Nonino Grappa à Moscato di Nonino Monovitigno 82 Proof 375ml

Before 1973, grappa was what happened at the end of the winemaking process — a rough, often harsh distillate made from whatever mixed pomace happened to be left over, the marc of a dozen grape varieties blended without discrimination into a spirit whose quality ranged from acceptable to punishing. It was the drink of farmhands, of grape pickers, of people for whom the point was warmth rather than pleasure. Then Benito Nonino did something no one had thought to do: he approached the Cialla winery in Friuli, asked if he could have the pomace from a single variety — Ribolla Gialla — before it was mixed with anything else, fermented it immediately while it was still fresh and moist with the grape's own juice, and distilled it separately in his copper stills, cutting away the head and tail and keeping only the purest heart of the distillate.

The result was the Monovitigno — the single-varietal grappa. The spirit that for the first time in the long history of Italian distillation carried the aromatic identity of a specific grape variety undiluted and unmixed into the glass. Ribolla Gialla came first. Moscato followed, and Moscato became the most celebrated of all because no grape variety is more dramatically, more unmistakably aromatic in the glass: the roses, the sage, the orange blossom, the vanilla — the perfume that makes Moscato the most immediately identifiable grape from the first sniff and the most rewarding single-varietal grappa to distill.

The Nonino Monovitigno Moscato was not simply a new product. It was a new category. The Italian government eventually created a protected designation specifically for it. International critics, restaurants, and collectors discovered Italian grappa as a serious spirit for the first time because of this bottle. The family has been making it since 1973 in Percoto, in the heart of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where Giannola Nonino — Benito's wife, one of the most influential figures in the history of Italian gastronomy — built an annual literary prize around the distillery called the Premio Nonino that has become one of Italy's most prestigious cultural awards. Vivino rates the Nonino Monovitigno Moscato in the top 4% of all wines and spirits in the world. The official tasting note is eight words: "elegant, aromatic, soft and sensual with the perfume of roses, sage and vanilla." No further description is necessary, because the glass makes the same argument more eloquently than any language can.

Origins & Craftsmanship

The Nonino family has been distilling in Percoto, a small village in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, since 1897 — when Orazio Nonino established the family distillery and began the tradition that his grandson Benito would revolutionize nearly a century later. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the ideal environment for premium grappa production: a region of extraordinary viticultural diversity, with varieties like Moscato, Ribolla Gialla, Picolit, and Refosco grown on soils whose mineral complexity translates directly into the pomace that Nonino distills. The Nonino family personally oversees the purchase of the primary product from dedicated production zones throughout the region, following every phase of distillation to guarantee the maximum quality of each expression.

Benito Nonino's 1973 invention of the Monovitigno — a term now protected by Italian law specifically for single-varietal grappa — transformed the Italian spirits industry by demonstrating that the aromatic identity of specific grape varieties could be captured and preserved in the distillation process when fresh, soft pomace was used immediately rather than allowed to oxidize and lose its volatile aromatic compounds. The technique requires pomace that is still moist with the grape's own juice — soft rather than pressed dry — fermented immediately after the grapes are pressed, and distilled without delay to preserve the varietal aromatics before they dissipate.

The Moscato Monovitigno is produced from 100% Moscato pomace — the most aromatically rich and the most immediately identifiable varietal in the Italian grappa tradition. The distillation method is discontinuous, conducted in small copper steam stills of the bain-marie type — a delicate, time-consuming process that uses hot water to heat the still gently and indirectly, preserving the most volatile and the most delicate aromatic compounds that direct flame heating would destroy. Benito Nonino specifically introduced the practice of rigorous head and tail cutting — removing the first and last portions of each distillation, retaining only the purest and the most refined "heart" of the distillate. No added color. No added sugar. Bottled at 41% ABV / 82 proof and served at 12°C in a chilled open tulip glass to concentrate the floral aromatics.

Tasting Profile

Nose
Crystal clear and completely colorless — the purest expression of the Moscato grape's aromatic character without the influence of oak or any additive. The nose is the wine — Moscato's perfume arrives in the glass immediately, completely, and unmistakably: roses and rose petals first, then thyme and sage adding an herbal secondary dimension that prevents the floral notes from becoming simply sweet. Vanilla adds the most warming and the most welcoming tertiary note. Orange blossom and delicate citrus add a secondary freshness. The overall impression — pronounced, clean, and specifically Moscato in a way that no other grape distillate approaches — is the single most distinctive and the most immediately compelling quality in the entire category of Italian grappa. Allow the grappa to rest in the glass for several minutes before nosing: the fragrances open with oxygen in a way that reveals additional layers not apparent on the first pour.

Palate
Silky smooth and elegantly structured — the head and tail cutting producing a palate of exceptional purity and refinement. Honeyed sweetness carries the Moscato's natural sugar character without any added sweetener. Roses and vanilla from the nose translate directly to the palate. A touch of citrus adds brightness and freshness alongside the honeyed core. The herbal finish emerges through the mid-palate with thyme and sage adding the most specifically and the most memorably Italian secondary quality. Medium bodied with a warmth that is gentle rather than aggressive at 82 proof.

Finish
Long, soft, and sensual — the most specifically and the most perfectly calibrated finish for a grappa of this elegance and this aromatic intensity. Lingering floral freshness carries the roses and vanilla through a close of genuine persistence. The Moscato's most aromatic compounds fade last and most slowly, leaving the palate with a sense of clean, fresh, grape-derived perfume that no other spirit in any category can replicate.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Almond biscotti — the most specifically Italian and the most classically grappa-adjacent pairing
• Dark chocolate and chocolate desserts
• Panna cotta and creamy Italian desserts
• Tiramisu — the most immediately recognizable Italian dessert pairing
• Fresh fruit tarts
• Digestif, on its own after a meal