🥃 Grappa lombarda

Grappa lombarda (Grappa della Lombardia) is an EU geographical indication for grappa made from pomace of grapes grown and turned into wine in Lombardy. Pomace and lees are distilled in the region, and the grappa is also processed and bottled there. The minimum strength is 37.5% vol. EU protection dates from 12 June 1989.

The raw material comes from varieties in the Lombard register of permitted varieties. Processing and bottling may take place at a different distillery from the one where the grappa was distilled, but always in Lombardy. The technical file describes varied conditions: the mild climate of the lake districts and the large temperature swings in Valtellina and Oltrepò Pavese. Pomace of Moscato, Riesling, Malvasia and Pinot Noir gives an aromatic grappa, while long-macerated reds give one suited to extended ageing.

By tradition, 13 plants are permitted: rue, tansy, chamomile, wormwood, juniper, sweet woodruff, dogwood, mint, liquorice, mountain pine, gentian, angelica and saffron; they are named on the label. Sugar is limited to 20 g/l, and caramel is allowed only after 12 months of ageing. A grape variety may be stated if it provides at least 85% of the weight of the raw material, and stills with a water bath may be called "Bagnomaria Lombardo".

The technical file mentions Leonardo da Vinci's designs for distilling stills, the Brescian Jesuit Francesco Lana de Terzi as the "technical father of grappa", and the first national association of pomace distillers, founded in Brescia in 1922. The first grappa museum opened in Botticino in 1981.

Why this matters to you. The name guarantees Lombard grapes and distillation in the region, but the minimum strength is the same as for general grappa. "Vecchia" means at least 12 months in wood, "riserva" 18. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.