Francoli Grappa

The Francoli family traces its origins back to the mountainous Valtellina region of Northern Italy where distillation was practiced for hundreds of years. Luigi Francoli moved to Ghemme in the early 1950s and was quickly followed by his four brothers who formed the company Fratelli Francoli.

Distillerie Francoli was the first grappa distillery ever to be awarded the distinction of being 100% carbon-neutral (Impatto Zero® -Zero Environmental Impact). Another of the distillery initiatives was to reforest a large area of land in Costa Rica to help to absorb the company’s CO2 emission (delivery vehicles, air travel, etc.). Moreover, the distillation process of Francoli’s grappa can be defined as having zero environmental impact because it uses energy from vegetable sources (dried pomace) which when burned does not increase the carbon footprint.

Francoli also installed a photovoltaic panel system able to generate electricity by capturing the sun’s rays. This is the first step in Francoli moving towards autonomy in terms of energy by using alternative, natural, clean, and renewable sources.

Grappa is a spirit produced by the distillation of grape pomace, the solid remains of grapes after pressing, such as skins, pulp, seeds and stems.

Only finest grape skins are used to make Francoli Grappas. These carefully selected grape skins are then preserved to create the ‘vinaccia’, dried grape skins, that will be used in to make the grappa. On average, 20 kg of vinaccia is needed to produce one bottle of grappa.

The vinaccia arrives at the distillery fresh, heavily perfumed and still moist. The steam is turned on and after about an hour the first distillate begins to emerge. The initial part (‘heads’) is discarded.

The middle part (‘core’) of the distillate is collected and the steam turned off to ensure that the final, low-quality part of the distillate (‘tails’) is removed, together with the spent vinaccia. The Master Distiller and modern technology ensure that the ‘core’ has the required characteristics for the finest grappa.

To age its grappa Distillerie Francoli first uses large Slavonian oak vats and then small barrels made of French oak from the forests of Allier and Limousin. These different woods give Francoli grappa its distinctive aromatic flavours.

A 360-degree involvement of the senses. That is what the Master Distiller tries to achieve. Designed for grappa-drinkers who are looking for a refined, elegant flavour and unadulterated pleasure.