The familly of spirits made out of grapes (= the clear spirit comes from the distillation of grapes) is very WIDE and take many forms.
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Spirits which use wine must (pomace) as base
Pomace is the leftover from wine making, the must made of skins, stalks, seeds, stems everything left once the fermented grapes are pressed. The most famous of grape pomace is the italian GRAPPA Every country producing wine has developed its own “Grappa”. In France this is called MARC, BAGACEIRA in Portugal, ORUJO in Spain, TRESTER in Germany, LOZOVAČA in Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, ZIVANIA in Cyprus, CHACHA in Georgia, TSIPOURO in Greece, TÖRKÖLY in Hungaria, GROZDOVA in Bulgaria... In Spiritsfully we are only going to cover Grappa, Fine and Marc for the moment. They all taste different but all follow the same production processes. |
Brandies which traditionnally use wine as base
The word Brandy* is used when the spirit is made from the distillation of wine for example for ARMAGNAC (in France) COGNAC (in France) PISCO (in Chili and Peru) METAXA (in Greece) STRAVECCHIO (in Italy). *Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn, gebrande wijn or "burned wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandies which use wine as a base with high proof alcohol added.
SHERRY, PORT, MADEIRA, MARSALA and other Vins Doux naturels are not cover in this section whereas they may be considered as spirits. As they are also existing under their own "fortified wines" category, they gonna be excluded here. Keep them in mind if you want to work on a exhaustive grape based alcoholic beverages though!
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Spirits which use grapes or wine distillate as base but ignore their characteristics.
Eau-de-vie can technically be made from any fruit, among them, grape even though quite rare, like the AGUARDIENTE in Portugal or ARZANTE in Italy or BRANDY DE JEREZ. By extension the term "brandy" is also used for liquors obtained from the "wines" of other fruits such as mirabelles, cherries, apples, plums, williams pears... They are called fruit brandies. They are cover in their own section HERE. Of course gin and vodka producers can also add wine blends or distillates from wine to their products, for marketing purposes for example |
want to know more BOUT SPIRITS MADE OUT OF DISTILLATION OF WINE OR DISTILLATION OF POMACE??
click on the box(es) below
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BONUSES
ITALIAN BRANDIES
Italy has a long history of Brandy production dating back to at least the 16th century, but unlike Spain or France there are no specific Brandy-producing regions. Italian Brandies are made from regional wine grapes, and most are produced in column stills, although there are now a number of small artisanal producers using pot stills. They are aged in oak for a minimum of one to two years, with six to eight years being the industry average. Italian Brandies tend to be on the light and delicate side with a touch of residual sweetness.
SPANISH BRANDIES
Brandy de Jerez is made by the Sherry houses centered around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in the southwest corner of Spain. Virtually all Brandy de Jerez; however, is made from wines produced elsewhere in Spain -- primarily from the Airen grape in La Mancha and Extremadura -- as the local Sherry grapes are too valuable to divert into Brandy production. Nowadays most of the distilling is likewise done elsewhere in Spain using column stills. It is then shipped to Jerez for aging in used Sherry casks in a solera system similar to that used for Sherry wine. A solera is a series of large casks (called butts), each holding a slightly older spirit than the previous one beside it. When brandy is drawn off (racked) from the last butt (no more than a third of the volume is removed) it is replenished with brandy drawn from the next butt in line all the way down the solera line to the first butt, where newly distilled brandy is added. This system of racking the brandy through a series of casks blends together a variety of vintages (some soleras have over 30 stages) and results in a speeding up of the maturation process.
Basic Brandy de Jerez Solera must age for a minimum of six months, Reserva for one year and Gran Reserva for a minimum of three years. In practice, the best Reservas and Gran Reservas are frequently aged for 12 to 15 years. The lush, slightly sweet and fruity notes to be found in Brandy de Jerez come not only from aging in Sherry casks, but also from the judicious use of fruit-based flavor concentrates and oak essence (boise).
