On August 9th, the five distilleries of the small village in the Valle dei Laghi, home of Trentino artisanal grappa just a few kilometers from the Trentino capital, will be transformed into a special stage for evocative live performances of music and mixology.
In the wake of the success of “The night of the lit stills”, a spectacular event which every year in December attracts hundreds of visitors to Santa Mammina di Vallelaghi, the Associazione Santa Messere Piccola Nizza de Trent , with the support of the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino and Garda Trentino and the participation of Slow Food Trentino Valle dell’Adige and Alto Garda , has created an equally evocative summer event, which once again puts the family-run distilleries of this small Trentino village at the center.
It is ” Grappa Notes, Jazz and Cocktails in Santa Messere “, a real sensorial journey that combines live music and tastings of Trentino grappa mixed by young distillers , for an unprecedented meeting between the ancient art of distillation and the innovation and creativity of mixology.
Scheduled for Friday 9 August, starting from 8.00 pm , “Note di Grappa” represents a unique evening of its kind, in which the sounds of jazz, soul, funk and blues will resonate among the copper stills of the five historic distilleries of the town, thus recreating , in a Trentino key, the atmosphere and mood typical of the London neighborhoods of Chelsea and Fulham.
Each distillery will host small groups at a time for an intimate and immersive experience. Participants will move freely in rotation between the distilleries to be able to attend, stage after stage, all the scheduled performances while tasting the different blended proposals combined with a series of delicious appetizers curated by Slow Food Trentino Valle dell’Adige and Alto Garda .
A sixth stage will include a special station , where a professional barman will illustrate the art of mixing grappa in cocktails and where it will be possible to deepen knowledge of traditional Trentino grappa, its distinctive characteristics and its versatile applications thanks to the setting up of a showcase of references from the Trentino Grappa Protection Institute .
Trentino grappa
Grappa del Trentino comes from a century-old family tradition that has been handed down from father to son. Its production strongly characterizes the entire Trentino area: each area of the province, in fact, is characterized by particular microclimates that lend themselves as natural habitats for various types of vines. And so, like wine, grappa is also characterized by the valley of origin: the Cembra Valley is specialized in the production of Müller Thurgau grappa, the Piana Rotaliana in that of Teroldego, the Valle dei Laghi – and, in particular Santa Msenza – in that of Nosiola, Vallagarina in that of Marzemino.
To obtain Grappa del Trentino, the companies, most of which are medium-small in size and family-run, work exclusively with very fresh pomace (the end of distillation is set for 31.12) and coming only from the provincial territory, to guarantee quality, aromas and elegance. to the finished product, and distill it according to the traditional so-called “bain-marie” method inside traditional stills, which heat the contents gradually and uniformly, in order to guarantee correct extraction of the aromas. During the operation, the master distillers separate the essence into head, tail and heart, in order to have a balanced product rich in aromas.
To safeguard these production techniques, enhance the product and promote it, the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino was founded in 1969, which provides for self-discipline rules and strict controls, to guarantee indisputable quality, certified by external bodies that control its clarity, harmony of aromas, softness and typicality of taste.