grappa

grappa is an Italian pomace brandy, the equivalent to France’s marc, and is protected by European Union and Italian law. The pomace—skins, stems, seeds, and other solid matter remaining after grapes are pressed to make wine, called vinaccia in Italian—must come from grapes grown and vinified in Italy and can be distilled anywhere in the country, though most grappa comes from the northern provinces. It can be distilled to a maximum of 86 percent ABV. Continuous stills are primarily used by the major industrial producers who account for the majority of grappa produced, while pot stills are mainly used in artisanal production. There are currently around 130 grappa producers in the country. It is estimated that more than 60 percent of the distilleries are in the northeast and about 20 percent in the northwest. About a third are located in the Veneto. Several of the most important ones are based in the town of Bassano del Grappa in Vicenza, the historic home of the drink and the source of the spirit’s current name, which until the 1950s was as likely to be called “aquavite” or “acqua vitae.” By tradition, grappa was known as “cot” in Piemonte and “sgnapa” or “graspa” in Triveneto.

By Italian law, there are a variety of defined grappas: giovane or bianco, aged a minimum of six months, usually in stainless steel or glass; affinata in legno, aged in wood six to twelve months; invecchiata, aged in wood at least twelve months; and riserva or stravecchia, aged in wood at least eighteen months. When aged in wood, some grappa sees oak, but cherry, acacia, chestnut, and other woods are used as well.

There are also grappas granted geographical names—for example, grappa di Barolo, grappa Friuli, and the like; grappa monovitigno, coming at least 85 percent from a single grape variety; and grappa aromatizzata, containing herbs, spices, or fruits like basil, chamomile, gentian, juniper, licorice, lemon balm, nettle, pine, rhubarb, or rue. Grappas called aromatica are simply made from aromatic grapes like moscato or sauvignon blanc, and they can be bottled giovane, affinata, or riserva. Regardless of the many categories, most grappa by far is unoaked and minimally aged.

To be sold, grappa must have an alcoholic content of not less than 37.5 percent ABV (40 percent for those with geographic indications) and can be as high as 60 percent. Muscat, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, pinot nero, and prosecco are the most used varietals.

Three varieties of vinaccia, depending on the degree of their fermentation, are used: unfermented, usually from white wines; half-fermented, usually from rosé wines; and fully fermented, from red wine. The vinaccia is then distilled in its solid form, as Italian law prohibits adding water, and is heated until the alcohol begins to evaporate and is then captured, cooled, and condensed into a liquid.

After distillation, producers are allowed to add water, as well as 2 percent sugar and 3 percent natural additives (fruits, herbs, flavors, aromas, and natural coloring) per liter of undiluted grappa. Regulations require that these additives not affect the grappaws sensory profile, but none of these additions need to be stated on the label.

The best grappa comes from fresh vinaccia, which usually has a higher residual sugar content thanks to light crushing. Single-grape-varietal grappas are usually considered more flavorful and refined, aromatically rich while retaining the earthy and sometimes petrol-like quality of more rustic grappas. They are also pricier. The single varietals from northern regions are particularly prized, since they’re made with red grapes that are grown in a cool climate and possess the high acidity needed to produce finer spirits.

Grappa is traditionally consumed with espresso in a drink known as caffé coretto, or “corrected coffee”—espresso served with a side of grappa, some of which is added to the coffee immediately, with the remaining grappa swirled into the coffee cup after the coffee is consumed. While it is sometimes served in the morning, the practice likely developed as a result of both being presented after meals. The Instituto Nazionale Grappa recommends serving grappa in small tulip-shaped glasses with open rims, rather than balloons or narrow glasses.

Until the early 1990s, grappa was much ridiculed outside of Italy as a fiery, rough Italian moonshine, a workingman’s drink made from the dregs of the winemaking process. The transformation from a rustic peasant tipple into a premium drink began in the early 1970s with producers like Giannola Nonino, who had inherited the Nonino distillery and launched the first super-premium grappa, a single varietal made from the native Friulian grape picolit using only freshly and lightly pressed pomace. Other producers, like Romano Levi, developed a cult following for rare grappas, and savvy Italian marketers began to package the spirit in elaborate hand-blown Murano glass bottles.

With the rise of northern Italian cooking internationally, grappa began to be discovered by international spirit fans. Still, annual production has stayed relatively flat, around 45 million 700 ml bottles per year, with most consumed in Italy; Germany by far is the largest export market. Today Nonino and Poli are among the best-known artisanal producers, while Bonollo, Nardini, and Stock are the major industrial producers.

Behrendt, Axel, and Bibiana Behrendt. Grappa: A Guide to the Best. New York: Abbeville, 1999.

Bodin, Ove. Grappa: Italy Bottled. Stockholm: Stockholm Text, 2012.

Instituto Nazionale Grappa. http://www.istitutograppa.org/ita/le-domande-sulla-grappa.html (accessed February 12, 2021).

By: Jack Robertiello