Limited edition, artisan dark chocolate pralines with Grappa Riserva Triè Villa de Varda cream filling

This set of pralines is hand-made by the maître chocolatier of Villa de Varda, an artisan grappa distillery set in the Dolomite Alps. The pralines have a dark chocolate shell, and are filled with a delicate and soft Grappa Riserva Triè-infused cream.

This unique and delightful treat offers the best of both worlds: the refined bitterness of Italian dark chocolate, and the rich flavour of barrique-aged grappa.

Grappa Riserva Triè is produced from three grapes: Teroldego, Pinot Bianco and Müller Thurgau. Mauro Dolzan, the master distiller, only uses freshly-squeezed grape pulp – still wet with the juice (pictured). This is a very expensive raw material, and the resulting spirit bursts with fresh grape aromas. The spirit is diluted to 40° ABV using fresh water from the mountain glacier, just behind the village (pictured). Finally, the grappa is aged for three years in new barriques made of oak, acacia and cherry wood.

These Dark Chocolate Praline with Grappa Riserva Triè sweets are a limited edition product, only available in tiny quantities. Before, you could only find them in a few specialist shops in Switzerland, Austria and north-east Italy. Now they’re available at Independent Wine.