|
|
The word Brandy comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, ("burnt
wine"), which is how the Dutch traders who introduced
it to Northern Europe from Southern France and Spain in the 16th century
described wine that had been "burnt," or boiled, in order to
distill it.
Brandy is a spirit
distilled from wine naturally fermented from fruit, and aged for
at least two years in toasted wood barrels so it develops the characteristic
brown color.
Brandy made in the Cognac region of France is
Cognac, just as
brandy from the Armagnac region is called by that name. If it’s made from
apples in Calvados, it’s Calvados brandy. California brandy, no matter how
good, is still not Cognac.
Brandy is an agricultural spirit. Unlike grain spirits such
as Whisky, Vodka, and Gin, which are made throughout the year from grain
that can be harvested and stored, Brandy is dependent on the seasons, the
ripening of the base fruit, and the production of the wine from which it
is made.
Producers start by making or buying wine; for fine
brandy, they use relatively unripe grapes picked at less than 19 percent sugar,
which makes a wine with less than 10 percent alcohol but retains desirable
flavors. Making brandy from fully ripe grapes results in higher yield, but flat
flavors.
Once the wine is produced, it is processed in small
batches to extract the alcohol and flavors. Small quantities of wine are placed
in the "pot," then heated so the alcohol and primary aromas
boil off. They are condensed in a worm (coil) cooled with water in a manner similar to
that depicted for moon shine stills. This liquid called broullis —
contains about 30 percent alcohol. The original wine with its tannins,
acids and so forth is discarded, then the broullis is distilled again, producing
clear "eau de vie" (water of life) at 140 proof (70 percent alcohol).
The clear eau de vie is placed in new barrels made
of expensive French oak. They’re large 92-gallon barrels (wine
and whiskey barrels are 50-60 gallons) that have been "toasted"
inside, not charred as for bourbon or whiskey. After a period in new oak, the
eau de vie is transferred to increasingly older oak, becoming darker in color
and more mellow as it picks up caramel and vanilla flavors from the wood. All
the premium producers age the brandy a minimum of four years; it improves with
age as long as it’s in oak barrels.
It takes 10 gallons of wine to produce one
gallon of fine brandy, part of the reason for its high cost — as is the long
aging in expensive wood barrels.
One myth about drinking brandy is the
fishbowl glasses. In truth, these large glasses concentrate the
alcohol, and that’s the major aroma you’ll encounter. The best glasses are
modest 6 oz. glasses similar to small but slim wine glasses
Likewise, don’t heat brandy, it causes
the alcohol to change taste. Don’t serve good
brandy cold or diluted with water, though a glass of cold mineral water or
sparkling water is a good accompaniment. If you want a brandy and soda,
there’s not much sense in using expensive brandy.
Cognac is the best known type of Brandy in the world, a benchmark by which
most other Brandies are judged. The Cognac region is located on the
west-central Atlantic coast of France, just north of Bordeaux, in the
departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
There are no age standards for brandies, but the industry has adopted some generally accepted terms.
V.S. - V.S.P.- V.S., very superior; V.S.P., very superior
pale. A minimum of two years aging
in a cask, although the industry average is four to five years.
V.S.O.P. - very superior old pale. A minimum of four years cask aging for the youngest
Cognac in the blend, with the industry average being between 10 and 15 years.
X.O. - Luxury - X.O., extra old. A minimum of six years aging for the youngest cognac in the
blend, with the average age running 20 years or older. All Cognac houses
maintain inventories of old vintage Cognacs to use in blending these top of
the line brands. The oldest Cognacs are removed from their casks in time and
stored in glass demijohns (large jugs) to prevent further loss from
evaporation and to limit excessively woody and astringent flavors. Luxury
Cognacs are the very finest Cognacs of each individual Cognac house.
Armagnac is the oldest type of Brandy in France, with documented references to
distillation dating back to the early 15th century.
French Brandy is the catch-all designation for Brandy produced from grapes
grown in other regions. These Brandies are usually distilled in column stills
and aged in oak casks for varying periods of time. They are frequently blended
with wine, grape juice, oak flavorings, and other Brandies, including Cognac,
in order to smooth out the rough edges. Cognac-like quality designations such
as V.S.O.P. and Napoleon are frequently used, but have no legal standing.
|
