Nivis, a grappa born from the cold

A grappa born in the winter, strengthen by the northern winds, made unique by the long contact with the snow of the cold season. Nivis is the first grappa made through natural stabilization and filtered without using mechanical refrigeration, but by exposing it to the winter weather to enable the separation of the liquid part from the oily one, in a slow and delicate manner.

THE RISKS OF MECHANICAL REFRIGERATION

Marolo’s never-ending quest for product innovation and experience to be reached through constant honing, drove this distillery from Alba towards a new production frontier, inspired by the ancestral methods of distillate filtering: the natural stabilization. Normally, before being bottled, the grappa has a liquid part, made up of alcohol and water, and an oily part, made up of fatty acids, protein and esters that come from the distillation of the marcs and, especially, the grapeseed, that are rich in these substances. The mechanic bottling process require the passage of the grappa in cooling coils: fats and oils solidify, making them easy to remove thanks to barrier filters. The process of chill filtering occurs suddenly, causing a powerful thermal shock on the substance. Moreover, the quick solidification could deplete the final product’s bouquet, tearing away part of the aromatic complexity that the grappa has obtained during the traditional distillation and the long years of aging.

NOT CHILL FILTERED

On the other hand, Nivis is the child of the winter, of the night chills, of the dawn sprinkled with frost. A selection of Barolo grappa from the excellent 2006 harvest have been voluntarily exposed to the 2019 winter weather: rain, wind, bitter cold and, above all, the great snowfall of the end of January, which completely buried the barrels under 40cm of snow for weeks. The cold, the temperature ranges and the settling that lasted for more than three months have slowly and gradually solidified the “fatty” part of the grappa, which then emerged on the surface. A completely natural process, yet “imperfect”: the oily part should be removed manually, and the lack of mechanical filtration can bring to a loss of up to 15% of the total volume.

Nivis is the first grappa made through natural stabilization and filtered without using mechanical refrigeration

MINIMUM DILUTION, MAXIMUM CHARACTER

In order to not diminish the severity of the choices made during the production process, the dilution of Nivis has also been maintained at minimum levels: this brings forth a strong but well-balanced distillate, with a remarkable alcohol content of 53.8°.

AN ENTERTAINING GRAPPA

The natural process of stabilization and the absence of chill filtering give Nivis an incredible conformity between fruit and grappa, nature and spirit, without losing the aroma complexity developed during the aging process. A grappa “with no filters”, lively, blooming, blunt and straightforward, capable of conveying richness in smell and a sumptuous body, extremely persistent. An “entertaining” grappa, a true delight to the palate that draws the attention to nature and its amazing evolution as seen through the art of distillation.

NIVIS grappa Marolo