grappa (GRAHP-ah) - n., a brandy distilled from the pomace of grapes used in winemaking.
Pomace being the skin and flesh left over after being pressed for the juice that gets fermented into wine -- this is then fermented as solids and then distilled, resulting in a liquor that's 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume. It is, I understand, an acquired taste (never tried it myself). It's a particularly northern Italian drink, and the name came from Italian around 1890, where it's been around for a long time (since at least the 1400s, though not common until around 1600), from a dialect Italian word, originally meaning grape stalk.
---L.
Pomace being the skin and flesh left over after being pressed for the juice that gets fermented into wine -- this is then fermented as solids and then distilled, resulting in a liquor that's 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume. It is, I understand, an acquired taste (never tried it myself). It's a particularly northern Italian drink, and the name came from Italian around 1890, where it's been around for a long time (since at least the 1400s, though not common until around 1600), from a dialect Italian word, originally meaning grape stalk.
---L.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-25 08:59 pm (UTC)My father was a big fan. Would not recommend.
(Of the possible waters of life, I'm partial to the anise versions -- ouzo, akvavit, absinthe et cetera)
no subject
Date: 2026-03-25 09:39 pm (UTC)(I unfortunately am one of those who really don't like the taste of anise. Licorice is a hard no for me.)