Firebrand Francesca Nonino On Being Brave With Amaro and Grappa

As wine sales decline, spirits sales soar, particularly among younger drinkers, and trendy amaro and grappa cocktails are no exception. 

In this exclusive interview for Paste Magazine, sixth-generation firebrand Francesca Nonino of Nonino in Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region sits down with contributor L. M. Archer to explain the difference between amaro vs. grappa, when to drink it and how to drink it.

She also dishes on growing up in the family grappa and amaro business, plus the buzz behind its popular #BeBraveMixGrappa! international cocktail movement and how to read a liquor label correctly.

(This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

LMA: What’s the difference between amaro and grappa? 

Francesca Nonino: Amaro and grappa are very distinct, yet complementary, expressions of Italian distillation, each showcasing unique traditions and flavors. 

Grappa is a spirit distilled from the pomace of grapes (the leftover skins and seeds from winemaking). At Nonino Distillatori, we like to say it captures the pure essence of the grape varietals used, thanks to our family’s single varietal approach my grandmother and grandfather pioneered in 1973. Our grappa is characterized by aromatic intensity and a smooth finish, a testament to our meticulous distillation process. 

On the other hand, amaro is a bittersweet herbal liqueur infused with a blend of botanicals, roots and spices. The result is a velvety, complex amaro that offers a balanced interplay of bitterness and sweetness.

You could say that grappa celebrates the purity of the grape, while amaro offers a symphony of botanical flavors, but they both represent craftsmanship and innovation.

LMA: How does your family’s amaro and grappa differ from others on the market?

Francesca Nonino: Nonino grappa stands out because of its unique production process, which truly focuses on preserving the freshness and aromatics of the pomace. 

First, we distill exclusively juicy, softly pressed pomace that has just finished fermentation from winemaking—we do not store pomace at all but use it immediately, while other distillers use pomace that’s been stored for up to eight months. 

Second, we only collect pomace from the best winemakers in our area. And finally, we have built a distillery that is unique in the world. Instead of having six to 12 pot stills like other grappa distilleries who distill year-round, our distillery has 66 artisanal pot stills, and we only distill during harvest for a maximum of eight to ten weeks, 24 hours a day, seven days a week (we even distill in the middle of the night!). 

My grandparents Giannola and Benito began the “Grappa Revolution” when they went against the tradition of distilling all the pomace mixed together (the only way grappa was ever made up until this point) and created the first single varietal grappa: the Monovitigno® Nonino. 

They demonstrated how grappa was not just “fire water” but that it could be the true way to serve the soul of the grape in the glass. At the time, this was a real revolution.

Our Amaro Nonino Quintessentia® distinguishes itself with its unique blend of alpine herbs and the rich character of aged grape distillate, offering a balance of bitterness, sweetness and complexity. Using aged UÈ (i.e., distilling the skin, pulp and grape juice in a single operation) grape distillate is unique, as most other amari are made with a base of a neutral spirit. 

Additionally, our Amaro Nonino Riserva is double-aged for depth and smoothness: First it is made with aged UÈ grape distillate, then the entire amaro blend is aged an additional two years in barrels.

LMA: Any tips about how/when to best drink amaro vs. grappa?

Francesca Nonino: Traditionally, Amaro was seen as an after dinner drink: The herbs and botanicals in it made people think it had medicinal properties that help digestion. 

Grappa, on the other hand, is seen as the perfect way to end the meal, perhaps paired with dessert, but also a nice way to start the morning.  

Putting a bit of grappa in your caffè is called a “caffè corretto,” and in northern Italy, it’s a classic way to start your day with a kick.

A new way of drinking grappa and amaro is in cocktails. Nowadays, consumers are more and more interested in enjoying drinks that represent the tradition and history of a place. 

LMA: Speaking of cocktails, what’s the buzz on the international #BeBraveMixGrappa! cocktail movement spearheaded by your family?