Penedès Brandy comes from the Penedès region of Catalonia in the northeast corner of Spain near Barcelona. Modeled after the Cognacs of France and made from a mix of regional grapes and locally-grown Ugni Blanc of Cognac, it is distilled in pot stills. One of the two local producers (Torres) ages in soleras consisting of butts made from French Limousin oak, whereas the other (Mascaro) ages in the standard non-solera manner, but also in Limousin oak. The resulting Brandy is heartier than Cognac, but leaner and drier than Brandy de Jerez.
Basic Brandy de Jerez Solera must age for a minimum of six months, Reserva for one year and Gran Reserva for a minimum of three years. In practice, the best Reservas and Gran Reservas are frequently aged for 12 to 15 years. The lush, slightly sweet and fruity notes to be found in Brandy de Jerez come not only from aging in Sherry casks, but also from the judicious use of fruit-based flavor concentrates and oak essence (boise).
Penedès Brandy comes from the Penedès region of Catalonia in the northeast corner of Spain near Barcelona. Modeled after the Cognacs of France and made from a mix of regional grapes and locally-grown Ugni Blanc of Cognac, it is distilled in pot stills. One of the two local producers (Torres) ages in soleras consisting of butts made from French Limousin oak, whereas the other (Mascaro) ages in the standard non-solera manner, but also in Limousin oak. The resulting Brandy is heartier than Cognac, but leaner and drier than Brandy de Jerez.
GERMAN BRANDIES
German monks were distilling Brandy by the 14th century and the German distillers had organized their own guild as early as 1588. Yet almost from the start, German Brandy (called weinbrand ) has been made from imported wine rather than the more valuable local varieties. Most German Brandies are produced in pot stills and must be aged for a minimum of six months in oak. Brandies that have been aged in oak for at least one year are called uralt or alter (meaning "older"). The best German Brandies are smooth, somewhat lighter than Cognac, and finish with a touch of sweetness.
US BRANDIES
Brandy production in California dates back to the Spanish missions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In the years following the Civil War, Brandy became a major industry, with a substantial export trade to Europe by the end of the century. For a time Leland Stanford, founder of Stanford University, was the worlds largest brandy producer. Phylloxera and National Prohibition almost shut down the industry in the 1920s.
Repeal started things up again, but as with the bourbon industry, the advent of World War II resulted in the brandy producers further marking time. Soon after the end of the war the industry commissioned the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at the University of California at Davis to develop a prototype "California-style" brandy. It had a clean palate, was lighter in style than most European Brandies, and had a flavor profile that made it a good mixer. Starting in the late 1940s, the California brandy producers began to change over to this new style.
Contemporary California Brandies are made primarily in column stills from table grape varieties such as the Thompson Seedless and Flame Tokay, although a handful of small new-generation Cognac-inspired pot distillers, such as Jepson and RMS, are using the classic Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Folle Blanche grapes. California Brandies are aged for two to 12 years in used American oak (both Brandy and Bourbon casks) to limit woodiness in the palate, although the pot distillers also use French oak. Several California distillers, most notably Korbel, have utilized the Spanish solera method of maturing their Brandy. California Brandies do not use quality designations such as V.S.O.P. or stars. The more expensive brands will usually contain a percentage of older vintages and pot-distilled Brandies in the blend.
Repeal started things up again, but as with the bourbon industry, the advent of World War II resulted in the brandy producers further marking time. Soon after the end of the war the industry commissioned the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at the University of California at Davis to develop a prototype "California-style" brandy. It had a clean palate, was lighter in style than most European Brandies, and had a flavor profile that made it a good mixer. Starting in the late 1940s, the California brandy producers began to change over to this new style.
