Marolo Grappa di Barbera 40.0 "OB"

Marolo Grappa di Barbera - Distilleria Santa Teresa [Official Bottling] 40.0% abv.

Since 1977, Marolo has been making grappa from the most noble vineyards in Piedmont. These are products of prestige, made with passion, professionalism and extreme care for the details that respects the primary ingredients. Only fresh musts are distilled in bain marie pot stills.

This grappa has a crystalline appearance, with aromas that are vivacious and expressive. The flavours reveal dryness and continuity and the alcohol is in perfect balance.

Grappa is an Italian distilled alcoholic spirit, originally produced by distilling the remnants of grapes after winemaking — namely the skins and seeds. Originally, it was a way to avoid wasting surplus grape clusters at the end of the season. Today, however, many distilleries focus exclusively on producing grappa, with quality as the primary objective.

The flavour of grappa, like wine, depends on the grape variety, its quality, the casks in which it is matured, and the production process (continuous or discontinuous distillation). Grappa has a minimum alcohol content of 37.5%. The law specifies only a minimum alcohol level, not a maximum; in practice, the strength typically ranges between 40% and 60%.

Grappa is a protected product name within the European Union. To use the name grappa, the following conditions must be met:

• It must be produced in Italy or the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.
• It must be made from grape pomace.
• Fermentation and distillation must take place on the pomace itself.

The second condition does not allow the use of grape juice for fermentation. The third condition has several important consequences. Because distillation must be carried out on a relatively “dry” material — the pomace — it is usually performed using a bain-marie or steam to prevent the material from burning. This requires very careful control of the distillation process. The woody parts of the pomace (stems and grape seeds) ferment together with the sugar-rich liquid remaining in the skins, producing small amounts of methanol. Methanol is toxic and must therefore be removed from the distillate. To control the public health risks associated with this and to combat illegal grappa production, the Italian government introduced legislation requiring winegrowers to sell their grape pomace only to licensed grappa distillers.

— Natalie Berkowitz, The Winemaker’s Hand: Conversations on Talent, Technique, and Terroir