The Grappa Vocabulary
Grappa
spirit made from fermented and distilled pressed grapes directly through water vapour (Regulation n° 1576/89 European Union).
Distillation
heating process that separates and condensates vapors of released substances with different consistency.
Pressed grapes
grape skins that are separated from must or wine.
Spirit
generic name that is given to drinks of high alcoholic contents and that are produced from distillation of alcoholic raw materials such as:
- from wine: brandy, cognac, armagnac
- from pressed grapes: grappa
- from sugar cane syrup: rhum
- from cereals: whisky, vodka, bourbon
Alambicco
equipment suitable for converting a liquid into steam and subsequently reconditioning it. The most elemental alambic consists of a heat source, a closed boiler in which the liquid is placed, a collector that conveys the vapors into a condensation coolant.
Still
the time it takes to load the wine in the boiler and its distillation until exhaustion and final discharge.
head
First extract of spirit made from distillation. This substances is rich in components and alcohols that can be dangerous to health (methanol, ethanol) and must be rejected.
Heart
Pure extract of spirit that is made after eliminating the heads and before turning into scraps. This extract will be used to produce the final product.
Scraps
Final extract deriving from distillation rich in essential oils and unpleasant substances that will be refined in future distillation processes.