Contemporary California Brandies are made primarily in column stills from table grape varieties such as the Thompson Seedless and Flame Tokay, although a handful of small new-generation Cognac-inspired pot distillers, such as Jepson and RMS, are using the classic Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Folle Blanche grapes. California Brandies are aged for two to 12 years in used American oak (both Brandy and Bourbon casks) to limit woodiness in the palate, although the pot distillers also use French oak. Several California distillers, most notably Korbel, have utilized the Spanish solera method of maturing their Brandy. California Brandies do not use quality designations such as V.S.O.P. or stars. The more expensive brands will usually contain a percentage of older vintages and pot-distilled Brandies in the blend.
SOURCE: http://www.tastings.com/Spirits-Categories/About-French-Brandy.aspx
WANT TO GET EVEN FURTHER? LETS ACCOUNT FOR THE DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES OF (GRAPE BASED) FRUIT BRANDIES....
There are a relatively small number of differing styles within the Brandy category although within these there are a great many more producers distilling grapes or neutral grain spirit to produce regionally diverse brandy which perfectly expresses its terroir and / or provenance.
The main categories of importance would be Cognac and Armagnac from France, Brandy de Jerez from Spain, European brandies such as German brandy and ordinary French brandy and Pisco from Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
Grapes and Winemaking
In Cognac, the Ugni Blanc grape accounts for 95% of production along with the lesser utilised Folle Blanche and Colombard and these grapes are chosen in the distillation process of Cognac for their natural acidity, floral spicy notes and aromatic qualities.
The first difference occurs, then, in grape selection between Cognac and Armagnac as Armagnac uses 10 - 12 grapes with primarily Ugni Blanc often paired with Baco 22A, a fruity weighty grape controversial in that as a crossing of Folle Blanche and the American hybrid Noah, it was almost outlawed by the EU's stance on the non allowance of hybrids. Ugni Blanc, used often alone for Cognac is less powerful than Bacco and less aromatic than Folle Blanche. The combination of all three is said to give Armagnac its power and weight.
In Brandy de Jerez the favoured grapes are Airen and Palomino which are high in alcohol and low in acidity and important for achieving the rich soft nature of Brandy de Jerez. In Extramadura from where a great majority of the grapes are harvested, the climate is also important in contributing to the softness through ageing, of which I will refer more to later.
Pisco uses the grape varieties of Moscatel de Alexandria, Torrentel and Pedro Ximenez and these contribute intense perfume and fruit depth to the spirits after distillation in traditional pot stills.
Fermentation and distillation
The grapes used for Cognac are pressed and fermented with the requirements of high levels of natural acidity and low alcohol for stability and to help in the concentration of aromas. Double pot still distillation in a traditional pot still is usual and the process is very slow (the 1st distillation which produces the brouillis taking 9 hours and the second distillation (referred to as bonne chauffe) taking 14 hours). Finally when the heart is collected as a new spirit and the heads, seconds and queues collected, combined and re distilled, this process will have taken six or more hours. Methods of distillation vary amongst Cognac houses with some, such as Remy, using lees in in fermentation for reasons of ageing and longevity and Martell preferring a lighter, quicker maturation without lees for a fresher take.
In comparison, Armagnac distillation takes place in a single column still (an Alambic Armagnacais) with 2 chambers and 15 - 20 perforated plates which distill to 60 % abv and produce a much richer, deeper, richly fruited spirit than Cognac. Armagnac enthusiasts might say that the single distillation is what sets it apart in terms of style and quality from other brandies. Although arguably more time consuming, (due to the need for greater ageing) the distillation results in a lower alcohol spirit retaining more character and aromas. Dilution is also less necessary as the spirit is not so strong.
In Spain, Brandy de Jerez is distilled using pot stills also for the fullest flavoured brandy produced - the 'alquitara' but the bulk of production is with continuous stills. Holanda is distilled to 70%, Aguardente to 80 % and Destilado to 85 % or 94.8 %. For this type of Brandy the different distilled spirits can be mixed according to the specifications of the distiller so the guidelines are not as rigid as for Cognac and Armagnac.
