Grappa Question

[Loftness]

The great thing about Grappa is you can use it to restore metals, strip paint, unclog pipes, and aid in digestion.  Like others have said, the bad stuff is really bad (unless you're using it for those other activities) but the good stuff is less bad.  Actually I LOVE good Grappa, but it was an acquired taste.

Unfortunately it's considered a wine here in Ohio, and as such it falls under wine laws, and it's alcohol content is too high for stores to sell.  Even restaurants have a hard time getting their hands on it.  There may be loopholes, but it's near impossible to get in my area.  So friends that live in NY and Chicago bring it when they visit.

[Mark West]

I've had some good Grappa but they are costly. For the same price you can get some good single malt or other spirits that are much more to my taste.

[EVDavid]

BILL HAGAN.

Regarding the Piraeus bench of 1978, this happened to me in 1997. But in 1978 I was captain of a U.S. registered yacht on the slip in Piraeus, Perama yard. Had not discovered grappa then. Do remember climbing to the top of the mast to watch films from an open air cinema there so a good thing I hadnt discovered it.

The Greek army kicked the Italians out of Albania in the winter of 1940 and no doubt grappa on one side was competing with Tsiparo on the other.

[normzone]

Alright, you've piqued my interest. I'll go to my neighborhood bottle shop, Holiday Wine Cellars (great selection, actual cellar) and check this out.

[not-fishing]

Here's your Guzzi connection to Grappa.  Because rural grappa is mostly bootlegged, white-lightning and illegal.  How do you make liters of the stuff without getting caught?  Easy.  use coat hanger wire and wrap that around the neck of the bottle.  Take it out to the pig sty and bury the bottle with the post hole digger.  Cut off the exposed wire about a cm above pig slop level.  The 'revenuer' can't find your stash.  When you need it, just go to the sty on your hands and knees and slide your hands around in the slop until you snag the tip of w wire.  VOILA!  Hence, the modern brand name reverts to rural technology.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

So that's why I like Grappa so much.  Part of my family history for many-many-many generations (we married young and lots of kids) was the time honored tradition of turning grain into alcohol - on the Scotch / Irish side.

Granddad and Great Granddad were "Distributors" back in Arkansas meaning they made "whisky" by the drum-ful. 

The real reason Grandma had the family move west is Granddad and Great Granddad had been targeted by the Revenuers.

To keep the family tradition alive maybe I should look into making some grappa-shine with my Eye-talian Brother in Law.    :BEER:

Mark Younger
Folsom, Ca

[donn]

Seriously, have never really understood sambuco.  Always seemed an Italian version of (deservedly cursed) retsina (see response to EVDavid, above).  Blech.

Retsina!?  I think you meant ouzo.  Retsina is a table wine, for people who like spicy food and have gotten over looking for hints of melon and minerals and stuff like that in their wine.

Fernet I do not like.  I don't care if it's good for whatever they say it's good for -- I will hope to avoid whatever that is, and thus be twice better off - once for not going there, and once for not having to resort to Fernet to get me out.

[Bill Hagan]

Retsina!?  I think you meant ouzo.  Retsina is a table wine, for people who like spicy food and have gotten over looking for hints of melon and minerals and stuff like that in their wine.

Fernet I do not like.  I don't care if it's good for whatever they say it's good for -- I will hope to avoid whatever that is, and thus be twice better off - once for not going there, and once for not having to resort to Fernet to get me out.

Yes, quite right -- tho retsina also sux green eggs  >:( -- I meant ouzo.  I told you my memory of my time in Greece was faint.  Can't imagine why.   ;D

I do love F-B.  I know it's un-PC to mention Bill Cosby these days, but he did a piece on Fernet you might appreciate. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2LntsPxUEU 

Bill

[uncle]

I'm a big Grappa fan (well, drinking in general) - I like to find the good pedestrian (cheaper) Grappas out there.  Perfect drink for after a big meal and the need for something to 'talk back to you'...   

Also, in my book the Caffe Correcto is with Grappa and not 'other' spirits -

my $0.02

[not-fishing]

Maybe it's time I actually use my Chemistry degree.

