Generality
Grappa and other spirits are probably the "close relatives" of the oldest spirits discovered so far. The historical findings speak of a certain "arzente water", described by Marius Graecus in the "VIII century; this drink was prepared by distilling the wine itself and already in the XVIII century it acquired the name of" acqua vitae "(for pharmacological use).
Grappa is a typical Italian drink; the legislation defines grappa as a: "Italian or San Marino distillate, obtained from the pomace of grapes produced and vinified ONLY in the same geographical areas". Similar beverages, but obtained regardless of the aforementioned standards, CANNOT be defined as" grappa ".
From a product point of view, grappa is a particular type of brandy made with VINACCIA. This clarification is extremely important, as distillation can be applied to many other raw materials; for example: fermented potatoes, wheat and other fermented grains, fermented sugar cane, fermented wort, wine etc.
We remind you that grappa can be obtained by distillation from 3 different types of marc:
- fermented pomace of red wine
- semi-fermented pomace for rosé wine
- unfermented pomace for the white vinification from red grapes (made by rapid removal of the pomace from the must, called draining).
In the last two cases, the pomace is further fermented to obtain a certain alcohol content and organoleptic characteristics that are otherwise insufficient or inappropriate.
Grappa is obtained so ONLY from the distillation of fermented marc; by disambiguation, we specify that apparently similar products exist but, from the product point of view, very different. This is the case of grape brandy (obtained by distillation of the must) and of brandy, cognac etc. (obtained by distillation of wine).
Why, and how, are red or mixed pomace used for rosé wine, and red pomace for white wine in the production of grappa?
Because grappa is an alcoholic product obtained from the reuse of wine processing waste. However, to obtain a grappa with the RIGHT organoleptic and gustatory characteristics, it is necessary that certain molecules typical of red grape skins are present. Well, many do not know that rosé wine can be made from a mixture of white and red grapes, and exclusively from red grapes. The latter are responsible for the pigmentation of the must when they are left to macerate together with the pressed juice; in white wine, on the other hand, they are immediately eliminated by draining. Ultimately, for rosé wine from red grapes, the color is proportional to the time of "infusion" of the skins together with the juice, while for that obtained from mixed grapes, these are suitably dosed in proportion to the white ones and left to macerate until the last with the pressing liquid. It is therefore logical that the "waste" red pomace of the rosé vinification can only be partially fermented, while those of the white vinification are totally "virgin".
Finally, we remind you that the refinement of grappa also derives from two other very important factors, namely the presence (or the possible quantity) of stalks or residues of the same, and the presence (or the possible quantity) of grape seeds. These woody portions, in particular in the case of stalks, are responsible for an unpleasant organoleptic structure; with regard to grape seeds, however, their use seems less incisive.
Having said this, it is curious to note how the term "grappa" derives from the noun "graspa", in turn distorted by the name "graspo", which represents precisely the undesirable portion both in the vinification and in the distillation of grappa. It is conceivable that in the typical areas of origin (Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto), "graspa" does NOT mean the woody waste of the bunch, but the bunch itself.
Production
Grappa is produced through a series of consecutive, irreplaceable and non-reversible operations, ranging from "ensiling to" bottling.
Figure taken from: "Distillation of Grappa" - University of Milan - Didactic and Research Center of Crema
The first step in the production of grappa is the "ensiling of the pomace; these, already pressed after separation from the must, are stored inside a silos of cement or iron (coated in resin) or in a wooden vat, in which they are further pressed (to eliminate air pockets) and covered with plastic sheets.
Distillation follows, that is the most important phase, which allows to separate the volatile components (of which the most important are water and alcohol). These, evaporated with the heat, are selected and recondensed separately with the cold. Since alcohol evaporates at a temperature of 78.4 ° C and water at 100 ° C, the condensed liquid will certainly contain more alcohol than water. However, a mixture consisting of 95% alcohol and 5% water boils earlier than one of alcohol only, which is why distillation CANNOT obtain an alcohol content greater than 95% alcohol. In this phase, with the use of a deflemmator (cooling system at the top of the distiller), the alcoholic vapors are concentrated to the maximum before condensation to reduce the number of total distillations. In this way it is possible to exploit the greater condensation capacity of the water (then removed) to purify the steam of the boiler.
