🥃 Komovica

Komovica is a Balkan rakija made only from fermented grape pomace, called komina in Croatian. Strength is at least 37.5% ABV. Under EU rules it is a grape-marc spirit, like Italian grappa or Greek tsipouro.

Rules. The Croatian rulebook on strong spirits (Narodne novine 61/2009) treats komovica as a separate category. The pomace is distilled with steam or with water added, below 86% ABV, and the distillate may be redistilled. Up to 25 kg of wine lees per 100 kg of pomace is allowed, but the lees may yield no more than 35% of the alcohol. Methanol may be up to 1,000 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol (10,000 mg per litre), and caramel is added only for colour.

How it differs. Loza, or lozovača, is a rakija made from whole fermented grapes, while komovica is made from what remains after the juice is pressed out. It is therefore cheaper in raw material and has a sharper, grassy-grape aroma. Young komovica is sold colourless; when aged in wooden casks it turns yellowish.

Istria. In Istria komovica is the base of local drinks: biska is infused with mistletoe, rakija with rue, and medenica is komovica with honey. The Istrian quality mark for komovica requires local pomace and colour from the wood alone, without caramel.

Why this matters to you. Homemade komovica is not checked, and poor distillation of pomace can produce a lot of methanol. Commercial komovica is at least 37.5% ABV, and homemade is often stronger. The WHO notes that there is no safe amount of alcohol.