cigar with brandy, a fashionable and mature male image with a successful career immediately emerged, and more and more people are fond of this tone.
However, brandy has been popular in the country for so many years, do you really understand brandy?
1
What is brandy
The name of brandy comes from the Dutch word "Brandewijn", which literally means " burned wine ", is distilled from wine or other fermented juices (apples, apricots, cherries, etc.). Brandy is usually made of grapes, so most countries that make wine also produce this spirit. The two most famous brands are Cognac and Armagnac .
2
Cognac VS Yawenyi
As the two most famous brands, people often ask, what is the difference between them? Let me introduce it in detail today:
mproperty areas are different
both are brandy, but only brandy in the cognac production area can be called cognac, and only brandy in the Yawenyi production area can be called Yawenyi .
(1) Cognac
Cognac production area is located north of the Yawenyi production area, extending from the northern end of Bordeaux to La Rochelle, the western French harbor. It is close to the Atlantic Ocean and has a stable marine climate. It has moderate rainfall throughout the year, and its light and temperature are very suitable for the growth of cognac grapes.
Cognac has approximately 78,000 hectares of vineyards and is divided into 6 sub-producing areas:
- Grande Champagne area (Grande Champagne) : Recognized as the best cognac sub-producing area , with deep, fragile chalk soil. The cognac flowers produced are fragrant, delicate in flavor and have great aging potential.
- Petite Champagne area (Petite Champagne) : Surrounding the big champagne area, it is considered to be the sub-producing area of , which is second only to the big champagne area. The chalk here is not that fragile and the climate is more marine. Produces cognac with fragrant flowers and light fruity flavor.
- Borderies : There is less chalk soil, producing fragrant and faster ripening cognac.
- High-quality forest area (Fins Bois): The largest cognac production area, surrounding the above 3 sub-producing areas. The produced cognac has a round and soft texture, and it also has a quick ripening time. It also has a freshly pressed grape aroma, making it an excellent base wine for cognac blending.
- High quality forest area (Bons Bois): Surrounding high-quality forest area, the soil and climate environment are diverse. It is known for producing cognac wines that are fast-ripening and have unique taste.
- Ordinary forest area (Bois Ordinaires) : This sub-producing area is affected by a strong marine climate, and the cognac produced has a pure rural and marine flavor.
(2) Yawenyi
Yawenyi production area is located in the Gascon area in southwestern France. 4,200 hectares of grapes are planted in the production area specifically for brewing Yawenyi, and are divided into 3 sub-producing areas:
- Lower Yawenyi District (Le Bas-Armagnac)
is located on the west side of the production area and was once submerged in the Atlantic Ocean. After the seawater recedes, the soil with silt and sand is left, containing a higher concentration of iron. is the core of the entire Yawenyi production area. The Yawenyi produced is the most delicate and delicate, with a rich and elegant fragrance, and has the greatest aging potential.
- Tenahreze
is located in the middle of the production area, mainly composed of chalk soil and mixed soil of sediment. The Yawenyi produced here is usually more round and fuller, strong when young, with a strong violet and spice odor. It needs to be decades before it can show its perfect appearance.
- Haut-Armagnac
surrounds lower Yawenyi and Tenahz from the east and south sides. Mainly chalk soil. This soil is regarded as the best in the Greater Champagne area, the core production area of Cognac, but it is not pleasing here, and the vineyards are sparse and sporadic. The elegant Wenyi produced here is strong and simple.
Wine-making grapes different
(1)Cognac
The main white grape varieties for brewing cognac are 3 types: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Colombard .
Among them, white jade crown (Ugni Blanc) accounts for 98% of cognac vineyards. It has good disease resistance, high acidity and low sugar content. It can be used to create wines with light body, light flavor and high acidity. The alcohol content is usually only 8%-9%, which is suitable for distilling spirits and aging for a long time.
History, Folle Blanche was once the primary grape variety in cognac, but because it is prone to infection with mold during grafting, it has gradually been abandoned by people and currently only accounts for 1% of the planting area in the production area.
Wine farmers will also add other grape varieties to blend, accounting for up to 10%, including Folignan, Jurancon blanc, Meslier St-Francois, Montils and Semillion, but their chances of appearing are very small.
(2) Yawenyi
There are 10 grape varieties used in Yawenyi. In addition to the white jade crown, Baifuer and pigeon cage white, Yawenyi also has its own special variety - Baco , and there are 6 niche varieties that are rarely used.
Like Cognac, white jade crane is also quite popular among Yawenyi wine farmers, and Baco is the only hybrid variety allowed to be grown in the legal production area of France. It is a hybrid of Baiford and another hybrid Noah. is like white jade crown. If Baco uses it alone to make wine, it will be too light, but if it is used to distille strong wine, it can show infinite complex flavors.
contains Baco's Yawenyi often has strong flavor and poor taste when he is young; but if he has been aged for decades, the edges and corners can be smoothed out, showing a complex and soft texture.
Bafoer is light and delicate. If brewed properly, it can create a wine with a bit of fragrance hidden in the jasmine fragrance, which is delicate and lovely - completely opposite to the plump and honest and enthusiastic Baco.
In addition to the above 4 varieties, the legal varieties of Yawenyi include Clairette de Gasconge, Jurancon blanc, Plant de Graisse, Meslier Saint Francois, Mauzac Blanc and Mauzac Rose. These are relatively ancient varieties, with a planting area of only a few hectares.
distillation methods are different
(1) Cognac: Copper pot distillation
cognac must be performed in copper Copper Charentais pot still secondary distillation.
