Grappa goes legit?

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?

The Wall Street Guzzle

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...