Taking centre stage this week is another example of one of my favourite spirit varieties, grappa. This one has a ridiculously long name, so we’ll just call it Mille Lune, as that appears to be the particular expression. It was purchased directly from the Castello San Donato in Perano vineyard in the Chianti region of Italy, for the modest sum of 15 euros for 50cl, and has already featured on this blog as one of my 2013 Spirits of the Year . Time now for a bit more depth…

Chianti, we learned, is made mostly with Sangiovese grapes, though apparently there is also some merlot in this one.

It comes in a classy, two-tone box with gold lettering and a long, narrow bottle with a crest embossed onto it. It is bottled at 42%. It doesn’t look like it’s available in the UK, so it definitely achieves the booze tourism objectives of exclusivity and value.

It wasn’t the only grappa I bought on this trip, as you would find out by reading here, but it was the first I opened of the two I took home. The other is an aged (and even numbered) variety, so I’m expecting that to be the most special.

Fulfilment was announced by a strong scent of white chocolate emerging from the newly opened bottle, an impression that continues over to the palate, though there is also a touch of liquorice (in a nice way) if you hold it at the back of your tongue. For maximum enjoyment, see if you can hold it just over your molars.

The finish is a little tart (just how I like my women), though it isn’t bitter so you’re left with a perfect balance against the sweetness.

The strong impression of white chocolate inspired me to acquire a bar of Choceur (Aldi’s finest) to try with it, but I’m sorry to say they don’t go together. The chocolate is far sweeter, and that means the grappa comes off less favourably. But that’s fine, just drink the grappa on its own.

I don’t recall being as impressed as this at the vineyard tasting, but I’ve been loving this since I opened it. For the moment it surpasses even the Domenis Storica that had been my favourite grappa up to this point, and in comparison this is great value compared to the 32 euros I paid for that.

At the moment, all I want to drink is this grappa and the 100 Proof Stolichnaya (another Spirit of the Year), so you know it’s good stuff.