Grappa and Marc

Where it started

Italian law first protected grappa in 1951 (Law 1559) and again by presidential decree in 1997; the European Community protected the name from 29 May 1989.³ The current technical file was approved by ministerial decree on 28 January 2016, replacing the 2011 version from 1 August 2016, and dropped an earlier requirement to bottle in Italy after the European Commission objected.²

Where and how it's made

The EU category rules apply first: grape marc spirit is made only from fermented grape marc, distilled by steam or after adding water, with the first distillation carried out in the presence of the marc itself and every distillation below 86 percent alcohol.⁴ Up to 25 kilograms of lees may be added per 100 kilograms of marc, and alcohol from the lees may not exceed 35 percent of the total.⁴ The minimum bottling strength is 37.5 percent.⁴

Grappa adds a place. The name is reserved for marc spirit from grapes grown and vinified in Italy and distilled and processed in plants on Italian territory.¹ Stills may be continuous or batch.¹ No ethyl alcohol may be added at any stage; the spirit is cut with water, chilled or filtered to remove oils, and may be sweetened up to 20 grams per liter.¹ Methanol is capped at 1,000 grams per hectoliter of pure alcohol.¹ Caramel is allowed only for grappa aged at least 12 months.¹

How to taste it

A small tulip, slightly cool for young grappa, room temperature for aged. Smell for the grape: Moscato and other aromatic varieties read as flowers and peach skin. After dinner it sits well beside espresso, hard cheeses or almond biscotti.

Styles and what the label means

• Young grappa — clear, unaged.
• Vecchia / Invecchiata — at least 12 months in unvarnished wood under fiscal control.¹
• Riserva / Stravecchia — at least 18 months.¹
• Single-varietal — one grape named on the label, with up to 15 percent of others tolerated; no more than two varieties may be named.¹
• Regional grappas — Grappa di Barolo, Grappa di Marsala, Grappa trentina, Grappa friulana, Grappa veneta, Südtiroler Grappa, Grappa piemontese, lombarda and siciliana are protected names of their own.¹
• Grappa in the U.S. — an allowed name for grape pomace brandy.⁵
• Fruit marc spirit — marc of fruit other than grapes, named after the fruit.⁴