1994 but this time seems even worse. Every day seems to take an age. And on Sunday every hour before kick-off will seem like an eternity.

It got me thinking about the time-warping qualities of grappa. It has the ability to both slow-down and speed-up the passing minutes. I will give you two cases in point. I once famously sat down with an old drinking partner of mine (Martino anyone?) to polish off a bottle of my father's grappa ai lamponi (grappa with raspberries in it). With that job done it was about midnight, time for my old pal to head home, time for me to head up the stairs. We said our goodbyes on the doorstep. When I got up the stairs to my bed, however, it was suddenly 3am. Martino swears it took him the same three hours to walk home, even though it was only a few hundred yards away. Spooky or what?

The reverse is happening today. I partook of a couple of grappinas last night for the first time in a while with my uncle and father in tow. Now this afternoon at work seems to be lasting an age. Dr Who and his tardis don't know the half of it. A half decent bottle of grappa and you can twist time all you like.

It's been a quiet time

2006-06-14T09:54:00.000Z

With the World Cup on, I must admit, the head has been turned from the diaries of late. My apologies for that. I also have to confess that, with a young son up during the night, my exploits on the grappa front have been sorely limited. It's just temporary, you have my word on that, but in the meantime I shall endeavour to keep things ticking over with tales of watching other people getting boozed up. Sob sob...

It's Bath time...

2006-05-26T15:35:00.000Z

Not before time, a place where the Grappa diaries would be proud to take a tipple - and it's in the UK. Sadly, a bit far from bonnie Scotland but if ever we venture south of the border (although why would we?) we might try it out. It certainly looks like a good place...

http://www.bath.co.uk/grappa/

Taken roughly...

2006-05-19T23:41:00.000Z

After all my pretentious posing and guffing on about grappa distilled in oak barrels with a hint of saffron what a pleasure to be brought back down to earth.

The venue: my sister's house. The occasion: an Indian carry-out. The grappa: a brand known by no other name than "Colli Toscani".

It reminded me of the pioneering days of grappa drinking when your old mountain cousins used to wait until the end of a meal and produce a bottle of something they had brewed themselves. No cork or screwtop here when a rag would suffice. The whole family would gather round to watch for your reaction. And, boy, did that stuff pack a punch.

This was no deadly brew like back in the backwaters of the Tuscan hills but still it took me back. Clear, pure and with the kick of a mule - just like I like my women. And it produced the desired effect, two hours of nonsensical rambling about the forthcoming World Cup. Once again I am proud to call myself a Tuscan.

Strangely, I could find no entry for this brew in my grappa bible. Good. Rating: immeasurable.

I think I have my answer

2006-05-17T22:10:00.000Z

First night home alone spent as follows:

1) Listening to fantasy baseball radio show.

2) Playing online poker.

3) Blogging until after 11pm.

Mmm. I think I see how the week is going to progress.

What's a boy to do?

2006-05-16T15:39:00.000Z

Friends, I am being placed in a terrible position. My wife and family are going away to stay with my in-laws for a few days. Firstly, can I state how much I will miss them. But secondly, it presents me with a dreadful opportunity. In simple terms...

Three whole nights to behave like a single "scemo" again.

For those who have never lived as a single "scemo" (fool is my kindest translation) it generally consists of three things.

1) Staying up very late playing computer games/watching sport.

2) Talking at immense length about football, nonsense and good-looking women.

3) Drinking more grappa than is sensible/advised by government health experts.

As a responsible, married, father-of-two etc, is this acceptable behaviour? Shouldn't I cut the grass, tidy the attic and catch up on the ironing? Will you tell the missus if I don't? Should I restrain myself or should I go for it full pelt and what the hell?

Oh, the torment...

Francoli, my dear, I don't give a damn...

2006-05-09T10:35:00.000Z

If there ever is a patron saint of grappa it should probably be San Martino. So how appropriate that those fine distillers Luigi Francoli should produce a brew dedicated to him. He may not strictly speaking be Italian but, with the level of acquavita now flowing in his veins, he could surely play for the Azzurri if Jack Charlton ever takes over as Commissario Tecnico.

This particular brew is not mentioned in my new "bible" but Francoli certainly is. With 600,000 bottles a year it is one of the biggest grappa producers in the land. Out of Ghemme in Piedmont it produces a number of grappe but this is the one which passed my lips recently.

With a deep colour - down to ageing in oak casks, I'm told - it is an eminently drinkable brew which is presumably especially for export since it fails to feature on their official website. Perfectly acceptable middle range drink with decent flavour and kick without being particularly impressive in either department. A good all-rounder and certainly not one to turn the nose up at - as if we ever did that.

Grappa diaries rating: 69 per cent.

Our reviewer hard at work

2006-05-05T14:03:00.000Z

As always, there are no lengths to which our reviewer is unwilling to go to bring you the most up to date grappa information.

