Brandy is a general term for distilled wine, usually 40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine, this spirit can also be made from grape pomace or fermented fruit juice. Unless specified otherwise, brandy is made from grape wine. It is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink. Brandy made from wine is generally colored with caramel coloring to imitate the effect of long aging in wooden casks; pomace and fruit brandies are generally drunk unaged, and are not usually colored.

Grape Brandy

Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grape juice. There are four main subtypes of grape brandies.

Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France, and is double distilled using pot stills.

Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous distilled in a copper stills and aged in oak casks from Gascony or Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs have a specificity: they offer vintages qualities.

Grape brandies are also produced in several other countries, including Portugal where it is called aguardente (burning water), Spain (where Brandy de Jerez, produced from Sherry is the only protected Denomination of Origin), Mexico, Germany, and South Africa. South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in Cognac, using a double-distillation process in copper pot stills followed by aging in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Because of this, South African brandies are of a very high quality and often suffer an unfair disadvantage as a result of being called "brandy".

American grape brandy is almost always from California.

Grape brandies are best drunk from a tulip-shaped glass or a snifter, at cool room temperature. 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. Brandy, like whisky and red wine, exhibits more pleasant aromas and flavors at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 degrees Celsius (61° F).

Pomace Brandy

Pomace 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.

Fruit Brandy

Fruit 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. Apple is pressed into cider, fermented with yeast and double distilled.

Cherry Brandy and Kirschwasser are a fruit brandies made from cherries.

Pálinka is a fruit brandy traditional to Hungary. 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, 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.

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.

Aging

A brandy can be aged in one of three main ways.

• No aging: Many pomace and fruit brandies are not aged after distillation. The resulting product is typically a clear liquid.
• Single barrel aging: Brandies that have a golden or brown color have been aged in oak casks.
• Solera process: Some brandies are aged using the solera system. Brandies from Spain are typical of this variation.

Brandy Labels

Brandy has a rating system to describe its quality and condition, these indicators can usually be found near the brand name on the label.

• A.C.: aged 2 years in wood.
• V.S.: "Very Special" or 3-Star, aged at least 3 years in wood.
• V.S.O.P.: "Very Superior Old Pale" or 5-Star, aged at least 5 years in wood.
• X.O.: "Extra Old", Napoleon or Vieille Reserve, aged at least 6 years, Napoleon at least 4 years.
• Vintage: Stored in the cask until the time it is bottled with the label showing the vintage date.
• Hors D'age: These are too old to determine the age, although 10 years plus is typical, and are usually of great quality.