Grapperia Nardini — Restaurant in Bassano del Grappa

CORE MEMORY UNLOCKED!

One year ago, my soon-to-be fiancée and I visited Nardini on a Sunday around noon. The Grapperia was bustling when we arrived--the bar was full, as were the tables inside, and a few people were out sipping out front on the Ponte Vecchio. I stood in line to order a handful of small pours while my partner waited for a table to open.

I didn't have to wait long, service was very efficient. And, as luck would have it, the PERFECT table in the corner below the window overlooking both the Ponte and the city to the south opened up for us.

A group, clearly locals, was sitting at the table in front of us. They had asked my partner something in Italian, but "non parlo Italiano. Inglese." When I arrived with our 6 grappa and amari pours, one gentlemen at the table asked me where we were from and what I'd picked out. We struck up a short convo, and he listened attentively as I stumbled through the little Italian I know. After talking cocktails for a moment, he walked out of the room (I assumed to use the restroom), returning with a small book he put on my table, "The Grappa Handbook." I flipped through it, and went to take a picture of one of the cocktail recipes, until he said "no my friend, that's for you to take with you." What a cool gift!

Then, out of nowhere, the place completely emptied out. It was just myself, my partner, and the signore at the table in front of us. We continued chatting a bit, when suddenly, one of the bartenders appeared with a tray full of Nardini Bitter Apertivo. Our new friend had apparently called in a round for us. By that point I figured he was probably a Nardini distributor or an employee who wasn't working at the moment.

It was time for us to head to the next stop on our tour, so I went to use the restroom before we headed out. When I returned, my partner was flanked by 3 older gentlemen, plus our mysterious benefactor, with everyone (my partner included) yucking it up like old friends. I sat down, trying to figure out how everyone had gotten so cozy during my 2 minute absence, and learned that this group (an Italian expat living in England and his two best friends) makes a sojourn back to the Italian's hometown of Bassano every year. More drinks came out, and we were happy to stay and chat with new friends. As we talked, I began to understand that our benefactor was not just an affiliate or an off-shift employee. Eventually, I pulled a bartender aside and asked who he was. "That's the big boss."

Turns out, we had just unknowingly spent our afternoon with Nardini Managing Director Antonio Guarda Nardini. He treated us like VIPs and we had the most memorable distillery experience we've ever had. He kindly signed the book he gave me as a gift before we parted ways.

We can't wait to return. Bassano is an amazing place that we now have once-in-a-lifetime memories from. By all means, MAKE SURE AND VISIT...

I love Nardini grappa, always have and always will. Simply the best Italian Grappa in my opinion. It was a bucket list to visit here and it did not let me down. A wonderful venue, and a great opportunity to taste the upper level and more select grappas. And this unfortunately is where I felt disappointed....the staff were not very engaging and not very welcoming. They quite simply made me feel awkward with my engagement and questions. Coming from a country where the barman is also a salesman, i.e they welcome you with a smile and a bit of banter. IMO, experienced and good barmen should be able to help you in selecting something different and put you at ease with the higher price of something more select if the quality is higher and maybe requires a little bit of explanation as to why. I absolutely did not feel that here and had to sell the idea to myself as to why I would pay a premium price for a bottle of an older grappa. After getting the bottle home I was not disappointed, it was pure heaven, but I could not help myself thinking back to my negative experience in the Nardini bar and the coldness from the two barmen on duty. I honestly believe that with a smile and a bit more friendliness and enthusiasm Nardini could quadruple their sales at this particular venue. I could only dream of working in such a venue in such a historical and gorgeous town. Sláinte a Bassano del Grappa...

Revisited in august 2025: same old, same old, please don't change. Revisited in May 2023: Still the smooooothest grappa in this part of Europe, still the same nice guys serving it, but not 24/7 anymore (maybe because it is out of season or maybe because of some covid restricion?) so time your visit well so that you get your liquid piece of Heaven. My previous opinion from 2019: Most popular place in town. Probably the only more famous thing in town is the bridge it stands on. Excellent drinks, expert waiters, nice low prices. I sometimes make a huge turn to Bassano just to visit the place and buy a couple of liters of booze... Try spritz with Nardini Rosso and one of the...