Grappa

Grappa is an Italian spirit made by distilling the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems (i.e. the pomace) that is left-over from the winemaking process after the pressing of the grapes; the French equivalent of this practice is referred to as marc.

The raw materials are distilled, and sometimes fruit or other aromatic essences are added. In recent years the quality of grappa has become more refined, flavourful and smooth with leading producers such as Nonino promoting their grappas in beautiful hand-blown bottles.

The flavour of grappa, like that of wine, depends on the type and quality of the grapes used, as well as the specifics of the distillation process.

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as an after-dinner drink, its main purpose to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa is also often added to espresso coffee for varying effects.

Most grappa is clear, indicating it is an un-aged distillate, although some variants retain very faint pigments from their original fruit pomace or added essences.