Grappa Riserva Castello di Brolio and Grappa di Casalferro

It all starts with the pomace, the skins of the grapes that remain immersed in the wine must during fermentation. The pomace from the production of Castello di Brolio and that of the Merlot from Casalferro are transferred to the Bonollo distillery in Torrita di Siena. This is one of the factories of a historic company that since 1908 has been a quality Italian producer of grappa and spirits. Here the must is subjected to a steam distillation process in a discontinuous still, a traditional artisanal craft in which the principal players are the Master Distiller and expertise. The distillation takes place thanks to small boilers that feed the plant in a non-continuous way, for each of which the Master brings the raw material to a boil until it forms alcoholic vapors that then recondense in the form of a liquid, the bulk distillate, which reaches an alcohol content of 82% vol.

The savoir faire of the Master Distiller is constantly assisted by the most modern methods of analysis, first of the pomace and then of the bulk distillate, all guided by the utmost attention to the sustainability of the entire process. “We have chosen the historic experience of Bonollo distilleries,” says Francesco Ricasoli, “because we share the same pursuit of quality and also full respect for the environment and a genuine attention to social sustainability.”

To give life to the elegant and amber Grappa Riserva Castello di Brolio, the distillate must age for at least 18 months in Slavonian oak barrels, after which it is diluted with distilled water and brought to 45% vol., refrigerated to -10 °C and then filtered until bottled. For the Grappa of Casalferro, crystal clear and fragrant, there is no aging in barrels. The results in both cases are pleasantly surprising.