What is brandy and what is the difference with grappa?
The ABC of distillation: it is the raw materials that make the difference
First you need to know that "Brandy" is a generic term which could be assimilated to that of "distillate".
What transforms a distillate into brandy is the raw material used to obtain the drink and its origin.
In fact, the distillates of Italian pomace are recognized as "Grappas”And proof of this is the Protected Geographical Indication which establishes the denomination.
When the distillate comes from French grapes Ugni Blanc, instead, we will have ahead a Cognac, also protected by the AOC geographical indication.
Finally, wine spirits in general from any country or vine are all identified as Brandy.
To be exact, all the raw materials of origin give life to different spirits because, for example, the distillation of potatoes gives life to vodka as well as that of cereals gives life to whiskey and so on..
Two processes and two very different flavors
Obviously the difference between grappa and brandy also lies in flavor and texture and in the structure of the drink.
In particular, Grappa is produced with the distillation of marc, a mix of skins and pips from fresh grape.
The brandy is obtained from the fermentation of the whole grape which includes must and pomace.
The difference is subtle for the uninitiated but unbridgeable for those who know it because sugars, acids and molecules intervene in the distillation process that give life to very different products.
Il EEC regulation 1576 of 1989, in particular, establishes that the grape brandy is identifiable as a fruit distillate and hence the DPR 297 of 16 July 1997 takes up the terms defining the denomination and marketing.
How are Grappa and Acquavite born?
La Grappa therefore arises from one distillation of skins and grape seeds from which a drink is obtained with a medium-high alcohol content dampened by mixing with demineralized water.
The pomace distillation process is very complex and rigorous, which is why it must be carried out by real experts to obtain a valuable product.
The master in charge holds the head and tail of the distillate carefully following the evaporation temperatures and, finally, takes the drinkable product to go on to refinement in wooden barrels.
THEbrandy, on the other hand, it is obtained from the must distillate, or of fermented juice or pomace.
It is a typical Italian product that involves the pressing of the berries to pass, then, to the fermentation and distillation of the fermented grape juice (must) together with the skins and pips.
Unlike grappa, the spirit ages in small fine barriques or in stainless steel tanks and, at the moment of bottling, it is diluted with water and then filtered.
Differences and similarities between grappa and brandy
The differences between grappa and brandy, therefore, they are placed throughout the production process which, precisely, gives life to very different distillates.
The brandy is the generic distillate that we can place halfway between brandy and grappa and takes on flavored and liqueur flavors. We could say that on the palate it is more refined and fruity than the alcoholic hardness of grappa.
The latter, on the other hand, is rougher in all its variations but releases a bouquet of aromas aging in wooden barrels, thus taking on woody, woody and strongly aromatic scents.
Both they are served fresh, in rounded glasses that you do not need to heat with your hands so as not to evaporate the aromas.
Many swallow the drink in one go but there is no more wrong thing to taste both spirits.
In fact these give the palate all ingredients from fermentation to distillation in small sips, so that the tongue and nose are not anesthetized by alcohol.
