BRANDY

Brandy is a spirit made by fermenting and distilling fruits. When made from fruits other than grapes the word brandy is linked with the name of the fruit. When the label reads brandy alone without any qualifying description it should be understood that it is made from grape wine. Brandy in fact has been characterized as then soul of wine. The word Brandy has originated from The Dutch word “Brandewijn” and Germans termed it as "Branttwein" meaning burnt wine when eventually got shortened to Brandy. 

Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink.  Brandy can also be made from fermented fruit (other than grapes) and from pomace ( Pomace is the pulpy residue remaining after the fruit has been crushed in order to extract its juice).

Pomace

The spirit distilled from any other fruit other than grapes are fruit brandies and must be named after the fruit combined with the name ‘brandy’; e.g. Cherry Brandy, Peach Brandy, Apricot Brandy. These fruit brandies are classified as eaux-de-vie (water of life) and also known as alcools blanc (Alcohol white).

ORIGIN

Distillation of wine started in the 16th century. Probably at La Rochelle, a river port (river Charente) on the western coast of France. Back in the seventeenth century, the merchants began to distill wine before setting sail to preserve the quality over a long journey by sea and transport more of it at one time. it seems the process evolved somewhat by accident like penicillin, Carvel ice cream, champagne, and other wonders. It was a means to save space in the ship's hold. 

How Brandy is made:

•Brandies are easy to manufacture. A fermented liquid is boiled  at a temperature between the boiling point of ethyl alcohol and  the boiling point of water.

•Because alcohol has a lower boiling point (172°F, 78°C) than  water (212'F, 100°C), it can be boiled off while the water  portion of the wine remains in the still.

•The resulting vapors are collected and cooled.

•The cooled vapors contain most of the alcohol from the original  liquid along with some of its water.

•To drive out more of the water, always  saving the alcohol, the distillation process  can be repeated several times depending  on the alcohol content desired.

•  This process is used to produce  both fine and mass-produced   brandy, though the final products  are dramatically different.

•Heating a liquid to separate components with different boiling points is called heat distillation.

•While brandies are usually made from wine or other fermented  fruit juices, it can be distilled from any liquid that contains sugar.

•The low-boiling point liquids distilled from wine include almost all  of the alcohol, a small amount of water, and many of the wine's  organic chemicals.

•It are these chemicals that give brandy its taste and aroma.

The following steps are used in Cognac Manufacturing:

PRODUCTION OF COGNAC

 

Grapes pressed twice; pips & stalks are not crushed (for less tannin)

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The wine produced is fruity, thin, harsh, slightly acid and unpleasant (8% to 10% al v/v)

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Fermentation takes up to 10 days

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Passed through settling bins (Racking)

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Distilled in alembic = 30% al v/v (‘brouillis”)

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Distilled again in alembic = 70% al v/v (la bonne  chauffe)

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Aged in Limousine oak (rich in tannin)

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= amber tone, delicate and mellow with

a natural bouquet of grapes

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Coupage (Blending)

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Dilution with distilled water

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Colour adjustment with caramel

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Packaging

 

Almost every country has its own national brandy, many of which are not made from wine:

 

Grappa in Italy is made from grape skins

 Slivovitz in Poland is made from plums

 Shochu in Japan is made from rice

 

It is universally acknowledged that The finest brandies are the French cognacs that are distilled from wine.

Regardless of where brandy was originally distilled France was the first country to produce brandy for widespread commercial use. Brandy is made all over France, but the country is noted for two examples.

 COGNAC – Cognac is the most renowned brandy of the world 

ARMAGNAC – Armagnac is the oldest brandy of the world To this date, they remain the benchmark of all brandies no matter where they are produced.

Cognac is defined as the brandy produced from the Charente and Charente Maritime department of West Central France comprising roughly an areas of 2,50,000 acres enclosing the city of Cognac squarely in between which lends its name to the brandy produced in the region. So from the above-mentioned definition it can very well be understood that all Cognacs are brandy but not all brandies are Cognac.

THE GROWING AREAS OF COGNAC 

The growing areas of the Cognac region is subdivided into six zones based mainly on oil and climatic factors. They are as follows: 

Grand Champagne – (Large meadow) Covers around 14% of the entire Cognac district 

Petit Champagne – (Small Meadow) Covers around 14.7% of the entire Cognac district. Jarnac is the best-known city. 

