Brandy (eng. brandy) - the General collective name of a wide family of a variety of alcoholic beverages produced by distillation of grape wine, fruit or berry Braga. Brandy production as a beverage is not strictly regulated by any rules or standards. Standard on the strength of brandy also exists. Can be meet brandy as 35% so and 90%.
The name brandy came from" brandewijn", which translated from Dutch means overcooked or distilled wine ("branden" - "burn";" wijn " - "wine"). Initially, the distillation of wine was a method of preservation, and also easier for merchants to transport the wine. However, it turned out that after storage in wooden barrels, the product became better than the wine from which it was obtained.
Brandy can be classified according to the raw materials in the manufacture of ispolzuemye:
Grape brandy (eau-de-vie de vin) is made by distillation of fermented grape juice. There are several varieties of grape brandy. This group includes Armagnac (armagnac), cognac (cognac), sherry brandy and Greek grape brandy metaxa.
Brandy from pomace (eau-de-vie de marc) is made from fermented grape pulp, seeds and stems, which remain after squeezing juice from grapes. An example of this type of brandy is Italian Grappa, South Slavic rakia and Georgian chacha.
Fruit brandy (eau-de-vie de fruits) is obtained by distillation from other fruits and berries (except grapes). Apples, plums, peaches, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and apricots are most often used. Fruit brandy is usually clear, with a strength of 36 to 60 degrees is usually consumed chilled or with ice. This group includes the famous plum brandy, Calvados (calvados), kirchwasser, borovichka , Poire Williams, Framboise, Eau de Vie.
Also, brandy can be classified by exposure:
- Hors D'age-brandy "out of age", the exposure is usually more than 10 years.
- Vintage-vintage brandy, specified vintage.
- X. O. (Extra Old) - brandy aged for at least 6 years, and Napoleon aged for at least 4 years.
- V. S. O. P. (Very Special Old Pale or 5 stars) – brandy, aged for at least 5 years.
- Vs (Very Special or 3 stars) – means that the brandy is aged for at least 3 years.
- A. C.-means that brandy is aged in wooden containers for at least 2 years.
Brandy can be sustained in one of three main ways:
No aging: Many of the cake Brandy and fruit brandy is not aged after distillation. The result is usually a colorless transparent liquid.
Aging in barrels: Brandy Golden and brown color aged in oak barrels.
Solera process: Some Brandies are aged using the Solera system. Brandy from Spain are usually made in this way.
The main danger brandy — fortress and sweetness. There is quite a lot of sugar in this alcoholic drink, so for those who have problems with metabolism, brandy consumption can be fraught with instability of blood sugar. The liver can also give complications due to disruption of the processes of utilization and release of glucose.
Other strong alcoholic beverages