Valvona & Crolla, 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh

Like Celtic getting to a major European final or getting to spend an uninhibited night of passion with Angelina Jolie some events are once in a lifetime occasions. This is mathematically correct as in my lifetime Celtic have been in two major European finals and I’ve never even met Angelina so on average they have both happened once. I’m ignoring the European Cup final defeat to Feyenoord in favour of the delectable Ms. Jolie if that’s okay.

Anyhoo like Homer Simpson seeing the “all you can eat” sign outside his favourite seafood restaurant my eyes were immediately drawn to the “complimentary grappa tasting” on the Valvona & Crolla list of events when it was released a few months ago. A quick check in my dictionary confirmed that complimentary did indeed mean “free of charge” so here was a once in a lifetime grappa event. Although the campaign begins now for Valvona & Crolla to make it a weekly event.

Valvona & Crolla is an Edinburgh institution. Outside a small grey exterior suggests no more than a corner shop but inside it opens out like the proverbial TARDIS to provide a haven for lovers of all things Italian. Hams, cheeses, fresh fruit and veg, sauces, oils and home baked bread all guide you round to the back of the shop where you are greeted by a large selection of wines from principally Italy but some others from around the world. There is also a fantastic café at the back of the shop. Probably the only downside is the attraction the shop has for that certain type of Edinburgh resident who calls his kids Tristan and Miranda and insists on discussing his latest trip to Tuscany at the top of his voice. Listen pal, Ryanair can get you there for £20 nowadays. It’s no big deal.

However if you are ever in Edinburgh you have to pay a visit. It sure beats standing on Princes Street taking photos of the castle and getting in the way of us locals. Other towns have a castle but only Edinburgh has Valvona & Crolla.

So, on to the free grappa. Valvona & Crolla have been selling Bruno Pilzer grappa for some months now and four varieties were available for tasting. The following are the four with my unique Celtic grappa rating.

Chardonnay – Light and subtle but definitely full of class. Rating: Shunsuke Nakamura
Moscato - My favourite of the four. Bit more dig than the Chardonnay but a grappa for all occasions. Rating: Shaun Maloney.
Traminer – Very robust grappa and not one to be taken lightly. Rating: Roy Keane.
Pinot Nero – One contact and your taste buds are picking themselves off the floor. Like hitting a brick wall. Rating: Bobo Balde!

God only knows what happened for the rest of the weekend though. It’s all a bit of a blur………………

A new bible?

2006-05-02T10:17:00.000Z

It was with great pleasure that I received my post last week as a parcel from Amazon finally arrived after days of anticipation. Yes, a guide to grappa by Axel and Bibiana Behrendt (they beat you to it Martino). Luckily, it does not cover all the grappas there are so there is still room for improvement on its impressive detail.

Also, it has inspired me to undertake a new mission - to try to sample all the grappas on its pages. Come with me as I share my tasting notes and compare and contrast with their views. If I make it to the end alive it will be a fine achievement. Certainly looking forward to tracking down some of the more obscure ones. Wish me luck!

The perfect gift

2006-04-27T11:16:00.000Z

What do you give the blogger who has everything? The answer, of course, is a new bottle of grappa. Always glad to see my father get back from Italy - even more so when he brings a new tipple for me to try. This is called Lis Radris and is produced by the Vigneti Fantanel I think. Will wait for a special occasion to crack it open. Maybe a day in the week ending with a Y...

Old friends, old habits...

2006-04-21T15:35:00.000Z

Honest Joe was in town last night and out for a little Giovedi celebration just like old times. A work colleague who moved away he is always a welcome face round the table on a Thursday night. But his greatest grappa claim to fame is his boast...

"That drink has no effect on me. None whatsoever."

The fact that he makes the claim after firing down five or six is all the more interesting. However, I present some evidence which suggests he may be a little economical with the truth.

1) When he hits fresh air after six grappas he usually starts to sway.

2) After one famous session he fell asleep over a free-kick in ISS Pro for four hours.

3) He regularly ends up with his pants on his head.

Still, good to see him. Even if he cannae handle his grappa...

A Bergamo field trip

2006-04-18T11:43:00.000Z

In our new and shiny surroundings, we still find room for our most grizzled, rambling and downright obscure reviewer. The inimitable O'Reilly whose guide to grappa is something of a bible to those who don't actually own a bible.

Bergamo, 7th to 9th April 2006

For this episode of the Grappa Diaries I decided to go to Bergamo. Like Dannii Minogue, Bergamo is often overlooked in favour of a big sister which in Bergamo’s case is Milan. Also like Dannii, Bergamo has two outstanding attractions that deserve closer inspection, namely its citta alta (high city) and citta bassa (low city).

Venerdi
Arriving in Bergamo on Friday evening the first objective was to find a restaurant and hence a grappa. Fortunately less than 50 yards from the hotel the Taverna Valtellinese provided a warm welcome. In the best traditions of Italian restaurants the matriarchal owner sat behind the till while two waiters ran their legs off trying to keep the diners in a packed restaurant happy. The grappa served was also of a fine vintage and was the perfect end to the first evening. Looking back it was the best grappa of the trip. Having recently caught up with the rest of civilisation by buying a mobile with a camera I was able to send Ginkers a picture of this excellent grappa so he could see what I was enjoying. That’s the kind of friend I am.

