Traditional brandy is a brandy made from grape wine.
Brandy is an English term from the Dutch brandewijn , which can be translated as "burnt wine" . Although the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) includes it in its dictionary , it also contemplates its use as brandi .
According to the RAE , brandy or brandi is called a brandy that is produced outside of French territory . A brandy , meanwhile, is an alcoholic beverage that is obtained by distilling wine and other products.
Characteristics of brandy
Traditional brandy is made from grape wine . When other substances are used, it is common to make the corresponding clarification in the name ( cereal brandy , for example ).
It should be remembered that wine is generated by the fermentation of grape juice or must . This fermentation, in turn, is developed by the intervention of yeasts that convert sugars into ethanol and gas.
To make brandy, the wine is distilled. This boiling and condensation process allows the separation of substances thanks to the different levels of volatility of the components. As wine is a fermented beverage, distillation results in a beverage with a high alcohol content .
Your story
Today's brandy has its origins in the 12th century . However, other similar drinks were already produced in Antiquity , in areas such as Babylon , Rome and Greece .
Initially, the distillation of wine was considered a mechanism that favored the conservation and transportation of the drink. After the distillation that gave rise to brandy, the water was added back to the wine before being consumed. Over time , it was realized that storing distilled wine in barrels produced a different product with characteristics worth appreciating.
There are different types of brandy, such as cognac, armagnac and pisco.
Differences between brandy and cognac
Brandy and cognac are often confused. In reality, the main differentiation that is made lies in commercial reasons and in the designation of origin , since cognac is a type of brandy .
The definition of the RAE indicates that a cognac (or cognac , in French) is a spirit that is obtained by distilling weak wines and then undergoing aging in oak barrels. It can be said that brandy is the generic name for this type of drink, while cognac is a brandy that is produced in the French region of Cognac following a precise method.
The production of cognac requires the use of white grape strains that are grown in Cognac . The wine is distilled two or more times and then aged for a minimum of two years in oak barrels .
Armagnac and pisco
The case of armagnac is similar to that of cognac. Armagnac is called the brandy that is produced in the French region of Armagnac by distilling a white wine that, in turn, is made from four different strains .
Another famous brandy is pisco . It is possible to distinguish between Peruvian pisco (a designation of origin linked to the use of certain grape varieties grown in Peru ) and Chilean pisco (whose particularity lies in the grapes grown in Coquimbo and Atacama ).