Information About Brandy Is At The End Of This Page.

Brandy has a very interesting history. In the 17th Century, the wine trade was very important to many shippers. Some shippers began to bring cheap Portuguese wine to Britain, to sell it for a profit. They did not want to 'waste' valuable cargo space with it, though, so they boiled out all of the water before loading it, and on the other end simply added water back in.

At some point, someone tasted the distilled liquid, and decided it tasted even better than the end result wine!

Thus was brandy born. The first brandies were mostly made with the ugni blanc grape - the ones being used in the original wines. Now, however, there are a vast variety of grapes used in brandy, depending on where the brandy comes from.

Cognac

One of the most famous brandies is Cognac, the brandy produced in the Cognac area of France - just north of Bordeaux. Cognacs are created with white wine. There are six areas of Cognac - the best two are named Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. Note that these have nothing to do with Champagne, France, creator of some fantastic bubblies - they both just happen to have chalky soil. The remaining four areas are Fins Bois, Borderies, Bons Bois and Bois.

Cognac is made mostly with Ugni Blanc, although small amounts of Folle Blanche and Colombard are also used. Cognac, and many brandies, are rated by age. The ratings are:

• AC: two year old spirits, aged in wood.
• VS: three year old spirits, in wood, often called 'three star'.
• VSOP: Five year old spirits, in wood, called 'five star'. The initials stand for 'Very Special Old Pale'.
• XO: Six year old spirits. Every brandy maker has its own special name for this level - 'reserve', 'extra', 'paradis', and so on.

Armagnac

Armagnac is created in Gascony, about 100 miles south of Cognac. There are three areas in Armagnac - Bas-Armagnac (the best), Tenareze, and Haut-Armagnac. Most Armagnac are created from these four grapes: Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc (trebbiano), Colombard and Baco. This region uses a continuous still method, where they ferment to a lower alcohol level. This allows the spirit to retain many of its characteristics, although it often needs longer aging (13-15 yrs) than a Cognac.

Armagnac has an additional level - Hors d’âge - which must be aged for 10 years before release. Note that after around 35 years, almost all brandies have lived too long.

Other Regions

Brandy is also made in other areas of the world. Jerez, Spain is known for their brandies, made in the solera system, where younger wines are added to the older ones in a cascading barrel arrangement. There are also many fruit brandies created at all points of the globe.

Brandies are typically drunk after a meal, at around 70F. They go well with nut and apple desserts, or on their own. It should be served in a thin glass, which should be held by the stem - not the bowl. Warming the glass causes the alcohol to evaporate too quickly, drowning out the fruit aromas.