Nonino grappa is the name most wine and spirits professionals reach for the moment a guest asks what grappa is actually supposed to taste like. The distillery, run by the same Friulian family since 1897, is credited with turning grappa from a rough, farmhouse afterthought into a serious category — one with single-vineyard thinking, vintage dating, and bottles that collectors set aside rather than pour into an espresso. This guide walks through the Nonino family story, breaks down the Cru Monovitigno range bottle by bottle, and points you toward the right first purchase depending on what you already drink.
The Family That Reinvented Grappa
Nonino has distilled in Percoto, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy, since Giovanni Battista Nonino and his wife Regina opened their still in 1897. For most of the twentieth century, grappa across Italy was a byproduct spirit — distillers bought pomace (the skins, seeds, and stems left over from winemaking) from whatever grapes a local winery happened to be pressing that week, mixed batches together, and sold the result cheap. It was a way to use up scraps, not a category anyone collected.
That changed in 1973, when Giannola and Benito Nonino made a decision that the rest of the Italian grappa industry initially thought was commercially reckless: they would distill the pomace of a single grape variety at a time, keep each variety's batch separate through fermentation and distillation, and bottle it as its own expression. They called the method Monovitigno — "single vine." It is the same logic that separates a varietal wine from a jug blend, applied to pomace brandy for the first time.
From Field Blend to Single Grape: The Monovitigno Method
The technical difference matters more than it might sound. Mixed-variety pomace ferments and distills unevenly — thin-skinned aromatic grapes and thick-skinned tannic ones don't release character at the same rate, so a blended batch tends to flatten toward a generic grappa profile. Nonino's Monovitigno process starts with pomace from a single grape variety, still moist and fragrant from the press (never dried or stored, which is where a lot of cheaper grappa loses aromatic intensity), then runs it through small, discontinuous copper pot stills in limited batches.
The result is a spirit that actually tastes like its source grape. A Moscato pomace grappa smells like the grape itself — orange blossom, ripe stone fruit — while a Merlot pomace grappa carries the darker, more tannic structure you'd expect from a red variety. That grape-forward transparency is the whole reason Nonino built a reputation beyond Friuli, and it's why sommeliers started stocking grappa as a serious digestivo rather than a bar-cart afterthought.
Inside the Cru Monovitigno Range
The Cru Monovitigno line is where Nonino applies the single-variety method to specific, often prestigious grapes. Three expressions anchor the everyday lineup, each worth knowing before you shop.
Nonino Grappa A Moscato Di Nonino Monovitigno is distilled entirely from Moscato pomace grown in Friuli. Moscato is one of the few grape varieties where the aromatic compounds in the skin carry straight through distillation, so this bottle is the most overtly floral and fruit-driven in the range — the closest thing to smelling fresh grapes in a glass.
Nonino Grappa Il Merlot Di Nonino Monovitigno takes the opposite approach. Merlot pomace brings more structure and a darker, almost fruit-skin bitterness that plays well against something rich after dinner — think dark chocolate or an aged cheese course rather than a light dessert.
Nonino Grappa Lo Chardonnay Di Nonino Monovitigno sits between the two. Chardonnay pomace produces a grappa with a rounder, more neutral fruit character and a slightly creamier texture, which makes it the most food-flexible of the three and a reasonable entry point for someone who has never had a Monovitigno bottling before.
Picolit: The Rarest Bottle in the Range
If the standard Cru Monovitigno trio is where Nonino proves the method works, Nonino Grappa Cru Monovitigno Picolit is where the family shows off. Picolit is a native Friulian grape so prone to poor fruit set that yields are notoriously small even for the wine itself, which is one of Italy's most prized and scarce sweet wines. Giannola and Benito Nonino chose Picolit for their very first Monovitigno release back in 1973 specifically because it was the hardest grape to work with — a statement bottling meant to prove the single-variety idea could handle even the most delicate raw material. Today it remains the range's most collector-oriented expression: a lower-volume grape, a longer wait between vintages, and a noticeably more perfumed, honeyed profile than the Moscato bottling. This is not the bottle to open on a random Tuesday; it's the one to bring to a dinner where the host already knows what grappa is.