Borderies (Edges) -Considered as equal to Petit Champagne in quality and covers around 4.7% of the entire Cognac region. Burie is the most important city in the area. The best firms generally use the grape grown in these regions. Sometimes the grape grown in Fins Bois region is also used. 

Fins Bois - (Fine woods) Constitutes 35.5% of the area 

Bons Bois – (Ordinary woods and Earth woods) Constitutes 6% of the area. The word Champagne has got nothing to do with the celebrated sparkling wine of France. It has originated from the word. Champ which means field. 

Bois Ordinairies-Part of this area is a coastal area and the soil is sandy. It produces harsh Cognac suitable for a cheap blend.

GRAPES 

Eight different varieties of grapes are allowed by the Law to be used for the manufacture of Cognac. Only three varieties are in cultivation They are Saint Emilion:- This is a thick-skinned, sturdy grape which produces a rather sour tasting wine. 

Now some of the total yields for Cognac is this grape. 

St Emilion(Ugni blanc)-It is the best grape that gives a good yield. 

Folle Blanche - Very thin-skinned grape, prone to many diseases, and yields a very high acid wine. 

Colombard - It is sensitive to oidium and needs heavy sulfuring. It also produces a very harsh wine with high alcohol content.

TYPES OF COGNAC

 

· Grand Champagne – It is the cognac produced entirely from brandies, made from the grapes grown in Grande Champagne region.

 

· Petite Champagne – Made entirely from brandies produced from grapes grown in the Petite Champagne region.

 

· Fine Champagne – It is the blend of brandies produced from grapes grown in Grande Champagne (minimum 50%) and Petit Champagne areas.

GRADATION OF COGNAC

 

Ø  The Alphabet System

 

Ø  The Star System

 

Ø  Some Legal Terms

 

v ALPHABET SYSTEM

 

·       C - cognac

·       E - especial

·       F - fine

·       V - very

·       S - superior

·       P - pale

·       O - old

·       X - extra

 

ALPHABET & STAR SYSTEM

 

·  Cognac laws are governed by ‘The Bureau National Inter professionnel Du Cognac’.

 

·       VS or *** - Very Special demand a minimum age of 3 years.

 

·       Reserve / VO / VSOP - Youngest brandy in the blend to be at least 4 ½ years.

 

·       Extra/ Napoleon - Youngest brandy in the blend to be 6 years.

 

Cognac Label:

ARMAGNAC 

Armagnac Known as the “Brandy of Musketeers” Armagnac is produced from the Department of Gers , which is situated 113 kms to the southeast of Bordeaux. This delimited area is present in the heart of southwestern France, a part of which was once the ancient province of Gascony. History Armagnac is probably the oldest known wine spirit in the world but the art of distillation was introduced by the Arabs between 1411 and 1441. In the department of France known as the Landes, they produced an agua ardente, or firewater, which was used initially as a therapeutic cure

The most commonly used grapes for the production of Armagnac are: 

1. Folle Blanche- also called as the Picquepoult 

2. Baco A22- Originated from a cross between Folle Blanche and Noah variety. 

3. Colombard- Some growers prefer this grape variety. 

These grapes are grown in three sub-regions. They are:

 1. Bas Armagnac 

2. Haut Armagnac 

3. Tenareze 

Only Bas Armagnac and Tenarez produce quality brandy.

The white wines which are distilled to make the brand come from completely natural fermentation and no additives are added. Normally the grapes are fermented and distilled within eight weeks of harvest.

Production of Armagnac

 Winemaking: The main grape varieties used in the production of Armagnac are Saint-Émilion (Ugni Blanc), Folle Blanche, Colombard, and Baco Blanc (Baco A22) The ‘must’ of approved grapes is allowed to ferment naturally without the addition of yeast for 7-10 days which result in dry and high acidic wine with a low alcoholic content of 8-10 percent 

Distillation: It is distilled in ‘continuous still’. Now, Armagnac is permitted to use Cognac Pot still          ( Charente) 

Aging and Blending: The young Armagnac is matured in ‘Monlezun’ oak casks. The addition of caramel or sugar is not permitted in Armagnac production. 

