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History
Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved over the original distilled spirit.[2] Also, the distillation process doesn't just remove water, but leads to the formation and break-up of dozens of aroma compounds fundamentally altering the composition of the distillate. This is why unaged wine spirits (unaged brandy) diluted back to wine alcohol strength tastes nothing like the original wine. Types of brandyThere are three primary types of brandy. Grape brandy is the type that is meant if the term brandy is used by itself. Grape brandyGrape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grape juice. There are four main subtypes of grape brandies.
Grape brandies are best drunk from a tulip-shaped glass or a snifter, at cool room temperature.[citation needed] Often it is slightly warmed, by holding the glass in the cup of the palm or gently heating with a candle; however, such heating causes alcohol vapor to become very pungent so that the aromas are overpowered.[citation needed] Brandy, like whisky and red wine, exhibits more pleasant aromas and flavors at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 degrees Celsius (61° F). In most homes, this would imply that the brandy should in fact rather be cooled for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol (which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin as it is heated, (but more viscous when cooled) leading to a fuller and smoother mouthfeel with less of a burning sensation. Pomace brandyPomace brandy is produced from fermented grape pulp, seeds, and stems that remain after the grapes are pressed for their juice. Examples include the Italian grappa and the French marc.[2] Fruit brandyFruit brandies are distilled from fruits other than grapes. Apple, plum, peach, cherry, raspberry, blackberry, and apricot are the most commonly used fruit. Fruit brandy is usually clear, 80 to 90 proof, and usually drunk chilled or over ice. Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower Normandy.[2] Apple is pressed into cider, fermented with yeast and double distilled. Cherry Brandy is a fruit brandy made from cherries. Perhaps the most famous brand is the HEERING Cherry Liqeur (also known as Peter Heering or Cherry Heering) of Denmark founded in 1818. Cherries are pressed into a must, matured in oak casks and then blened into a liqueur. HEERING Cherry Liqeur is the orginal "cherry brandy" ingreident in the Singpore Sling drink from Raffles Hotel, Singapore. Kirschwasser is a fruit brandy made from cherries.[2] Pálinka is a fruit brandy traditional to Hungary.[2] It can be made from any kind of fruit - most often plum (szilva), apricot (barack), grape (törköly), elderberry (bodza), pear (vilmoskörte) and cherry (cseresznye). Less common pálinka-types include apple, peach and even walnut (dió). Mixed pálinka (vegyes) is also popular. Slivovitz is a fruit brandy made from plums[2], traditional to Serbia and Croatia. Slivovice is a strong 70% vol. (and more) fruit brandy made from plums, in Slovakia, the East mountains of the Czech republic (region Valachia - exactly Vizovice) and Southern mountain region of Poland. Certain varieties of Schnapps or Snaps, light-bodied spirits that are drunk along with a meal in Germanic or Scandinavian countries. Tuica (tzuika) is the clear Romanian brandy, made mainly from plums, apples, pears, apricots, mulberries, peaches, quinces or mixes of them. Other regional names as turţ, tura, horinca apply. As wine producers, Romania and Moldova have also a production of cognac-style brandy, named vinars or divin. VariationsPot vs. tower stillsCognac and South African pot still brandy are examples of brandy produced in batches using pot stills (batch distillation). Many American brandies use fractional distillation in tower stills to perform their distillation. Special pot stills with a fractionation section on top are used for Armagnac. AgingA brandy can be aged in one of three main ways.
Brandy LabelsBrandy has a rating system to describe its quality and condition, these indicators can usually be found near the brand name on the label. DistillationA batch distillation typically works as follows: Wine with an alcohol concentration of 8-12%v/v and high acidity is boiled in a pot still. Vapours of ethanol, water and the numerous aroma components rise upwards and are collected in a condenser coil where it becomes a liquid again. The alcohol concentration of the condensed product (the distillate) is far higher than in the original wine (roughly 82% by volume). As the alcohol is continuously being removed from the wine, its alcohol concentration drops, resulting in a drop in the instantaneous alcohol concentration of the distillate. When all alcohol has been removed in the wine, the boiling point will be roughly that of water (100 degrees Celsius), and the distillate will contain no more alcohol. The accumulated distillate, however, will contain roughly 30% alcohol (ethanol) by volume. This distillate is usually distilled a second time and in both cases an amount of distillate is kept separate at the start as well as the end of the distillation process. These fractions are called the "heads" and "tails". The fraction that is kept is called the "heart". The hot conditions in the pot still as well as the fact that it usually consists of copper, cause chemical reactions to take place during the distillation. This leads to the formation of numerous new volatile aroma components, changes in relative amounts of aroma components in the wine, as well as the hydrolysis of components such as esters. Historical productionAs described in the 1728 edition of Cyclopaedia, the following method was used to distill brandy. A cucurbit was filled half full of the liquor from which brandy was to be drawn; and then raised, with a little fire, till about one sixth part was distilled, or till that which falls into the receiver was entirely flammable. This liquor, distilled only once, was called spirit of wine or brandy. Purified by another, or several more distillations, this was then called spirit of wine rectified. The second distillation was made in balneo mariae, and in a glass cucurbit; and the liquor was distilled to about one half the quantity. This was further rectified, as long as the operator thought necessary, to produce brandy. [3] To abridge these several distillations, which were long and troublesome, a chemical instrument was invented, whereby the rectification of spirit of wine was performed in one single distillation. To test the goodness of the rectified spirit of wine, a portion was lit on fire. If the entire contents were consumed, without leaving any impurity behind, then the liquor was good. Another, better test involved putting a little gunpowder in the bottom of the spirit; if the gunpowder took fire when the spirit was consumed, then the liquor was good.[3] UsesA brandy bean is a brandy filled chocolate that is popular around Christmas time. See also
References
ca:Brandi de:Brandy es:Brandy fa:براندی fr:Eau-de-vie gd:Branndaidh it:Brandy he:ברנדי lt:Brendis mt:Brendi nl:Brandewijn (drank) ja:ブランデー no:Brandy pl:Brandy pt:Conhaque ru:Бренди sr:Вињак fi:Brandy sv:Brandy (spritdryck) uk:Бренді zh:白兰地
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