Generic French brandy produced from surplus wines in France and distilled into neutral alcohol to be aged for 12 further months is distilled in columns stills as is the high strength German Brandy.
Maturation
For Cognac, maturation takes places in barrels made from either coarse grained Limousin oak or of Troncais which is a tighter grain. For the first 6 months to a year, the spirit is aged in new barrels and then decanted after that time into older barrels where the first fresh flavours will begin to evolve into layered nuances of dried and cooked fruit, flowers, spices and hazelnut. For Armagnac, Limousin, Alsace and a local black oak is used and the same process of a short period of ageing in new oak before transferring to another barrel for further ageing is employed.
The way in which Brandy de Jerez is different is most keenly seen in the maturation stage as the solera system of ageing is used, in the same way as Sherry, which ensues that as the different casks containing brandies of varying ages are emptied and replenished with 33% of the spirit removed at a time, the process of adding new and old Brandy is a fluid continuation which encourages greater oxidative and flavour changes. So with Cognac, Armagnac, Pisco and other European and South African brandies for example, ageing is something which is decided upon and is clearly demarcated. Brandy from the solera is more difficult to apprise as some of the brandies contained in the blend could be highly concentrated and very old bringing their influence to bear on the younger brandies contained within.
Quality and Typicity
For Cognac and Armagnac the categories of VS, VSOP, XO etc are used and there are slight differences between the two regional delineations. For instance VS for Cognac means a minimum of 2 years ageing for the youngest brandy in the blend but for Armagnac it is only compte 1. For Pisco the categories of Seleccion (30 % abv and unaged), Especial (35% abv and a short ageing period) Reservado, (40% abv) and Gran Pisco which is aged the longest are the only indicators the consumer has to tell the age. Pisco, made in Peru however, puts much more emphasis on where the grapes are from, the regional typicity as it were and the bottles are labelled (and priced) accordingly.
In Cognac the terroir is also an important consideration and the six vinegrowing areas of the 'crus' are good indicators of quality and / or style. Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires can tell those who know about Cognac what levels of chalk may be inherent in the soils and in broad terms, the greater amount of chalk a region contains, the more elegant the Brandy will be. In Armagnac there are only three regional variations, Bas Armagnac, Tenareze and Haut Armagnac which makes the task of deliberating amongst styles easier still with Bas Armagnac generally being the most elegant and aromatic and Haut the lightest.
The main categories of importance would be Cognac and Armagnac from France, Brandy de Jerez from Spain, European brandies such as German brandy and ordinary French brandy and Pisco from Chile, Peru and Bolivia.
Grapes and Winemaking
In Cognac, the Ugni Blanc grape accounts for 95% of production along with the lesser utilised Folle Blanche and Colombard and these grapes are chosen in the distillation process of Cognac for their natural acidity, floral spicy notes and aromatic qualities.
The first difference occurs, then, in grape selection between Cognac and Armagnac as Armagnac uses 10 - 12 grapes with primarily Ugni Blanc often paired with Baco 22A, a fruity weighty grape controversial in that as a crossing of Folle Blanche and the American hybrid Noah, it was almost outlawed by the EU's stance on the non allowance of hybrids. Ugni Blanc, used often alone for Cognac is less powerful than Bacco and less aromatic than Folle Blanche. The combination of all three is said to give Armagnac its power and weight.
In Brandy de Jerez the favoured grapes are Airen and Palomino which are high in alcohol and low in acidity and important for achieving the rich soft nature of Brandy de Jerez. In Extramadura from where a great majority of the grapes are harvested, the climate is also important in contributing to the softness through ageing, of which I will refer more to later.
Pisco uses the grape varieties of Moscatel de Alexandria, Torrentel and Pedro Ximenez and these contribute intense perfume and fruit depth to the spirits after distillation in traditional pot stills.
