Wine Brandy After-Dinner Drink
Made from a wine base significantly differing from regular table wines, Brandy normally contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume. Typically consumed after dinner, this spirit features smaller amounts of sulfur than regular wines. Largely obtained from wines made of early grapes achieving high acid concentration & low sugar levels, Brandies are most often aged in wooden casks.
Some of the Brandies are also colored with caramel imitating the effects of aging, while quite a few are produced using aging & coloring combinations. A variety of Brandies are found across the winemaking world. Some of the most popular global varieties of wine include Cognac & Armagnac coming from Southwestern France.
Brandy Production & Consumption
Apart from a few major producers, production of Brandy & consumption tend to display a regional character. Significantly varying in methods of production, Wine Brandy comes largely from an extensive variety of grape cultivars. Special selections of cultivars are strictly used for the making of high-quality Brandy Wines.
This allows producers maintain & provide a distinct aroma & character to the brands. However, cheaper qualities of Brandies are made from whichever wine is available in the markets.
Wine Brandy Distillation Process
Brandy is mostly distilled from a wine base in two phases. The first stage removes a large part of solids & water from the base. Called as ‘low wine’, this is basically a concentration of wine which is about 28 to 30 percent alcohol by volume. This ‘low wine’ is subsequently distilled into Brandy in the second stage.
The second stage comprises of three phases known as the “heads”, the “heart” & the “tails” Leaving the pot still, “head” as the first portion displays alcohol concentration of about 83%, however with an unpleasant odor. The third & the last portion “tail” is weak & is generally discarded with the “head” only to be mixed with another batch of the low wine so as to enter the distillation process once again.
It is the middle “heart” portion which is rich in aromas & flavors constituting as Brandy which is preserved for maturation.
Brandy Wine Aging Process
Fresh Brandy Wine is now put inside oak barrels to mature after distillation. Normally, natural golden or brown colored Brandies are aged in a single barrel oak cask. However, most Brandies coming from Spain use the Solera system for aging. In the Solera system the spirit changes barrel every year depending upon the style, class & legal requirements of the product.
Finally, matured Brandy is mixed with distilled water to maintain concentration of alcohol before bottling. Some Brandies also add sugar & caramel color to simulate appearance of barrel aging.
Culinary Uses of Brandy Wine
Brandy is often used to create an intense flavor in the making of some soups like the ‘onion soup’. It is commonly used as a deglazing liquid in the making of pan sauces for steak & other varieties of meat. Used as a common flavoring agent for making traditional English Christmas foods like Christmas Pudding, Brandy Butter & Christmas Cakes.
Brandy is also commonly used in drinks like mulled wine largely drunk during the festive season. Used to flambé dishes like Cherries Jubilee & Crêpe Suzette while serving, Brandy is delightedly poured over Christmas Puddings & set alight. Even if the flames are thought to consume most of the alcohol, the pudding is definitely left with a distinctive taste.
Warning – Watch the Bad Mixers Rantidine (Zantac), an acid-reducing drug common as a heartburn medication, taken in combination with most alcoholic beverages even with light to moderate drinking cause blood alcohol levels to rise dangerously high. While interfering with the processes breaking down alcohol, the raised alcohol levels can impair driving amongst social drinkers.
People taking Rantidine need to be warned of possibly developing unexpected functional impairment even when consuming amounts of alcohol previously considered as safe.