Brandy

What is Brandy?

Do you know that brandy is a spirit produced by distilling ( is the process by which a liquid is heated to create a vapor and then condensed back into a liquid again) wine? It is mostly an after-dinner drink that contains 35–60% alcohol by volume. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, some are color with caramel coloring to imitate the effect of aging, and some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and coloring.

Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned  Cognac and Armagnac from southwestern France.

Categories

Cognac: Cognac is a town in the region of southwest France and the winemakers in this region grow their grapes to produce brandy. Among the specified grapes Ugni blanc (the white grape of France), known locally as Saint-Emilion, is most widely used. It must be twice distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least for a minimum of two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. Cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and wine barrel age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer “on the wood” than the minimum legal requirement.

VS Cognac: The VS stands for ‘Very Special ‘or alternatively, ✯✯✯ (three stars) means exactly the same. Cognacs of this quality are where the youngest brandy in the blend is aged at least two years in oak casks.

VSOP Cognac: VSOP stands for ‘Very Special Old Pale’ or actually, officially according to the BNIC, Very Superior Old Pale.  However, in most quarters it’s referred to as Very Special Old Pale.  A VSOP Cognac is where the youngest brandy in the blend is aged for at least four years in barrels.  However, in general, the average age of Cognacs in a VSOP blend is older than the VS Cognac.

XO Cognac: XO stands for ‘Extra Old’. In an XO Cognac, the youngest of the brandies within is aged for a minimum of six years.  However, they might well be much older, with the average brandy in an XO Cognac being upwards of 20 years old.

Cognac Napoleon Officially:  A Cognac that’s described as a Napoleon is equal to XO in terms of minimum age.  However, these are normally marketed as an in-between of a VSOP and XO Cognac.

Pomace:-  Pomace brandy is a liquor distilled from pomace, the pulpy residue remaining after the fruit that is leftover from winemaking after the grapes are pressed. It is called marc in both English and French. Alcohol derived from pomace is also used as the traditional base spirit of other liquors, such as some anise-flavored spirits. Unlike wine brandy, most pomace brandies are neither aged nor colored. Pomace or marc is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit.

Supported by Prof.Bhavik Vakaria