Fermentation and distillation
The grapes used for Cognac are pressed and fermented with the requirements of high levels of natural acidity and low alcohol for stability and to help in the concentration of aromas. Double pot still distillation in a traditional pot still is usual and the process is very slow (the 1st distillation which produces the brouillis taking 9 hours and the second distillation (referred to as bonne chauffe) taking 14 hours). Finally when the heart is collected as a new spirit and the heads, seconds and queues collected, combined and re distilled, this process will have taken six or more hours. Methods of distillation vary amongst Cognac houses with some, such as Remy, using lees in in fermentation for reasons of ageing and longevity and Martell preferring a lighter, quicker maturation without lees for a fresher take.
In comparison, Armagnac distillation takes place in a single column still (an Alambic Armagnacais) with 2 chambers and 15 - 20 perforated plates which distill to 60 % abv and produce a much richer, deeper, richly fruited spirit than Cognac. Armagnac enthusiasts might say that the single distillation is what sets it apart in terms of style and quality from other brandies. Although arguably more time consuming, (due to the need for greater ageing) the distillation results in a lower alcohol spirit retaining more character and aromas. Dilution is also less necessary as the spirit is not so strong.
In Spain, Brandy de Jerez is distilled using pot stills also for the fullest flavoured brandy produced - the 'alquitara' but the bulk of production is with continuous stills. Holanda is distilled to 70%, Aguardente to 80 % and Destilado to 85 % or 94.8 %. For this type of Brandy the different distilled spirits can be mixed according to the specifications of the distiller so the guidelines are not as rigid as for Cognac and Armagnac.
Generic French brandy produced from surplus wines in France and distilled into neutral alcohol to be aged for 12 further months is distilled in columns stills as is the high strength German Brandy.
Maturation
For Cognac, maturation takes places in barrels made from either coarse grained Limousin oak or of Troncais which is a tighter grain. For the first 6 months to a year, the spirit is aged in new barrels and then decanted after that time into older barrels where the first fresh flavours will begin to evolve into layered nuances of dried and cooked fruit, flowers, spices and hazelnut. For Armagnac, Limousin, Alsace and a local black oak is used and the same process of a short period of ageing in new oak before transferring to another barrel for further ageing is employed.
The way in which Brandy de Jerez is different is most keenly seen in the maturation stage as the solera system of ageing is used, in the same way as Sherry, which ensues that as the different casks containing brandies of varying ages are emptied and replenished with 33% of the spirit removed at a time, the process of adding new and old Brandy is a fluid continuation which encourages greater oxidative and flavour changes. So with Cognac, Armagnac, Pisco and other European and South African brandies for example, ageing is something which is decided upon and is clearly demarcated. Brandy from the solera is more difficult to apprise as some of the brandies contained in the blend could be highly concentrated and very old bringing their influence to bear on the younger brandies contained within.
Quality and Typicity
For Cognac and Armagnac the categories of VS, VSOP, XO etc are used and there are slight differences between the two regional delineations. For instance VS for Cognac means a minimum of 2 years ageing for the youngest brandy in the blend but for Armagnac it is only compte 1. For Pisco the categories of Seleccion (30 % abv and unaged), Especial (35% abv and a short ageing period) Reservado, (40% abv) and Gran Pisco which is aged the longest are the only indicators the consumer has to tell the age. Pisco, made in Peru however, puts much more emphasis on where the grapes are from, the regional typicity as it were and the bottles are labelled (and priced) accordingly.
In Cognac the terroir is also an important consideration and the six vinegrowing areas of the 'crus' are good indicators of quality and / or style. Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires can tell those who know about Cognac what levels of chalk may be inherent in the soils and in broad terms, the greater amount of chalk a region contains, the more elegant the Brandy will be. In Armagnac there are only three regional variations, Bas Armagnac, Tenareze and Haut Armagnac which makes the task of deliberating amongst styles easier still with Bas Armagnac generally being the most elegant and aromatic and Haut the lightest.