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Certified Quality Grappa

Grappa is a fragrant grape-based pomace-brandy of between 50% and 80% alcohol by volume, of Italian origin by tradition, culture and law.

Since 1989, thanks to the European Law 1567/89, " Grappa" can be named just the grape-pomace distillates produced in Italy from Italian raw material.

Literally "grape stalk", most grappa is made by distilling pomace, grape residue (mainly the skins, but also stems and seeds) left over from winemaking after pressing. It was originally made to prevent waste by using leftovers at the end of the wine season. It quickly became commercialised, mass-produced, and sold worldwide.

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

In Italy, grappa is primarily served as a "digestivo" or after-dinner drink. Its main purpose was to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Grappa may also be added to espresso coffee to create a caffÚ corretto meaning corrected coffee. Another variation of this is the "ammazza caffè" (literally, "coffee-killer"): the espresso is drunk first, followed by a few ounces of grappa served in its own glass.

There are three different types of firms working with spirits: distillery who produce and bottle spirit (about 135), distillery who produce and sell directly without bottle, distillery who buys the spirit to transform it for bottle (about 500).

Distilleria Bertagnolli is belonging to the first type, receiving grape-pomace, distilling them and selling the grappa still transformed and bottled.