Grape Spirit

New Washington distillers are creating potent potables from fruits of the vine.

By Shannon Borg | June 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Credit: Photograph by Hayley Young

Wine isn’t the only elixir blessed
by the grape in our state. Distilled grape liquor comes in many styles, such as
grape brandy, made from distilled wine, and pomace brandy, or marc, made from
grape skins and seeds.

Soft Tail Spirits is making
grappa, an Italian-style pomace brandy, which is rapidly gaining fans in the
Northwest. Traditional grappas are clear and unaged. A more recent trend is to
age the brandy, which acquires yellowish and brownish tints from the barrels
where it’s stored.

East of the Cascades, another
spirits producer, the Ellensburg Distillery, was actually the first to release
a brandy in Washington. Its El Chalán pisco reposado, a Peruvian-style aged (or
“rested”) brandy, is made from premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot
Gris wine rather than from pomace.

Ellensburg distiller Berle “Rusty”
Figgins Jr. says, “Pisco style is everywhere in Peru, but it is new to
Americans.” His El Chalán—named for a cultural icon in Peru, a cowboy who
rounds up wild horses—won a gold medal in the brandy category and was named
Best Spirit at the Northwest Wine and Spirits Summit last year.

Tasting Notes

Washington grappa and spirits
provide

a variety of palate-pleasing
flavors.

Soft Tail 2008 Grappa Blanco ($34)

Eighty-four proof grappa (about 42
percent alcohol) made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grape pomace.
Full of pear-skin and white-flower aromas. Develops white chocolate and cherry
chocolate on the palate.

Soft Tail 2008 Grappa Gialo ($34)

Soft, gold color. Has spent six
months in French oak. Aromas of straw and hay, with soft pear and apple flavors
similar to a light, lowland Scotch whisky.

Soft Tail 2009 Grappa Sangiovese ($38)

Made exclusively from Sangiovese
pomace. Fresh aromas of strawberry and hay. A pleasant, grainy mouthfeel that
warms the throat. A remarkably good match with white-chocolate-covered espresso
beans.

Soft Tail 2008 Grappa Reserve ($44)

Complex aromas of lilac,
huckleberry, fresh cream and yeast. Develops a heat that fills the palate.
Soft, blackberry fruit flavors. At 100 proof, it has a kick. A nice digestivo.

The Ellensburg Distillery El Chalán Pisco ($60)

A distinctive “cask-strength”
brandy sold as 105 proof. Should have a splash of water added when it’s
consumed to help open up aromas of caramel and spiced apple. A little goes a
long way. Luxurious, warm drink for sipping by the fire—or bonfire.