Grappa. Exports are on the rise in 2020, but production is down

Grappa production

Italian Grappa did well in the pandemic period. According to Istat data relating to 2020, AssoDistil reports that there was a 13% increase in exports. Over 83% of Italian distilleries produce Grappa, an Ig which in 2020 accounted for 69,000 heptanidros, a slight decrease of 4% compared to 2019. "Despite the pandemic," writes the association that brings together over 62 industrial distilleries (equal to 95% of the national production of brandy and ethyl alcohol from farming raw materials) "Europe says yes to Grappa, confirming once again the largest importer of Made in Italy excellence with Germany as leader." Cereal is confirmed as the main raw material used to produce ethyl alcohol, with almost 700,000 heptanhydro produced. The production of wine brandy and grappa, that is distillates produced with raw materials deriving from the wine sector, dropped by 2%. Overall, the production of ethyl alcohol and brandy increased by 3% in 2019.

Italian imports

Under ethyl alcohol alone, Italian imports in 2020 were around 3,100,000 heptanidros, with + 65% in 2019 due to the strong demand in the first period of the epidemiological emergency. The export of ethyl alcohol "confirms, in principle, the volumes of the previous year," at over 470,000 heptanidros, of which about 83% destined for EU countries. Globally, 2020 recorded 1,179 billion hectares of alcohol of farming origin produced, down 9% on 2019. The United States is the undisputed leader with over 544 million heptanhydro (46% of the quotas), while Europe constitutes 7% of world production with France, Germany and Hungary in the lead. Italy accounts for approximately 1.4% of European production, with over one million heptanhydro produced annually.