Bonollo Grappa
Door de jaren heen opgewaardeerd

One of the prime Italian export products is grappa. In a country where family is still considered one of the main values, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Bonollo is a family business run by six brothers. Established in the second half of the nineteenth century, Bonollo has become the world's leading producer of grappa. Apart from the distillery in Torrita di Siena, four Bonollo plants operate in Italy.

A poor man's drink
Grappa is an alcoholic beverage distilled from vinacce (or pomacce): the skin, pits and stems that are left over when wine is made from grapes. At Bonollo they also add a little bit of feccia, wine sediment, to the ingredients. The name ‘grappa' comes from ‘grappolo', which means bunch of grapes. Originally, grappa was seen as a poor man's drink: the rich landowners used the grape juice to make their expensive wines; from the leftovers the farmers distilled a drink to keep them warm in winter.

Today, grappa is as highly thought of as Scotch whisky or the superior grade of cognac. The vinacce, the distiller and the method of distillation all determine the quality of the product. Wine producers have increased the yield of their vineyards to meet the growing demand for grapes. They also increased the grape quality, and thus also the quality of the vinacce which – mandatory by law – has to be sold to distilleries.

The first grappa was probably distilled between the twelfth and the fifteenth century. Italians claim to have been the first and foremost producer of grappa, even though similar drinks are also produced in France (‘marc') and South Africa . However, just as real champagne must come from the French Champagne region, Italians insist that real grappa can only be made in Italy . Italians drink grappa for breakfast or as a digestive. It can also be added to coffee or used as an ingredient while cooking.

Rigorous control
In Torrita there are two methods of distillation: continuous and discontinuous. Continuous production grappa is made from the mixed vinacce supplied by several winegrowers. Discontinuous distillation entails the use of one specific kind of grape to produce grappa. Because this last method is fairly labour-intensive, it is only applied on special demand.

The vinacce is heated until it reaches steaming point. The heating enables the different substances to vaporise. The core, which contains the most alcohol and the aromatic substances, is collected and is left to condense into a liquid called flegma. The more the phases of this process can be separated, the purer the distillate is.

The flegma is stored in tanks for a period of six months, until it reaches an alcohol percentage of eighty through fermentation. Because the state charges excises on the product, it is checked profoundly. Throughout the whole production period, from September until April, the fluid runs through a counter and every hour the number of produced units is kept up to date. The actual grappa only originates after the obligatory addition of water. Some grappas are stored in bottles longer, (to improve their flavour?). Bonollo grappa is stronger and prone to colour change.

More information? Check out the museum ‘Centro Documentazione Grappa Luigi Bonollo' in Greti di Greve, Chianti, tel. (0039) 055 85 444 66 or on www.bonollo.com

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- This site was realised thanks to the co-operation between the town council and the inhabitants of Torrita di Siena and ten graduated students 2004 from the “Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen”, Belgium, department communication science, campus De Ham. - © Torrita di Siena