Up close with the gaja heiress

Gaia Gaja, the beautiful daughter of Angelo Gaja and the fifth-generation owner of 250 acres of family winery, tells us about two spirits close to her heart—the Gaia & Rey Sauvignon Blanc, named after her and her grandmother and the grappa, Italy’s best-known liqueur, which can warm you up even on an icy cold evening. 

Gaia & rey
“Gaia & Rey was the first white wine ever produced by the Gaja family. It comes from the Gaia & Rey vineyard, which was planted in 1979 and was one of Piedmont’s first Chardonnay vineyards. I really feel proud to have a wine named after me and my grandmother Clotilde Rey. As a child, it gave me quite a kick,” she laughs. So what’s this wine like? As we sip the wine, she explains that it has a fruity aroma with “hints of toast and vanilla as well as the aromas of citrus fruits.” “Don’t you just love the long, lingering finish? “ she asks. As someone who likes younger, fruity wines, I have to agree.

Why is it that Italian wines have only recently started making a mark in the international arena? “Blame it on our lack of marketing skills,” she says, adding: “Till a few years ago, the domestic market consumed most of our wines. Italian wines are seldom mass produced like French wines, even though there are over 15,000 wine varieties in Italy. Italians are used to having wine with every meal, much like you drink water.

Barbaresco district

Grappa
Another drink close to Gaia’s heart is the grappa that Gaja produces, once again from its Gaia & Rey vineyards. Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace brandy of between 50 and 80 per cent alcohol by volume (100 to 160 proof), of Italian origin. Literally "grape stalk", most grappa is made by distilling pomace, grape residue (mainly the skins, but also stems and seeds) left over from winemaking after pressing. “Grappa is a fabulous wine liqueur and is not meant for people with a weak constitution,” she says with a hint of pride.

Drinking grappa: In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a “digestivo” or after-dinner drink. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee. In some Italian states, it’s a tradition that after a cup of espresso with sugar is downed, a few drops of grappa are poured into the nearly empty cup and swirled, and drunk down in one sip. Some grappa, known as prima uva, is made with the whole grapes. The flavour of grappa, like that of wine, depends on the type and quality of the grape used as well as the specifics of the distillation process.

Storing Grappa
Although you will often see the decorative Grappa bottles lined up behind bars and at restaurants, Grappa is best stored in a cool, dark place. Out of light and heat, they can last several years, though they will lose some of their fragrance as they age.

The Gaja Winery was founded by Giovanni Gaja in 1859 and has been owned and operated by four generations of the Gaja family. Giovanni Gaja was the great-grandfather of Angelo Gaja, the winery's current owner. The Gaja Winery owns 250 acres of vineyards in Piedmont, located in the Barbaresco district (Barbaresco and Treiso) and the Barolo district (Serralunga d'Alba and

La Morra) and is known to produce some of the best Italian wines.

The Grappa Trick
Gaia Gaja tells you how to check if the grappa you just bought is the best.
Pour a little bit, maybe a teaspoon of grappa on your palm
Rub your palms vigorously
Wave the palms for a few seconds
Smell your palms. If the grappa is very good, it will smell just like a wine perfume as the alcohol content will evaporate. If it still smells of alcohol, the grappa is not of the best quality