Fruit & Raw Material

The sheer variety of grapes makes Friuli a land of Monovitigno grappa. On the hills of the Colli Orientali and in the Collio grow varieties rarely found elsewhere: Picolit, Ribolla Gialla, Schioppettino, Pignolo and Verduzzo. The Alps shelter the slopes to the north, while air from the Adriatic drifts in from the south. Several of these are native varieties of the region, giving the pomace its own distinct profile. Each variety leaves behind a different pomace after pressing.

Picolit is considered a rare grape with loose-berried bunches and small yields, used in the Colli Orientali to make a sweet wine. Ramandolo, pressed from Verduzzo, is likewise a sweet wine. Where little wine is made, little pomace remains, so these varietal brandies tend to be produced in small quantities.

What remains in the press after pressing is called pomace: skins, seeds and stems. With white wine, pressing happens before fermentation begins, so the pomace is still sweet. Red wine pomace, by contrast, arrives already fermented from the press, since the must ferments on the skins. The specification for Grappa friulana permits both fermented and partially fermented pomace.

According to the house, Nonino has planted vineyards specifically for distillation, set with Picolit, Ribolla Gialla, Fragolino, Schioppettino and Sauvignon. The pomace thus comes from rows intended from the outset for the still.

Beyond the vine, the region is known for orchards supplying its three fruit brandies. Williams friulano is made from pears of the Williams Christ variety — only this variety may carry the Williams name. Kirsch Friulano requires cherries with pronounced aroma, while the Sliwovitz calls for plums of the Prunus domestica type. Here, ripeness matters more than size, since only ripe fruit carries enough sugar for fermentation.