Trebbiano
Trebbiano is one of the most widely planted white wine grapes on earth — a high-yielding, high-acid Italian and French workhorse better known by the wine and spirit it makes than by its own name. In Italy it is the base of a huge volume of everyday white, above all Trebbiano d'Abruzzo and the whites of central Italy, while in France, under the name Ugni Blanc, it is the principal grape distilled into Cognac and Armagnac. On its own it makes a pale, dry, light-bodied white — neutral and unshowy, with lemon and green apple, a whisper of white flowers and a clean, mouth-watering acidity — a quaffing wine built for the table rather than for contemplation. Its very neutrality and searing acidity are what make it perfect for brandy: crisp, low in alcohol and low in aromatics, it distills beautifully.