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Grappa
In the universe of Vicentine foods and beverages, grappa occupies a top ranking position. Produced historically throughout our province in copper alembics of over a direct fire of extremely small dimensions. Over the last thirty years it has experienced a progressive evolution and perfection of the productive process which has not altered however the artisan method of processing.
The history of distilling the most different raw materials has deep roots in a distant past. In fact the Egyptians knew this art, which was handed down to us through the Arabian culture. As far as the distillation of wine dregs is concerned, one of the most ancient documents testifying to the procedure is dated 1451 the term “grape”
appears in this document, which probably referred to the modern day grappa. In the same years, Michele Savonarola of Padua wrote “De Arte Conficenda Acqua Vitae”. In 1540 a treatise that was widely read in Venice, entitled “De pirotecnia” written by Vanoccio Biringuccio contained an entire chapter on the art of distilling. At that time the term “acquavite” was referred almost exclusively to distilled wine, which was use only for the care of various ailments. In the initial decades of the seventeenth century, it was recognised that wine dregs were also a source of alcohol and more detailed studies were made on the production of alcoholic products for drinking which led to the institution in Venice of the famous Corporation of Aquavit Producers.
The relationship between grappa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a question of controversy; if on one hand facilitations were granted in favour of agricultural distilling, on the other, limitations were posed with respect to the quantity of aquavits that could be produced, in relation to the land owned. After Italy was united, a special tax on the production of spirits was instituted in 1870. In 1888 family distilling was permitted for no more than 50 litres of aquavit per year. At the beginning of the twentieth century, finally, the term “grappa” which was already in use in common language, officially became part of the Italian vocabulary.
Once considered a simple product for simple people, as much as it is obtained from the distillation of wine dregs (namely the skins and dregs of grapes), grappa had both a “nutritional” and “pharmaceutical” function. It was also one of the characteristic ingredients of the “agricultural aperitif”, together with wine and water and was the main component of the “grey-green”, or the characteristic glass of grappa and mint, which men once drank in the “bottega”, a bar that offered restoration from the cold.
Where it is produced
Historically, grappa is produced in the area of the Berici Hills and Bassano. Vicentine grappa is a distilled product of prevalently red wine dregs from the vines of Merlot, Cabernet and other varieties of autochthonous vines, such as Barbarano (Tocai Rosso), Cruajo and Groppello. The Veneto is the Italian region that produces the greatest quantities of this aquavit, amounting to almost 40% of the national production. Ten Venetan companies alone account for 60% of overall exports.
How it is produced
The method of production used by most of the Vicentine companies is “discontinuous cycle” steam distillation in special copper alembics. The dregs are loaded into the alembics and distilled through a process that lasts about two hours, which in jargon is referred to as “cooking”. The steam from the heating vats, enriched with alcohol and aromas from the dregs, passes through a column where special bored plates permit concentration of the level of alcohol. The alcoholic steam is then condensed, utilising the ancient serpentine tube cooled by cold water. The good part of the distilled substance (the “heart”) is then separated from the bad parts (“the head and tail”) and sent to the collection vats. The grappa comes out of the alembic being 80% alcohol; after each cooking, the heating vats are unloaded and filled up again with fresh dregs; this method is therefore defined “a discontinuous cycle” and represents the historical artisan method of production which is differentiated from the industrial “continuous cycle” method. When the phase of distilling is finished, the distilled product isconserved in a trustee warehouse under the control of the Technical Finance Office so that it can perform the analyses prescribed by law. Once the nulla osta has been obtained from the laboratories responsible for control, the grappa is reduced to a level of alcohol suitable for consumption by the addition of pure water and is then filtered. The last step in the process is packaging in glass containers with application of the special company label and the state marking.
Protection
Venetan grappa is protected by the Venetan Grappa Institute which involves the economic organisations that receive income from grappa, including the distillers of dregs, the bottlers and the wine and liquor distributors who market it. The Institute protects and enhance grappa that contains a mixture of culture and has deep roots in the Venetian land which is the leading region economy wise with this product
sector.
Where grappa is produced
Venetian grappa is often associated with a place that represents one of the characteristic moments of its history: the bridge of Bassano. It is cited in the famous song of the alpine troops, the eternal symbolism of friendship and brotherhood between the soldiers who fought courageously to defend their country during the first world war.
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