Villa Spain - Property Magazin for the Costa del Sol

 

Villa España ­ Brandy, a drink for heroes

At least that is what Samuel Johnson, the 18th century literary giant had to say about this noble alcoholic beverage when he wrote: “Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.”

Origin and Production

Spanish brandy is trying hard to shed its stuffy image and once you have savoured the sensual pleasure of this amber coloured liquid, heating your body from within, you will know why it has been labelled, by some, as the lifeblood of Spain.

It is as different from French cognac as Scotch whisky is from Irish; it is slightly sweeter on the whole, and has the added advantage of being cheaper.

Brandy is made from distilled wine and matured in oak barrels. Many stories exist about its origin, even one that says alchemists hit upon it whilst trying to produce the elixir of life. Another legend is that brandy was first produced by an enterprising sea captain, who boiled wine in order to save cargo space on his ship. He planned to add the water back again, once at his home port, but those who tried this new concoction liked it just the way it was.

Fact is, that a rough kind of brandy was already known, in the Moslem world around the Mediterranean in the 7th and 8th century, and Arab alchemists distilled grapes and other fruit, in order to make medicinal spirits. Distillation, the physical process to separate mixtures that contain at least one liquid, was used by the ancient Greeks, Aristotle so (384-322 BC) tells us.

In order to find out how brandy was introduced to northern Europe, we have to go to the French village of Cognac. Throughout the Middle Ages, Cognac was one of Europe’s main salt-trading towns and wealthy, northern European merchants quickly became as devoted to fine French wines as to salt. There was, however, the difficulty in transporting wine, as crude production methods made the wine prone to break down during long and rough sea voyages. In the 16th century Dutch merchants found a way to burn the wine, and this distillate travelled better than the original product. Once they found out that the distillate was as drinkable as a good wine the prosperous trade in brandewijn (burnt wine) was born. The Dutch word brandewijn became brandy and although cognac became a generic name, it can only be applied to the variation of brandy produced in the Cognac area north of Bordeaux. All cognacs are thus brandy, but not all brandies are cognacs.

Major brandy producers are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and South Africa . Brandy can be distilled from any kind of wine but white wine produces a more pleasing product, especially when it has just finished its fermentation with the yeast cells still suspended.

Spanish brandy is a distillate based on sherry, aged in oak casks and heavier and sweeter than either cognac or armagnac. This is why most of the sherry producers in Spain also produce brandy. They follow the sherry making practice of maturing in Solera, a system whereby the younger wines are added to older ones in a cascading barrel arrangement. The barrels of brandy are stacked four or five high, according to age, with the youngest brandies at the top. Brandy for the final bottling is drawn from casks in the bottom tier but they are never completely emptied. The vacated space is immediately filled with brandy from the barrels in the tier above and these in turn are topped up from the tier above them.

In order to find out how brandy was introduced to northern Europe, we have to go to the French village of Cognac. Throughout the Middle Ages, Cognac was one of Europe’s main salt-trading towns and wealthy, northern European merchants quickly became as devoted to fine French wines as to salt. There was, however, the difficulty in transporting wine, as crude production methods made the wine prone to break down during long and rough sea voyages. In the 16th century Dutch merchants found a way to burn the wine, and this distillate travelled better than the original product. Once they found out that the distillate was as drinkable as a good wine the prosperous trade in brandewijn (burnt wine) was born. The Dutch word brandewijn became brandy and although cognac became a generic name, it can only be applied to the variation of brandy produced in the Cognac area north of Bordeaux. All cognacs are thus brandy, but not all brandies are cognacs.

Major brandy producers are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and South Africa . Brandy can be distilled from any kind of wine but white wine produces a more pleasing product, especially when it has just finished its fermentation with the yeast cells still suspended.

Spanish brandy is a distillate based on sherry, aged in oak casks and heavier and sweeter than either cognac or armagnac. This is why most of the sherry producers in Spain also produce brandy. They follow the sherry making practice of maturing in Solera, a system whereby the younger wines are added to older ones in a cascading barrel arrangement. The barrels of brandy are stacked four or five high, according to age, with the youngest brandies at the top. Brandy for the final bottling is drawn from casks in the bottom tier but they are never completely emptied. The vacated space is immediately filled with brandy from the barrels in the tier above and these in turn are topped up from the tier above them.


Denominations

Brandies are generally divided into three classes:
VS (Very Superior): A blend of brandies that have aged a minimum of 2 1/2 years
VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale): A bland of brandies that have aged a minimum of 4 1/2 years
XO (Extra Old): This refers to a blending older than 6 1/2 years but usually considerably older.

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