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The word Brandy comes from the
Dutch word brandewijn, ("burnt wine"). This is how 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. Legend has it that brandy was first produced when an enterprising sea captain distilled wine in order to save space on his ship. He planned to reconstitute it with water when he arrived at his home port, but those who sampled the new concoction liked it just the way it was.
TYPES OF BRANDIES
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St-Rémy VSOP
A fine brandy with a well balanced,
smooth taste and distinctive French brandy character. St-Rémy
uses eaux-de-vie distilled from eight grape varieties,
which are aged 1-2 years, of which 6 months are spent exclusively
in small 200 litre oak barrels
St-Rémy XO
A richer, smoother longer-aged
brandy from the finest stocks of St- Rémy, the leader
of French brandies. St-Rémy XO uses eaux-de-vie
distilled from eight grape varieties, which are aged
3 years, of which 12 months is in small 200 litre oak barrels. |
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Brandy, in its broadest definition,
is a spirit made from fruit juice or fruit pulp and skin. More specifically,
it is broken down into three basic groupings; Grape, Pomance, and Fruit
Brandy.
For Brandy
there is no offical zone of production, grape variety, and any oak
can be used for aging. Important Brandy-making regions, particularly
in
Europe , further differentiate their local spirits by specifying the
types
of grapes that can be used and the specific areas (appellation) in
which the grapes used for making the base wine can be grown. Better Brandies,
like St-Remy stay faithful to the cognac production methods.
Cognac and Armagnac are specific types of Brandy.
COGNAC - the Benchmark of all Brandies >>more
ARMAGNAC -
is the oldest type of Brandy in France . The Armagnac region is located
in the heart of the
ancient province of Gascony in the southwest corner of France. Distillation
takes place in the unique alambic Armagnacais, a type of column still
that is even more "inefficient" than a typical Cognac pot still.
The resulting brandy has a rustic, assertive character and aroma that requires
additional cask aging to mellow
it out. The best Armagnacs are aged in casks made from the local Monlezun
oak. In recent years Limousin and Troncais oak casks have been added to
the mix of casks as suitable Monlezun oak becomes harder to find. Most
Armagnacs are blends, but unlike Cognac where single vintages are produced
by few houses, Armagnac single vintages and single vineyard bottlings can
be found. The categories of Armagnac are generally the same as those of
Cognac
(V.S., V.S.O.P., X.O., etc.)
METAXA -
Even though it is classified as a brandy, Metaxa is
really unique : it is smoother than a traditional brandy due to the use
of Muscat wines, Mediterranean botanicals and rose petals.".
>> more on Metaxa
TYPES OF BRANDIES
Grape Brandy:
Grape Brandy is Brandy distilled
from fermented grape juice or crushed but not pressed grape pulp and skin.
This spirit is aged in wooden casks (usually oak) which colors it, mellows
the palate, and adds additional aromas and flavors.
Pomance Brandy:
Pomance Brandy (Italian Grappa
and French Marc are the best-known examples) is Brandy made from the pressed
grape pulp, skins, and stems that remain after the grapes are crushed and pressed
to extract most of the juice for wine.
Fruit Brandy:
Fruit Brandy is the default term
for all Brandies that are made from fermenting fruit other than grapes. Fruit
Brandies, except those made from berries, are generally distilled from fruit
wines. Berries tend to lack enough sugar to make a wine with sufficient alcohol
for proper distillation, and thus are soaked (macerated) in high-proof spirit
to extract their flavor and aroma. The extract is then distilled once at a
low proof. Calvados, the Apple Brandy from the Normandy region of Northwestern
France, is probably the best known type of Fruit Brandy. |