Sulphur dioxide is strictly prohibited during distillation, so in order to prevent the base wine from oxidizing, the distillation process needs to be completed as soon as possible. According to the law, distillation must be completed before harvesting on March 31 of the following year.
(2) Yawenyi: Column distillation
Yawenyi uses column still (Armagnacais Alambic) for continuous distillation, only once. This still is 200 years old.
However, since the 1970s, a very small number of brewers in Yawenyi used pot stills similar to cognac to double distillate to Yawenyi with a softer and more delicate taste.
Aged
(1) Cognac
Cognac
Cognac must be aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years before it can be sold.
(2) Yawenyi
In the first two years, Yawenyi will aged in the usual 400-420 liter new oak barrels to achieve the effect of softening the wine body and increasing the oak flavor. Then, Yawenyi will be replaced in an old bucket with almost no flavor and continue to age. In a few decades, the most eternal Yawenyi will be moved into large glass bottles that are completely inert.
Style difference
The spirit alcohol obtained by secondary distillation is higher in alcohol (no more than 72.4% abv). This is because the first and last collected wine steam - "wine head" and "wine tail" will be removed during the double distillation, and only the "wine heart" with pure flavor in the middle will be retained, making it more delicate and pure .
The spirit alcohol obtained by Yawenyi using continuous single distillation is lower in alcohol (about 55% abv), retaining more fragrant substances and fruity flavor, and the flavor is relatively rough and richer . However, it depends on the style of the production area and distilleries. For example, the famous Yawenyi artist Tariquet, whose Yawenyi is famous for its delicate and elegantness.
4
Other brandy
, Spanish Jerez brandy (Jerez)
Spanish brandy comes from Andalusian region of Spain and was originally brewed for medicinal . It is commonly known as Jerez brandy, which is mainly made of Airen grapes, can also be made with Palomino, and must be matured using oak barrels aged with Sherry, and like sherry, it must be aged by the Solera System.
Jerez brandy is also classified according to the aging time. The Jerez Reserva brandy is aged for at least 1 year, and the Gran Reserva brandy is aged for at least 3 years. These brands tend to be sweeter than other brands, with a richer flavor and texture.
, Pisco, South America (Pisco)
Pisco, a brandy from South America, mainly produced in Peru and Chile. There are four main types of Pisco, namely, they are made from four grapes: Pisco Puro, Pisco Aromatico, Pisco Acholado and Pisco Mosto Verde. It tends to have higher alcohol content than other brandys, ranging from 30%-50%abv.
American brandy is usually referred to as "brandy".Traditionally, most American brandy is made in famous wine producing areas on the West Coast, but more and more winemakers in other regions use local grapes to make brandy, and the output is growing.
, French fruit brandy
fruit brandy refers to brandy made of other fermented juices other than grapes. French fruit brandy is called "Eau-de-vie". The water of life can be made of a variety of fruits, the most common ones are apples, pears, peaches and yellow plums. It is also used as a base wine to make liqueur.
Calvados is a classic representative of French fruit brandy. Cabardos is an apple brandy from the Normandy region of France. Its wine-making apples can be divided into 4 types according to the main taste: Bitter, Bitter-Sweet, Sweet and Tart. To balance the taste, brewers will use different apple varieties for blending, and some wineries in Cabadus even use nearly 100 apples.
Cabados can be distilled twice with a pot still or a single distilled with a column still, and then it needs to be aged in an oak barrel for at least 2 years.
, French Mark (Marc)
Mark brandy is French pomace brandy , "Marc" means French "scrap". Mark brandy is produced in various production areas of France, among which is the most famous , Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace. The vast majority of the Mark Brandy is not aged or stored in small mouth and large-body glass bottles. These are colorless spirits sold at higher alcohol levels and sometimes over 50% abv.
, Italian Grapa (Grappa)
Grapa is also a kind of pomace brandy, whose direct translation is "grape stem". It is derived from Italian and is made by fermenting and distilling pomace (remaining grape skins, stems and seeds) to reduce the amount of waste generated when making wine.
All pomace brandy marked "Grappa" must be produced from Italian and are subject to regulations. Most grapas are not aged by barrels, which can maximize the characteristics of the grapes, as long as a few top grapas will be aged by barrels.
According to the aging, grape variety, aroma ingredients, etc., Grapa can be divided into different types:
- Unripened (Giovane): Only stored in stainless steel tanks before bottling;
- Refined (Affinata): Aged in wooden barrels does not exceed 12 months;
- mature (Vecchia/Invecchiata): aged in a wooden barrel for 12-18 months;
- Collection (Riveva/Stravecchia): aged in a wooden barrel for at least 18 months; Months;
- Aromatica: Made with aromatic grapes, such as musk, geauze, Malvisa, etc.;
- Aromatizzata: Concentrated aromatic distilled wine can be added to grapa, or aromatic substances can be directly added to grapa to extract.
5
How to drink brandy
We often chat after dinner in European and American film and television dramas, or drink two drinks when thinking late at night.
Brandy has a special brandy cup, as shown in the picture above. Brandy can be used to drink directly at room temperature, or you can drink with ice cubes.If you want to be more interesting, add various ingredients and mix and drink it, such as adding Sprite soda, fruit, etc. When serving with catering,
, fish, seafood, cheese, dessert are all good choices.