Vendemmia and Riserva Antica Cuvee: Nonino Beyond Single Grapes
Not everything Nonino makes is varietal. Nonino Grappa Vendemmia — "vendemmia" simply means harvest — is built from a selected blend of freshly pressed pomace across that year's wine production, distilled in the same small-batch copper stills as the Monovitigno line but without isolating a single grape. It's a useful contrast bottle if you want to taste what the family's technique brings to a blend versus a single variety.
Nonino Grappa Riserva Antica Cuvee moves in a different direction entirely: extended aging in wood brings a color and roundness closer to a fine brandy than to a clear, young grappa. If you're shopping for someone whose reference point is Cognac or aged Armagnac rather than Italian pomace spirits, the Riserva Antica Cuvee is the Nonino bottle that will feel most familiar to them on the first sip, with barrel spice and a softer edge replacing the sharper, more overtly grape-driven character of the unaged Monovitigno expressions.
Which Nonino Grappa Should You Buy First
The honest answer depends on what's already in your bar. If you gravitate toward aromatic white wines — Moscato, Gewürztraminer, dry Riesling — start with the A Moscato Di Nonino Monovitigno; it's the most immediately expressive bottle in the range and the easiest way to understand what single-variety distillation actually changes. If your everyday pour leans toward Cognac, aged rum, or bourbon, the Riserva Antica Cuvee will read as more familiar thanks to its wood-aged roundness, making it a gentler entry point than a clear grappa. If you're buying for someone who already owns a decent grappa and wants to see what the fuss over Nonino specifically is about, skip straight to the Cru Monovitigno Picolit — it's a smaller, more particular pour, but it's the bottle that explains the family's entire reputation in one glass. The Lo Chardonnay Di Nonino Monovitigno is the safest middle option: food-friendly, balanced, and a fair representation of the Monovitigno method without the intensity of the Moscato or the scarcity of the Picolit.
How to Serve and Enjoy Nonino Grappa
Serve grappa cool, not cold — around 55 to 60°F is enough to keep the alcohol from dominating the nose without muting the aromatics that make the Monovitigno range worth drinking in the first place. A tulip-shaped glass, the same shape you'd use for a nosing whisky or Cognac, concentrates the aromatics better than a small shot glass ever will. Traditionally grappa is poured neat after a meal as a digestivo, and the Cru Monovitigno bottlings especially reward that slow, sipped approach rather than being thrown back in one go. That said, Vendemmia and the standard Moscato bottling both work in a simple after-dinner spritz with soda water and a lemon twist if you want a lighter, more mixable format on a warm evening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is grappa made from?
Grappa is distilled from pomace — the skins, seeds, and stems left over after grapes are pressed for wine. Nonino's Monovitigno method uses fresh pomace from a single grape variety per batch, rather than mixing pomace from several varieties together.
How is Nonino different from other grappa producers?
Nonino pioneered the Monovitigno, or single-variety, method in 1973, distilling one grape's pomace at a time in small-batch copper stills rather than blending pomace from multiple grapes. The family has also pushed for legal recognition of grappa as a distinct Italian spirit category.
Is Nonino Cru Monovitigno Picolit worth the price?
It's a genuinely scarce bottling made from one of Italy's lowest-yielding grape varieties, and it was the grape the Nonino family chose for their original 1973 Monovitigno release. It's best suited to grappa drinkers who already enjoy the standard Cru Monovitigno range and want the collector-tier expression.
What's the difference between Vendemmia and the Monovitigno bottlings?
Vendemmia is distilled from a blend of pomace across a given year's harvest, while the Monovitigno bottlings isolate a single grape variety. Vendemmia shows what the Nonino distillation method brings to a blend; the Monovitigno bottlings show what a single grape tastes like on its own.
Can I drink grappa in a cocktail, or is it only a digestivo?
Traditionally grappa is sipped neat after a meal, but the lighter Monovitigno expressions, especially Moscato and Vendemmia, work well in a simple soda-and-citrus highball. Structured or wood-aged bottlings like the Riserva Antica Cuvee are better suited to neat sipping.
Shop Nonino Grappa at Liquor Geeks
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