Kerner Grappa and Nocino (Walnut Liquor)
In the area of Bleggio grapes and walnuts do not only mean wine and kernels: you can also discover their taste through distillation. As a matter of fact, from Kerner grapes a semi-aromatic grappa preserving all the freshness of the homonymous wine is obtained; walnuts are used to prepare a magical liquor, sacred for witches: the so-called "nocino". According to the pagan tradition, walnuts should be harvested during the short midsummer night, between 23rd and 24th June: the walnut of Bleggio is harvested in early summer, when the husk is still soft, and then macerates in the grappa until late winter. It is left standing for a few years. Finally, the dark and tasty nocino is obtained. To sip after dinner, in good company, next to the fireplace or under a pergola.
