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 n order to make a distillate that can be called "grappa," one must use residues obtained from grapes grown and vinified in Italy. The distillation, too, must take place in Italian distilleries that meet specific national and EU requirements. |
| Grappa is the only distillate that can be made from solids, which must be placed directly in an alembic still. The stills used in the production of grappa can be of two different kinds: a continuous-column still or a simple pot still.
The continuous-column stills work constantly: they are supplied steadily with grape skins and residues, which they turn into an alcoholic solution that ultimately becomes grappa after a second fermentation.
Simple pot stills, on the other hand, work in stages. The boiler is first filled with grape skins and residues, which are heated and distilled into alcohol and aromatic substances, and then emptied.
There are three kinds of simple pot stills:
- Direct flame: the boiler is placed directly over the flame (this is the oldest method, almost abandoned nowadays).
- Bain-marie (double boiler): the boiler has a hollow space that is filled with water or steam, allowing for extremely slow distillation (this is also an ancient method, but is still widely used because it gives great results).
- Steam: consists of a series of small boilers with perforated baskets containing the skins, into which steam is introduced from an independent tank (this more modern method is widely used today because it yields a good-quality product and is very cost-effective).
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