Research on varietal grappa liquor
Staff Writer - August 6, 2005
The first Italian national plan for R&D on varietal grappa from five Italian regions starts in Veneto.
 For the first time ever a three-year research plan on varietal grappa will take place. The project will be officially launched on August 30, 2005 with the presentation of the six Piani di Ricerca (Research Phases), assigned to as many Italian University and Research Centers. The first part of the funding, consisting of €300,000, of which over €100,000 are contributed by public organization and the remaining €200,000 by private companies, will be assigned during the presentation at the Conegliano Enology School, headquarters of the Grappa and Spirits Academy.
The participating estates are Carpenè Malvolti and Roberto Castagner Acquaviti from the Veneto region, Distillerie Francoli from Piedmont, Distillerie Durbino from Friuli, Segnana – F.lli Lunelli from Trentino and Villa Frattina - Averna from Sicily. These companies are also the founding members of the Accademia della Grappa e delle Acquaviti (Grappa and Spirits Academy), founded two years ago at the Conegliano Enology School, in the province of Treviso, with the support of the Veneto region, the association Veneto Agricoltura, the provincial administration of Treviso and the Treviso Chamber of Commerce, among others. Thanks to the commitment of these companies and public institutions, as well as the backing of the Agriculture and Forests Ministry (MIPAF), during the next three years the Academy will coordinate and finance the most exhaustive grappa-related research project ever realized.
"The Accademia della Grappa e delle Acquaviti was borne from the will of a group of distilleries to create a dialog with the consumers, directing the research toward market requests," said Roberto Castagner, President of the Academy."In the current wide world of spirit and liquors, one of the reasons consumers choose grappa is that they want to 'drink' a terroir and its local culture. Grappa is a vine product, made with specific varieties grown in specific areas, therefore is a natural product, recognizable by grape variety and identifiable by its taste."
The goal of the research is to improve the overall quality, but also the sensorial perception of the various wine grapes involved, that is, Prosecco and Cabernet from Veneto, Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio from Friuli, Chardonnay from Trentino, Muscat from Piedmont, and Nero d'Avola from Sicily. The Academy and the researchers want to study these vines in depth, in order to produce grappa liquors with unique characteristics that are easily recognizable.
The Società Italiana di Scienze Sensoriali (SISS, or Italian Society of Sensorial Sciences) of Florence University has the task of verifying if by the end of the three year period the results are satisfactory, by making sure that consumers can easily identify different grappa varieties.
An additional goal of the research is offering consumers the guarantee of origin of regional grappas, by identifying them with a logo that indicates their origins.
The research institutes and universities involved are:
- Istituto Sperimentale di Viticoltura ed Enologia di Conegliano - Treviso
- Istituto Agrario di San Michele all'Adige – Trento
- Istituto Sperimentale di Asti
- Università di Udine
- Università di Padova
- Università di Firenze (SISS)
- Prof. Rocco Di Stefano - Sicily
These institutions and their researchers will be assisted by the Scientific Committee of the Accademia della Grappa e delle Acquaviti lead by Professor Antonio Calò. Honorable Giampaolo Dozzo is the promoter and warrantor for the Agriculture and Forests Ministry.
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