How to Drink Brandy

Learn how to make brandy. Brandy is the general name for all spirits distilled from fruit. The fruit is pressed for juice and the juice is fermented to make fruit wine. The fruit wine is then distilled to produce brandy. The brandy is then aged for several years in wooden casks, but there are some brands that don’t need that many years. ^[1]

• Brandy is usually made from grapes but there are brandy made with other fruits like apples, peaches, plums and more. When brandy is made from another fruit, that fruit will be labeled with “brandy” on the bottle label, for example a brandy made from a shirt will be called apple brandy. ^[2]
• Brandy has a dark color when aged in wooden barrels. Brandy that is not aged will not have a rich caramel color, but they will be colored with food coloring for a similar color. ^[3]
• The pomace brandy is made a little differently. Instead of fermenting grape juice, the fermentation and distillation process to make pomace involves the skin, branches, and seeds. Pomace-style brandy is also known as marc (English and French) and grappa (Italian). ^[4]

Take a look at the history of brandy. The name “brandy” is derived from the Dutch word “brandewijn”, also known as “burnt wine”, derived from the warm, glowing feeling from a sip of fine brandy. ^[5]

• Brandy has been around since the 12th century and is concocted by pharmacies and doctors as a medicine. It was not until the 16th century that the French government allowed winemakers to distill brandy.
• The French brandy industry developed slowly until the Netherlands began to import brandy for consumption and export to other European countries. The shipping of brandy became cheaper because of its high alcohol content and less volume than wine, which was rich in water, making it economically viable for merchants.
• The Dutch began investing in France to build distilleries in the wine regions of Loire, Bordeaux and Charente. Charente became the most prosperous producer of brandy with a town named Cognac. ^[6]

Understand that there are many varieties of brandy with age-based grading systems. Popular varieties include Armagnac, Cognac, American brandy, pisco, apple brandy, eaux de vie (water of life), and Brandy de Jerez. Brandy is classified according to the number of years, according to the different classification system for different types of brandy. ^[7]

Learn about different age systems. The process of making the brandy must be slow and gentle so that the wine achieves its excellent taste and is aged in oak casks. There are many age and classification systems for different types of brandy. In general we have classification labels including AC, VS (Very Special, very special), VSOP (Very Special Old Pale, very special bold color), XO (Extra Old, very old), Hors d’age and classic. However, these classification labels have many variations depending on the brandy as well. ^[8]

• VS (Very Special) is a wine aged for at least 2 years. This type of wine is used as a base for a better concoction than for drinking it whole.
• VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is a wine aged from 4 to nearly 6 years.
• XO (Extra Old) is brandy aged 6 and a half years or more.
• Brandy Hors d’age is wine that for some reason is too old to be dated.
• For some brands these classifications are required, while others are not.

Learn Armagnac. Armagnac is a grape brandy named after the Armagnac region in southwestern France. They are wine fermented from Cpombard grapes mixed with Ugni Blanc and distilled once according to the cpumn stills tube distillation model. The distillery is then aged for at least 2 years in French oak barrels, resulting in a rustic brandy that is richer than Cognac. Then the wines are aged with different ages will be mixed together to produce the final product. ^[9]

• Brandy 3 stars or VS (Very Special): the wine mixed in the blend must be aged for at least 2 years.
• Brandy VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): wines made in blends are at least 4 years old, brandy blended in this line can be much older.
• Brandy Nappeon or XO (Extra Old): wine made in a blend that is at least 6 years old.
• Hors d’age is aged for at least 10 years.
• The age label affixed to a bottle of Armagnac is the age of the youngest brandy present in the blend.
• We also have vintage Armagnacs that are at least 10 years old and the year of harvest is printed on the bottle label.
• This classification applies only to Armagnac; Cognacs and some other brandies will have different classifications with different meanings.

Learn Cognac. Cognac is a grape brandy named after a town in France that gave birth to distinctive grape varieties including Ugni Blanc. Cognac must be distilled twice in copper pots, then aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years. ^[10]

• 3 stars or VS (Very Special): is brandy mixed in a blend that must be at least 2 years old.
• VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) brandy is aged in blends for at least 2 years, brandy blends are sometimes older.
• Nappeon, XO (Extra Old), Extra or Hors d’age: brandy aged at least 6 years in oak casks. On average, these brandy bottles have a real age of about 20 years or more.
• Some Cognacs are aged for 40-50 years.

Learn American brandy. American Brandy includes many brands and does not have many regulations. Any age labels like VS, VSOP and XO are not strictly controlled, you need to be careful when buying. There are only two regulations in the US affecting consumers that apply to brandy. ^[11]

• By law, if a brandy is less than 2 years old, it must be labeled “immature”. ^[12]
• In addition, by law, if the wine is not made from grapes, it must state the fruit from which it is made on the label. ^[13]
• Because there is no law regulating the classification, each different winery has its own age classification and the aging process is sometimes not very long. Check out their website for more information on variations and aging.
• They also have no mandatory requirements governing the distillation technique that should be used.

Learn brandy pisco. Pisco is brandy made from unaged grapes produced in Peru and Chile. Because it is not annealed, it is bright in color. To this day, there is controversy over Peru or Chile, which country produces pisco and whether the wine should be restricted to certain regions.

Learn apple brandy. Apple brandy is made from apples and originates from the US – where they call them applejack – and in France, where they call them Calvados. This type is very versatile and can be used to make a variety of cocktails.

• The American Applejack is light in color and has a fruity taste.
• French calvados are more nuanced, subtle and multi-layered.

Learn eaux de vie. Eaux de vie is an unbrewed brandy made from a variety of fruits such as currants, pears, plums, cherries and more. They are usually light in color because they are not annealed. ^[14]

• In Germany, eaux de vie are called “Schnapps” but it is not the same as American schnapps.

Learn Brandy de Jerez. Brandy de Jerez originates from the Andalusia region in Spain and has its own recipe by distilling it once in a copper pot. Then aged in American oak barrels.

• Brandy de Jerez Spera is the youngest and fruity wine, with an average age of 1 year.
• Brandy de Jerez Spera Reserva has an average age of at least 3 years.
• Brandy de Jerez Spera Gran Reserva is the oldest, averaging at least 10 years old.

Choose brandy and age when buying. Brandy in the store can be the types just mentioned above, or it can simply be “brandy”. If you can’t think of a certain brandy yet, consider the country of import and the ingredients (for example, grapes, fruit or pulp). Choose the type of wine and then see the age. Remember that brandy age ratings vary widely and depend on the type of wine.