Francesca Nonino: My family, especially my aunt Antonella, is promoting the movement #BeBraveMixGrappa! Many international bartenders, including Simone Caporale, Salvatore Calabrese “il Maestro,” Monica Berg, Alex Kratena and Joerg Majer are experimenting with Grappa Nonino, creating extraordinary original cocktails. 

Being daring and going beyond mainstream trends to rediscover new flavors and ingredients is a wonderful way to create unique cocktails that are a “liquid cultural experience.” 

Cocktails were initially created to disguise the taste of poor- quality distillates with sugar and flavorings, but today, the quality of the products we can work with has enabled a completely different approach to mixing: celebrating the ingredients, enhancing what is inside the bottle. 

The goal is for the cocktail to be delicious and respectful of the ingredients you use. What better way to get people to know and love Italian culture and lifestyle than offering Grappa Nonino in a cocktail?

As for amaro, something that still amazes me today is that it was a bartender in the United States, Sam Ross, who was one of the first to go against the tradition of drinking amaro straight when he created what can be called the first truly iconic amaro cocktail: the Paper Plane. 

It is incredible because it is such an easy cocktail to make, but it nails the trinity of taste: sweet, sour, and bitter! After that cocktail, I began to see many different drinks with Amaro Nonino: Negronis, Old Fashioneds, Spritzes, even Bloody Marys.

LMA: You represent the sixth generation of a very vibrant, family-owned company, including your grandfather, Benito Nonino, who passed away recently at age 90. How do other generations with whom you work inspire you?

Francesca Nonino: My grandfather taught me the importance of loving your job, and doing it with respect for yourself and the product you are making. I remember that when I was little, he used to bring me to the distillery by bike, to show me the first rule of distillation: to start with the best quality raw material. 

He was the one that decided to build a distillery with 66 artisanal pot stills to be able to distill the freshest pomace without needing to storage it. To me, this is the most beautiful love declaration to grappa. 

I have [also] been blessed having so many women role models in my family, starting with my grandmother Giannola, also known as the Grappa Queen! She taught me to never give up when you believe in something. 

When she revolutionized the way of making Grappa, creating the first single varietal Grappa Monovitigno® Nonino with my grandfather Benito, she had to ask the winemaker to keep the pomace of that varietal (Picolit, a precious, rare, indigenous variety from Friuli Venezia Giulia) separated from the others. 

The winemakers were accustomed to mixing all the pomace together—how it had been done for centuries—and they told her she was crazy and that they’d never do that for her. Instead of giving up, my grandmother found another solution: Sshe spoke to their wives instead! And thanks to their help, she collected Picolit pomace, separated from all the other varieties. You could say that the grappa revolution was possible because of women’s cooperation! 

I owe so much to my aunt Elisabetta as well. She was the first one to believe in me when I was a young professional, with nothing but a whole lot of enthusiasm to offer. But she allowed me to go to the United States, and following her example, I was able to take my first steps alone in the world of work. And of course, my mother, the most talented master distiller and the best mum in the world!

LMA: Anything else that you think is important for readers to know?

Francesca Nonino: I think the most important thing to highlight is to be a responsible drinker. And by that I mean not only to drink responsibly, but also to build knowledge about what you drink, to read the label and understand the characteristics of the liquor you are buying. There is no “responsible drinking” without “knowledgeable drinking.”. 

Some examples of why it pays to read the label carefully (labels can be tricky!):

Having a craft distillery does not guarantee a craft product. A brand can own an artisanal distillery yet buy cheaper and poorer quality ingredients from a third, industrial distillery. For this reason, on all of our grappas we declare “100% distilled with artisanal method.”

A number on a bottle does not necessarily indicate aging. Pay attention, because if a number isn’t followed by a temporal unit ( 5 years or 12 months), then that number is just the name of the product.

The color of a product also does not necessarily indicate that the liquor has been aged. In most categories of spirits, it is legal to alter the color by adding caramel, without declaring this anywhere on the label. For this reason, on all our aged grappa bottles we declare 0% color added.