Grappa Made in Australia | The Taste of Bolda

A Northern-Style Grappa from A Southern Source. A Flavour Journey.

From the province of Vicenza to suburban Melbourne, this is the story of not only a drink but also a cultural ritual.

Whether consumed as a ‘digestivo’ after a substantial meal, or combined with coffee for a morning kick or to cleanse the post-coffee palette, grappa is Italy’s identity in liquor.

Historically (and commonly) distilled at home by family patriarchs, the spirit is produced with what would be considered as ‘waste’ in the winemaking industry — discarded wine grape skins, seeds and stems. This is commonly referred to as pomace/marc in English, vinacce in Italian, and graspe in Venetian.

The drink’s reputation — and let’s be honest, the allure of it — is based on the variable results that home production would create. It is testimony to the resourceful nature of post-war Europeans both on the Continent and in the working class suburbs of Australia.

But grappa has come a long way; these are exciting times. And in Australia, Bolda delivers the product with a nuanced cross-cultural fusion of elements, bringing it into the 21st century for spirit appreciators beyond the double-bricked walls and amber-tinted doors of Melbourne’s northern side. 

Vic’s ‘Victalian’ Pedigree.

North Fitzroy native Vic Testolin’s decades-long experience is infused with traditions in brewing as well as distilling — the brewing from a career at Carlton United and the distilling knowledge as a hand-me-down rite of passage from his grandfather Vittorio and father Cesare, who hailed from Italy’s northern epicentre of fine distilling.

With this, and a passion for environmentally conscious techniques and equipment, Vic is determined to keep Vittorio’s prohibition era story alive via presenting such a close-to-the-heart tipple to the greater community of celebratory drinkers across Australia.

More of Vittorio’s story and the history of the Bolda name.