Sabato
It is often said that I would climb a mountain for a grappa and that’s what I did on Saturday. Well when I say mountain I mean steep slope and when I say climbed I mean got the cable car up to Bergamo’s citta alta. On looking at the menu in La Marianna I had one of those Shaggy and Scooby “Yoiks!” moments when I saw that a starter portion of pasta cost around €15 while a main course was around €35. After ordering my pasta the waiter enquired “e poi?” and although I thought “e poi I’m out of here at these prices pal” I simply replied “niente”. Who knows how much the grappa would have cost and how good it would have been because I made my escape faster than the aforementioned Shaggy and Scooby being chased by an unscrupulous landowner in an unconvincing werewolf costume.

Fortunately Il Suite bar on Viale Giovanni XXXII back down in citta bassa came to my rescue. Although the grappa was no more than average in taste it was served in a very generous amount which is never a bad thing.

Domenica
The best stadium in the world to watch football is unquestionably Celtic Park in Glasgow. However the San Siro in Milan is a worthy alternative when the 2006 Scottish Champions are away from home as was the case on Sunday. A Kaka hat-trick helped Milan to a deserved 4-1 victory over Chievo but the star of the show was Pippo Inzaghi. Who else when clean through on goals could hit the ball at exactly the right speed and angle for it to hit the keeper square on the chest and land at Kaka’s feet for Milan’s second goal? Join the campaign to get Pippo to the World Cup at http://rinaldisblog.blogspot.com/

Looking for a restaurant back in Bergamo to finish off my trip I was given a sign from the grappa gods when I passed La Bruschetta on the way back to the hotel from the station. The one person who has stuck with this meandering drivel since I started it last October (cheers Ginge!) will remember that the first restaurant I reviewed was La Bruschetta in Edinburgh. Fortunately La Bruschetta in Bergamo lived up to the standards set by its Scottish cousin. Although the grappa was of the variety that forced a sharp intake of breath, followed by the loss of speech for a few seconds it was still a welcome end to the weekend. The fact that it was served by a delightfully charming waitress probably helped. Who am I kidding, it definitely helped!

So the next time you are taking a trip to Milan with Ryanair this grappaholic would recommend spending some time in the city of Bergamo rather than just jumping on the first bus to Milan.

And if you can find a restaurant that provides a grappa experience that combines the grappa quality of Taverna Valtellinese, the quantity of Il Suite bar and the waitress of La Bruschetta, let me know. It will be the first place I visit on my next visit.

My envoys get everywhere...

2006-04-12T15:53:00.000Z

When the Pope is at home in Rome his influence still spreads across the globe thanks to - among others - his Papal emissaries or envoys. Now, in a completely unconnected style, the Grappa Diaries is proud to have sent its favourite sons out on scouting missions across the world.

The Silver Fox, our oldest and most venerable colleague, is back in the Tuscan hills these days and recently dined at La Mora on the road between Barga and Lucca (Sesto a Moriano, to be precise, I think).

While Martino, that Irish Bishop of Barolo, has been sent out to Milan to see what the capital of Lombardy has to offer. It makes the heart swell with pride to think of our 'boys' back in the heartland of our favourite form of alcohol and giving it laldy (to use an old Scottish term).

Which brings me to the point of this latest blog. Is there any vicarious pleasure to be gained from knowing friends and family are drinking grappa when you are not? At present, I find myself on a remote west of Scotland island where if you asked for grappa I suspect they would mishear it as grampa and try to introduce you to their father's father. And, as previously chronicled, with a six-week old son my days of mad guzzling of the grape are truly curtailed.

So, I answer "yes". There is something to be gained from knowing your old buddies are keeping the team spirit alive - like the Olympic flame - until the time comes for me to take my turn in that unending relay once again.

Maybe my interest in grappa can be rekindled after all

2006-04-03T18:27:00.000Z

In all my times as a grappa drinker I never thought I would live so long as to read this story. Not only has she produced a top notch red wine, apparently a grappa is on the agenda. Mouthwatering...

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=13523

When a man is tired of grappa...

2006-04-02T18:24:00.000Z

Sometimes, just sometimes, there are moments in life when one is distracted from the blog and even from grappa. Times when the day to day routine gets so all-consuming that there is scarcely time for the consumption of - and writing about - your favourite after dinner drink.

I have been in one such time of late with a new addition to the family, a new job and one thousand other things to think about (I have scarcely had time to focus on the start of a new fantasy baseball season).

Still, the upshot of all this has been a move of my computer to a new HQ where, hopefully, I will get the peace and quiet necessary to muse upon the grappa from time to time.

I also felt it was time for a new home as the old site was becoming increasingly slow and erratic (a bit like myself). Hopefully this new site will prove just as big a success with readers as the old one! I have included a link to our archive for those who have missed out on some of our classic reviews and comments.

Here's to a long future for the Grappa Diaries...

2006-03-19T19:23:00.000Z

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