Distillation

With Grappa friulana, the solid pomace itself goes into the still — not a clear liquid. EU regulation requires the first distillation to take place in the presence of the pomace. Heating is done with steam or after adding water, with no added alcohol, and the distillate must stay below 86% ABV so the character of the grape is preserved.

The specification allows both continuous and pot-still (discontinuous) apparatus, heated by water bath, steam or direct flame, each with separation of heads and tails. In the water-bath method, known in Italian as bagnomaria, steam heats from the outside and the pomace does not scorch. This is gentler than an open flame beneath the still.

Nonino, according to the house, relies on discontinuous copper stills heated by steam, designed by Benito Nonino himself. Each batch fills the still anew and runs independently. Copper binds sulphur compounds and keeps the spirit clean.

What comes from the condenser the distiller divides into three parts. The heads, known in Italian as testa, smell of solvent because they contain light compounds such as acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate, and are cut away. The heart, the cuore, is what later goes into the bottle. The tails, the coda, bring heavy, fusel-like notes and are also cut away, often redistilled. Methanol is spread throughout the run, so the heads cut alone do not make a spirit methanol-free.

With fruit brandies there are two paths: double distillation in a pot still, or a single run with a column attached to boost the alcohol. For Sliwovitz, the specification requires the distillate from the pot still to stay below 80% ABV, so the aroma and flavour of the plum are preserved. All of this is work for licensed professionals, not a recipe to try at home.