The Bottega Alexander
Frugal times, frugal means. Inventiveness. Ecology even. We could learn a few lessons form the birth of eau du vie, marc, grappa, or as it was once, originally known, graspa.
I was fascinated by the grappa process there. Who better than Sandro Bottega himself to explain the whole thing.
I had the privilege of visiting the Bottega winemaking facility, known for its golden-clad bottles of prosecco, but I was fascinated by the grappa process there. Who better than Sandro Bottega himself to explain the whole thing.
Bottega makes one of the region’s finest proseccos, erring on the side of delicacy and dryness. “My father made grappa the old-fashioned way, fiery and a bit rough. I wanted to make a different, much smoother drink, that would hopefully appeal to a wider audience.” Sandro is seldom wrong about such things, and both the regular bottling and the reserve called Alexander have been very successful.
A copper anemic still is used, as is a three-phase distillation process, in which three different temperatures are used. This is how the great smoothness is achieved. The alexander is aged for six months in steel tanks as well, adding even more softness. there is a nice aroma of fresh fruits, like blackberry and blueberry, along with some floral notes, and as Sandro says, “A nice dried fruit character that really brings some complexity.” The finish is long, and makes for an ideal companion with that after-dinner espresso, the perfect correto.