Bottling: Most Armagnac is sold in a flat bottle called in French as basquaise ( In English referred to as Flagon shaped bottles)

Difference between Cognac and Armagnac: 

1. Cognac undergoes two separate distillations in pot stills whereas Armagnac is produced by a single distillation in the alembic armagnacais which is a unique version of the patent still. 

2. Cognac comes out of the still at a maximum alcoholic strength of 72 degrees GL whereas Armagnac comes out of the still between 52 to 55 degrees GL. 

3. Cognac is matured in wooden casks made from the limousine oak or troncais oak whereas Armagnac is aged in wooden casks made from the Black veined oak of Gascony or Monlezun oak. 

4. The minimum legal period of aging in the case of Cognac is 2 years whereas Armagnac remains in the cask for a minimum period of 12 years.

5. Caramel addition is permitted in Cognac, but not in Armagnac.

Special Note on Aging:

Effective from 1 April 2018, it means that 10 years is now the minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie in an Armagnac blend marked XO.

Producers with XO Armagnac with a stated minimum of six years will be allowed to be sold until stocks last, however, any XO bottle from 1 April must follow the new age guidelines.

Further reading suggested: 

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/04/armagnac-xo-age-requirement-increased-to-10-years/

SERVICE – 

Brandy is generally served in a brandy balloon or a brandy snifter. V.S.O.P and above Cognacs are generally served as after-dinner digestives like a liqueur. Hence these Cognacs which are served as liqueur are called liqueur brandy but brandy liqueur is a liqueur with brandy as the base. Lesser categories of Cognacs can be served as High ball with soda and ice. 

The best way to serve Cognac is to serve it as a liqueur after dinner. 

Note: Fine Maison is a cheap quality brandy which is generally served as a house brandy when the order is given by the guest without specifying the brand.

Bartender's views on Brandy and it's service (Video)

Brand Names: 

Cognac                                                                                       Armagnac

Remy Martin                                                                                Chabot

Courvoisier                                                                                  Camus

Martell                                                                                         Mattiac 

Hennessey                                                                                   Ryst

Hine                                                                                            Larresingle  

Louis XIII ( Produced by Remy Martin)

FRUIT BRANDY 

What are fruit Brandies? Perhaps the most intriguing of all brandies are the ones which are produced from fruits other than that of grapes. These are generally colorless and often referred to as alcohol blanc or white alcohol. they are the true Eaux de vie. Apple brandies are the only major exceptions. 

How the fruit brandies are made: There is no single method of production of fruit brandies. Different producers have their own method of production of fruit brandies and different recipes. But it is safe to say that around 25 pounds of fruits are required to produce one bottle of fruit brandy. Each step in the production process is designed to heighten the bouquet. 

Except in case of berries all other fruits are mashed and then fermented to make a kind of wine. Double distillation takes place when a patent is still is used. Berries which lack sufficient amount of sugar for proper fermentation and soaked in neutral spirit till all flavor is extracted from the berries into the alcohol. then the infusion is distilled once even when a pot still is used. Regardless of the method of production, the fruit brandies run of the still at a fairly slow alcoholic strength. 

Unlike other brandies fruit brandies are never aged in wooden casks. wood imparts color and a distracting taste. glass or glass-lined containers have been traditionally used for aging but stainless steel tanks are now increasingly used. in any case fruit brandies are not usually aged long before bottling.

Examples of Fruit Brandies 

Houx – Made from Holly berries in France. 

Kirsch – made from wild cherries in France. It is the most popular fruit Eaux de vie. In Germany and Switzerland the same is known as Kirschwasser. 

Poire Williams– Made from William pear. Occasionally one sees a bottle of Poire containing a whole pear inside. 

Framboise – Made from Raspberries. In Germany and parts of Switzerland, this is known as Himbeergeist. 

Mirabelle – Made from Yellow plums in France.

Quetsch – Made from Blue plums in France, Germany, and Switzerland. 

Slivovitz – Made from blue Sljiva plums in Yugoslavia and other East European countries. 

Barack Palinka – Made from Apricot in Austria and Hungary. 

How to drink fruit brandies – Fruit brandies should be served chilled in tulip-shaped glasses.