A further step is rectification, that is the process that allows you to keep the valuable components and eliminate (or reduce to the right point) the unwanted and / or harmful ones. In the production of artisanal grappa it is said that they divide the head, the body and the tail; the head is made up of volatile substances that boil before ethyl alcohol, the body or heart is made up of molecules that evaporate between 78.4 ° C and 100 ° C, the tail contains the volatile compounds released over 100 ° C.
In the event that the alcohol content of the grappa (generally between 50-60 ° C) is excessive for the purpose (eg consumption without aging), it can be subjected to the reduction of the alcohol content by adding distilled water. This can be an advantage for the stability of the beverage over time, due to the percentage reduction of degradable molecules such as fatty acids and relative esters with alcohols.
Then the refrigeration takes place, which serves to solubilize the unwanted oils phlegm. This is carried out at a temperature of -10 or -20 ° C for 48 hours, by means of a subsequent filtration in septa which retain the unsolubilized oils.
Additional filtration is applied with paper or pressure filters, eliminating the flocs precipitates or other unwanted substances.
Most of the grappas are also aged, which is applied in NON-waterproofed wooden barrels for a short period (6-12 months, containers of up to 6,000 liters) or long (5-15 years, containers of up to 700 liters). The rooms used are at a temperature of 20-25 ° C and humidity below 70%.
Finally, after a verification of the specific characteristics, the grappa is bottled in glass containers with capacities from 3 centiliters to 2 liters.
Grappa with pomegranate
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Nutritional properties and health aspects of grappa
Grappa is a drink that can be classified among spirits. Being distilled, it does not have the few nutritional advantages of fermented beverages (especially wine), such as the antioxidant content. At the same time, the intake of ethyl alcohol is very high and requires extremely low consumption. To give some examples, if it is true that alcohol consumption should be limited to about 1 or 2 alcoholic units per day, we could say that this limit would easily be achieved with: 1-2 glasses of 125ml of wine, or 1-2 bottles of 330ml of plain lager, or 1-2 30ml small glasses of grappa.
See Online Alcohol Units Calculator
Grappa is therefore a mere alcoholic source, as there are no significant contributions of vitamins, mineral salts or antioxidants of any kind.
We also remember that the abuse of grappa (as of ANY other spirits), involves many negative effects. Among these, we remember:
- overweight (due to the transformation of alcohol into fatty acids and the insulin-stimulating effect of alcohol itself);
- gastro-esophageal disorders (heartburn, reflux, gastritis and predisposition to much more serious pathologies);
- malnutrition (due to impaired intestinal absorption and tendency to diarrhea with inflammation of the mucosa);
- liver toxicity (predisposition to fatty steatosis and cirrhosis);
- systemic toxicity (especially affecting the nervous system, but there are negative effects affecting other organs such as the pancreas, kidneys, prostate, etc.);
- predisposition to various types of cancer.
Finally, it may be helpful to learn that alcohol can lead to undesirable drug interactions. Some are:
- to enhance the effect of ethanol itself (as occurs for various sedatives, hypnotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, anxiolytics, opiate analgesics);
- increased activity or concentration in the blood of drugs (sedatives, hypnotics, narcotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics, analgesics, barbiturates, antipsychotics);
- decreased activity or blood concentration of drugs (oral contraceptives, anticoagulants, antibiotics such as tetraicline or quinolones);
- unstable blood levels of drugs (neuroleptic antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, oral hypoglycemic agents);
- possibility of toxic effects (paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, oral hypoglycemic agents, antibiotics, sulfonamides, some antifungals).
