Grappa and some curiosities about it!
Is there something better than a good grappa at the end of the day? Sipped in front of a fireplace to warm up a cold winter evening or to conclude an important dinner. For the stronger and refined palates is not difficult to appreciate the particular taste of Grappa, the famous distillate of pomace that reinvigorate the body and the mind with its high alcoholic volume that oscillate on average between 40 and 60%.
We are revealing, in this article, seven curiosities and peculiarities of this precious distillate that maybe you don’t know yet!
1. Grappa: only in Italy and San Marino
A European regulation dated back to 1989 states that the name grappa could be used only for distillates of pomace produced in Italy and in the small country of San Marino. Outside the national borders it has to be called with other names, for instance in France it is called Marc and in Spain its name is Aguardiente de Orujo.
2. Grappa from grappolus or from graspa?
There is a debate about the etymology of the word Grappa, there is in fact someone that sates that it derives from the Latin word grappolus that means bunch of grapes, word used probably in the late Latin-medieval period. Another thesis affirms that it derives, instead, from the word “graspa” used in the dialect of Veneto, better of Treviso to be more precise, a place that produces high quantity and high quality grappa.
3. Grappa and spirit (acquavite): they are different!
These words are often used indiscriminately! Experts, however, care about highlighting that the word grappa means an Italian distillate made completely with pomace, whereas spirit or acquavite, is a generic word to state the production throughout the distillation. Thus it is necessary to specify the starting raw material: for example brandy is a wine spirit, vodka is made with potatoes, and so on.
4. Female grappa
Grappa, in the collective imagination, is a distillate for male, maybe for its marked aroma. But in the last years, women begin to show a kind of appreciation. In 2001 in Italy was born a foundation completely run by female: Donne della Grappa, that includes female grappa makers, female experts, female passionate, reaching 300 subscribers in whole Italy.
5. 40 millions bottles!
Do you know how much grappa is produced in Italy? 40 millions bottles of 0,7 litres each. The data have been spread, as each year, by the national institutions subjected to the control of the production and selling of alcoholic beverages. It certifies a high production and consumption of grappa.
