“Smoothness and elegance rarely encountered in traditional grappa”
- FRANK PRIAL/NY TIMES

What makes this Grappa so nice is the obvious attention to detail that goes into it. Made from whole Zinfindel grapes grown in Mendocino county, distilled on Germain-Robin's hand-operated cognac still, and finally diluted with pure rainwater, this is the smoothest grappa you may ever taste. You won't find a hint of those rocket fuel aromas commonly found in grappa, but rather a spicy raison flavor instead. The drawback of course, is that when something this high in alc. content goes down so easy, you can quickly find you've drunk too much.

Germain-Robin brandies are distilled with Mendocino grapes on a hand operated, antique cognac pot still. As such they are referred to as "alambic." You won't find an overtly sweet american brandy here, but rather a subtle and more sophisticated drink worth you attention. Their Fine Alambic Brandy is their most affordable offering (and the only one I've tried so far), but is still unbelievable smooth with hints of ... I'm not one to commonly drink cognac, but I believe Caddell and Williams when they say it's twice as good as any VSOP-level cognac.

What distinguishes St. George Spirits' grappa from others is the quality of the grapes they begin with. Since Rosenblum Cellars is just around the corner from them in Alameda, the two have an arrangement where the remaining pulp from some of Rosenblum's finest Zinfendels is shuttled over to St. George's to be distilled into some of the finest, smoothest grappa you've ever tasted. Where Germain Robin's grappa is a dense mouthful of raisin and wine, this grappa is almost effervescent.