Rum is made from the waste material (molasses) from sugar processing. Grappa is made from the waste material (pomace) from wine making. It was the drink of the frugal rural folk as there is still sufficient alcohol at about 12% present in the pomace. A more literary name would be "acquavite di vinaccia". Vinaccia is Italian for pomace. For similar reasons in Greece they make tsipouro/raki/ouzo out of stemfila which is Greek for pomace.

For the Greek version and using a single distillation, herbs (anise seeds etc.) are placed in the bottom of the pot to prevent the pomace from burning. Possibly 500g of aniseed/100kg pomace is used (this produces about 5l of spirit). For a second distillation product, steeping 100g of aniseed/litre of spirit and redistilling seems right (about the equiv. of 50 drops of aniseed oil/litre of spirit). In France grape residue is called marc and its used to make "eau-de-vie de marc".

Because grape residue contains seeds and stems, elementary distillation produces a rough product which was avoided by more discriminating drinkers. The seeds also produce quite a bit of methanol. Pomace after a first pressing contains much of the flavor of the particular grape type and thus the final product resembles brandy or fruit-based liquor. Lighter pressing of the grape must, better distillation techniques and packaging have made grappa into a sophisticated liquor.

The vinaccia should be distilled within 48 hours of pressing otherwise the aromatics disappear, and oxidation and acetification starts. On average 100kg of grape pomace yields from 4 - 8 litres of grappa at 70%abv. In making white wine, the grape is pressed first to extract the juice (100kg grapes produce about 55litres of juice), so the pomace from white grapes must be fermented separately to produce grappa. Water (or steam) is added to the red grape pomace resulting in a slurry called flemma which is then distilled. Water is added to white grape pomace which is first fermented and then distilled.--------------------------------

Modern method:
50 kg of pomace with 100litres of water (2 kg / 4 L)
25 kg of white sugar ( 1 kg / 4L)
Referment for a week, press out and distill the clean wash. I used a reflux tower with a jacket reflux and vapor condenser and which produces 75%abv which is a great brandy base. I kept 5 litres of the reconstituded wine under an air lock for 6 months and it made a reasonable light wine. This is based on the fact that to "reconstitute" the pomace to make a pseudo wine, we need 2kg pomace, 4l water and 1kg of sugar. These proportions are approx. equivalent to 7kg of fresh grapes which give about 4l of wine.

http://homedistiller.org/fruit/wash-fruit/grappa

[pebra]

I'm a grappa lover. I agree with what several other grappa lovers have stated in this thread. This is my take on it:
Originally home-made stuff, frequently of low quality. Notorious for its raw spirit character.
Then grappa went commercial to some extent. There were quality grappas to be found for those with patience and will to explore. The market was however dominated by indifferent products, and the distillers were mostly small with un-recognised names.
A number of bigger distillers with marketing power now have good holds on the market. Poli very well reputed, perhaps the biggest distillery. Several other quality distillers out there, too, but also still many many indifferent grappas.

Grappa has developed from simple non-matured products (think bottled raw spirit) to highly developed ones. There are wonderful grappas out there matured in steel tanks or wood casks, developed to compete with high-end cognac and eau de vie/geist.
So I have a selection of grappas that I love, and they're very different from eachother. I do like liquor to have some roughness though, it shouldn't be too smooth.

Still, as mentioned there are lots of indifferent grappas out there. You have to be patient and explore, and hope that you'll find the one that's just right for you. Ask the waiter for his best grappa..... Maybe from some obscure litte distillery you can visit next time you're in Italy.
Poli has grappa that retains some raw spirit character yet is very smooth, look for their Morbida. Not my favourite, but pleasant to drink.

Somehow I seem to be able to drink more grappa that other spirits. Generally no headache. Maybe they're cheating when they say 50 % on the bottle....

[LowRyter]

tried some of that Grape Brandy for an after dinner drink.  Not bad.  I was expecting much worse.  I'd compare it to lightly flavored Vodka- nothing nasty like Gin.