The Laws of Grappa
The regulations governing the production and marketing of Grappa are:
• Circular No. 163 of November 20, 1998, from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Handicrafts: it contains the implementation rules of Regulation (EEC) No. 1576/89 on spirit drinks and the Presidential Decree No. 297/97;
• Ministerial Decree No. 153 of March 27, 2001, Article 16: provides provisions for manufacturers and holders of distillation apparatus;
• Decree of January 28, 2016, amending the decree of August 1, 2011, No. 5389, implementing Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 on the definition, designation, presentation, labeling, and protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks – technical sheet of "Grappa";
• Technical sheets of the Geographical Indications (GI) of Grappa from Veneto, Friuli, South Tyrol, Trentino, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Sicily, implementing Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 of the European Parliament, approved in the Official Gazette between 2014 and 2017;
• EU Regulation 787/2019 of April 17, 2019, on the definition, designation, presentation, and labeling of spirit drinks, the use of spirit drink names in the presentation and labeling of other food products, and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages - sets the parameters that allow pomace distillate to be named Grappa;
On January 15, 2008, Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 was approved, concerning the definition, designation, presentation, labeling, and protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks. The European Regulation established clear definitions for all spirit drinks and aimed to help producers market their products, offering greater clarity for consumers. It came into effect on May 20, 2008, clearly and definitively defining the fundamental concept that matters most to Italian distillers: Grappa is an exclusively Italian distillate.
In August 2011, decrees were signed approving the technical sheets of Grappa and Italian brandy.
On April 17, 2019, the new EU Regulation 787/2019 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation repealed the previous Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008.
In the 2019-2020 biennium, important international agreements were reached with the aim of protecting the Geographical Indication Grappa: EU - Mercosur Agreement, 2019; EU - China Agreement, 2019; EU - Singapore Agreement, 2020; EU - Mexico Agreement, 2020; EU-Vietnam Agreement; 2020.
However, the road to obtaining worldwide recognition of the GI Grappa is still long: in fact, countries outside the European Union that have not yet ratified bilateral agreements to this effect could use the term "Grappa" to define a local pomace spirit, causing serious harm to authentic Italian Grappa.
• Circular No. 163 of November 20, 1998, from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Handicrafts: it contains the implementation rules of Regulation (EEC) No. 1576/89 on spirit drinks and the Presidential Decree No. 297/97;
• Ministerial Decree No. 153 of March 27, 2001, Article 16: provides provisions for manufacturers and holders of distillation apparatus;
• Decree of January 28, 2016, amending the decree of August 1, 2011, No. 5389, implementing Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 on the definition, designation, presentation, labeling, and protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks – technical sheet of "Grappa";
• Technical sheets of the Geographical Indications (GI) of Grappa from Veneto, Friuli, South Tyrol, Trentino, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Sicily, implementing Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 of the European Parliament, approved in the Official Gazette between 2014 and 2017;
• EU Regulation 787/2019 of April 17, 2019, on the definition, designation, presentation, and labeling of spirit drinks, the use of spirit drink names in the presentation and labeling of other food products, and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages - sets the parameters that allow pomace distillate to be named Grappa;
On January 15, 2008, Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008 was approved, concerning the definition, designation, presentation, labeling, and protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks. The European Regulation established clear definitions for all spirit drinks and aimed to help producers market their products, offering greater clarity for consumers. It came into effect on May 20, 2008, clearly and definitively defining the fundamental concept that matters most to Italian distillers: Grappa is an exclusively Italian distillate.
In August 2011, decrees were signed approving the technical sheets of Grappa and Italian brandy.
On April 17, 2019, the new EU Regulation 787/2019 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation repealed the previous Regulation (EC) No. 110/2008.
In the 2019-2020 biennium, important international agreements were reached with the aim of protecting the Geographical Indication Grappa: EU - Mercosur Agreement, 2019; EU - China Agreement, 2019; EU - Singapore Agreement, 2020; EU - Mexico Agreement, 2020; EU-Vietnam Agreement; 2020.
However, the road to obtaining worldwide recognition of the GI Grappa is still long: in fact, countries outside the European Union that have not yet ratified bilateral agreements to this effect could use the term "Grappa" to define a local pomace spirit, causing serious harm to authentic Italian Grappa.
