Grappa

According to a well-known Italian legend, the first grappa was made in the 2nd century B.C. by a Roman soldier. He is said to have done so in the northern Italian town of Bassano del Grappa with instruments stolen from Egypt. However, this is probably a myth, since the means of distillation from that time were not suitable for making grappa. The first grappa was probably made between 1300 and 1400 in Italy, after the tools came from Persia and the Levant via the Crusades. Around this time, water was introduced as a coolant in the distilling process and made it possible to produce a significantly larger quantity. Around 1600, Jesuits in Spain, Italy and Germany began to study and document the techniques. Their methods are still used today. At The Museum of Wine and Grappa, you can see the historic equipment used for grappa distillation in the early years.

Bassano del Grappa today is still considered the place where grappa was first made, and the town also owes its name to it.

The modernization of grappa distillation is relatively recent, probably in 1979 in northern Italy. Modern refinements include the distillation of pulp under vacuum, the use of certain grape varieties and aging in barrels of different types of wood to enhance the drink’s flavor. Oak is the most commonly used, but some quality grappa is aged successively in oak, acacia, ash and cherry barrels; an innovation introduced by the Marzadro Distillery.

Today, the production of grappa is legislated by the European Union. To be called grappa, the drink must have been produced in Italy, San Marino or the Italian part of Switzerland. Also, the drink must be made from pure grape pulp and no additional water may be added during fermentation and distillation.

Grappa is made from excess grape pulp left over after making wine. This pulp consists of leftover grapes, grape skins, pulp, seeds, stems and whatever else remains. Grappa was originally made to avoid throwing away excess grapes at the end of the wine season and to avoid wasting all the remains of the winery. Grappa is made by fermenting the grape remnants and then distilling the remains. Additionally, the taste of grappa can be influenced during production by the addition of spices or sweet fruit syrups. The taste of grappa depends on the type and quality of grapes used, and the distillation process.

The distillation method of the pulp must be suitable solids, so cannot be done with a direct flame, but with a bain-marie or steam distillation; otherwise, parts of the pulp may burn. The woody parts of the grapes, such as the stems and seeds, are also fermented with the sugar-rich juice; this produces a very small amount of methanol, which is much more toxic than ethanol. Unlike the similar process of making red wine, the methanol in grappa is carefully removed during distillation. An Italian law requires winemakers to sell their pulp to grappa producers; This is a measure taken against “moonshining,” which is now very rare in Italy.

Most not long-aged grappa is transparent in color, indicating that it is a non-aged distillate, although some may contain very faint pigments from their original fruit pulp. Recently, aged grappas have become increasingly popular. These take on a yellow or reddish-brown hue from the barrels in which they are stored.