(Winemag) - The quality of grappa in America is on the rise, but this Italian brandy is often the butt of jokes in its home country. What will it take before grappa gets respect?

“My wife and I always travel with a bit of grappa in the car,” said the head of a large Italian winery that also makes grappa, “because if you run out of diesel, you can get 30 or 40 kilometers from a bottle!”

That offhand comment was intended as a joke. But if a well-known producer of grappa, Italy’s signature grape-based spirit, doesn’t respect it, why should anyone else?

According to the National Association of Industrial Distillers of Alcohol and Spirits, grappa production has risen slowly since 2010. Of the total production, roughly 10% is exported. And of that amount, a tiny fraction, under 3%, goes to North America.

Germany accounts for about half of all grappa exports, followed by Switzerland, which absorbs another 11%. Grappa producers are keen to expand sales outside of the European Union, particularly to North America.