Brandy Wine Information

In the seafaring days of wine shipments, something had to be done to wine to allow it to survive the long ocean journeys. Brandy was added to allow the wine to last longer, and to be more resistant to temperature changes. Wines altered like this were called "fortified wines" and became hugely popular. In modern times, we still enjoy port, , marsala, madeira and others. What is Brandy, that creates these fine drinks?

Brandy has a very interesting history. In the 17th Century, the wine trade was very important to many shippers. Some shippers began to bring cheap Portuguese wine to Britain, to sell it for a profit. They did not want to 'waste' valuable cargo space with it, though, so they boiled out all of the water before loading it, and on the other end simply added water back in.

At some point, someone tasted the distilled liquid, and decided it tasted even better than the end result wine!

Thus was brandy born. The first brandies were mostly made with the ugni blanc grape - the ones being used in the original wines. Now, however, there are a vast variety of grapes used in brandy, depending on where the brandy comes from.

The most famous brandies are:
* Cognac, from Cognac, France
* Armagnac, from Gascony, France

Brandy is also made in other areas of the world. In addition to grape brandies, many countries are well known for their specific fruit brandy styles.

Brandies are typically drunk after a meal, at around 70F. They go well with nut and apple desserts, or on their own. It should be served in a thin glass, which should be held by the stem - not the bowl. Warming the glass causes the alcohol to evaporate too quickly, drowning out the fruit aromas.

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