Brandy Flashcards

1
Q

Brandy

Defined by the EU

A
  • Distillation of wine, not pomace
  • min 36% abv
  • min 6 mo oak aging
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2
Q

Base for distillation for Brandy

A

Wine

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3
Q

Hybrid grape variety authorized for Armagnac production

A

Baco Blanc

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4
Q

Year Cognac AOC was first defined

Year it was finalized

A
  • 1909
  • 1938
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5
Q

Where is Cognac located in France?

A

Northeast of Bordeaux

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6
Q

Cognac

6 Geographic Designations

(added 1938)

A
  • Grande Champagne
  • Petite Champagne
  • Borderies
  • Fins Bois
  • Bons Bois
  • Bois Ordinaires (Bois à Terroirs)
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7
Q

Cognac

Grande and Petite Champagne

Soils

A

Limestone and high % of Soft Chalk

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8
Q

Cognac

Outlying Regions

Soils

A
  • Higher % hard limestone, sand and clay
    • Fins Bois: “groies” (hard red limestone) and clay
    • Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires: Sand
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9
Q

Cognac

Permitted Grapes

A

encépagement

  • Ugni Blanc (accounts for 98% of vineyard land)
  • Folle Blanche
  • Colombard
  • Montils
  • Sémillon
  • max 10% Folignan (Folle Blanche x Ugni Blanc)
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10
Q

Cognac

Distillation Procedure

A

2x in a copper Charentais pot still

  • Copper boiler must be heated over an open flame
  • Still for the 1st distillation must not exceed a capacity of 140 hl (5% tolerance), with a volume of base wine not exceeding 120 hl
  • Still used to distill the bonne chauffe must not exceed a capacity of 30 hl (5% tolerance), with a volume of spirit not exceeding 25 hl
  • Post 2nd distillation, max 72.4% alcohol
  • Distillation must be completed by March 31 of the year following the harvest
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11
Q

brouillis

A

1st distillation of Cognac

  • Product is a spirit of 28-32% ABV
  • It will be distilled again
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12
Q

bonne chauffe

A
  • bonne chauffe -* 2nd distillation of Cognac
  • vs. brouillis - 1st distillation
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13
Q

bonne chauffe

4 parts

A

bonne chauffe

  • Tête - ‘heads’
  • Coeur - ‘hearts’
  • Secondes - ‘second cuts’
  • Queue - ‘tails’
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14
Q

Cognac

Age Indications

A

Age refers to the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend

  • VS/***/ de Luxe / Grand Choix / Surchoix:​ (Very Special)
    • min 2 yrs
  • Supérieur
    • ​min 3 yrs
  • VSOP / VO / Réserve (Very Special/Superior Old Pale)
    • min 4 yrs
  • VVSOP / Grande Réserve
    • ​min 5 yrs​
  • Napoléon / Extra / Royal / Très Vieux / Vieille Réserve​
    • ​min 6 yrs
  • XO (Extra Old)
    • min 10 yrs
    • Was min 6 yrs until 2018 - original deadline of 2016 was protested to ensure consisteny of stocks)
  • XXO
    • min 14 yrs
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15
Q

Cognac

Vintage

A
  • Vintage indicates year of harvest, not year of distillation
  • Legal, but rare
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16
Q

Cognac

with Subzone on the label

A
  • 100% of the eaux-de-vie must originate in the stated subzone
  • i.e. “Grande Champagne”
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17
Q

Cognac

“Fine Champagne”

A
  • min. 50% from Grande Champagne
  • remainder sourced from Petite Champagne
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18
Q

Cognac

“Fine”

A

“Fine”

  • Term may be applied to either Grande Champagne or Petite Champagne (“Grande Fine Champagne” and “Petite Fine Champagne”)
  • Does not provide any additional information
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19
Q

Cognac

4 major houses

A
  • Remy Martin
  • Hennessy
  • Martell
  • Courvoisier
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20
Q

Armagnac

3 Regions

A
  • Bas-Armagnac AOC
  • Haut-Armagnac AOC
  • Ténarèze AOC
21
Q

Where is Armagnac AOC located?

A

Southeast of Bordeaux

22
Q

Armagnac

Primary Grapes

A
  • Ugni Blanc
  • Colombard
  • Folle Blanche (Picpoul)
  • Baco Blanc (the only hybrid grape authorized in any French AOP appellation)
  • Blanc Dame, Graisse, Jurançon Blanc, Mauzac, Mauzac Rosé, Meslier Saint-François
23
Q

Blanche Armagnac

  • Year achieved AOC status
  • Aging requirements
A

Blanche Armagnac

  • 2005
  • Bottled after 3 mo in an inert container
24
Q

Armagnac

Age Indications

A

Age refers to the youngest Armagnac in the blend

  • VS/***
    • 1-3 yrs
  • VSOP / Napoléon
    • min 4 yrs
  • XO
    • min 10 yrs
  • Hors d’Age
    • min 10 yrs
  • XO Premium
    • min 20 yrs
  • ​Vintage
    • Indicates year of harvest, not year of distillation
    • Min 10 yrs oak
25
Q

Armagnac

Former Aging Requirements

(prior to 2013)

A
  • VS/***: min 2 yrs
  • VSOP: min 5 yrs
  • XO: min 6 yrs
26
Q

Armagnac

Min Alcohol

A

40%

27
Q

Armagnac

Vintage

Aging Requirements

A

10 years

28
Q

Armagnac

2 producers

A
  • Larressingle
  • Château Laubade
29
Q

3 other brandy production areas of France

A
  • Fine de Bordeaux
  • Fine de Borgogne
  • Fine de la Marne
30
Q

Weinbraund

  • Producer
  • Grapes
  • Distillation Procedure
A

Weinbraund - German Brandy

  • Asbach
  • Cognac grapes
  • Charentais pot still
31
Q

Brandy de Jerez

  • Grapes
  • Type of still
  • Aging requirements
  • Type of barrels
A

Brandy de Jerez - Sherry region

  • Airen, Palomino
  • Copper stills
  • Aged in a solera system
  • American oak sherry casks
32
Q

Brandy de Jerez

  • solera
  • s**olera reserva
  • solera gran reserva
A
  • Solera: aged 1 yr avg
  • Solera Reserva: aged 3 yrs avg
  • Solera Gran Reserva: aged 10 yrs avg
33
Q

Brandy de Jerez

3 Producers

A
  • Domecq
  • Emilio Lustau
  • Osborne
34
Q

Name for pommace based spirits

  • France
  • Italy
  • Portugal
A
  • France - Mar
  • Italy - Grappa
  • Portugal - Bagaceira
35
Q

1st producer to distill a single grape variety for grappa

A

Giannola Nonino

  • Used Picolit
36
Q

Grappa

Label indicatations for wood-aged examples

A

Most Grappa is clear

  • Riserva
  • Stravecchia
  • Vecchia
  • Invecchiata
37
Q

Grappa

Wood Aged Examples

A
  • Riserva
  • Stravecchia
  • Vecchia
  • Invecchiata
38
Q

Grappa

Quality Producer

A

Jacopo Poli and Giannola Nonino

  • 1st to distill a single varietal—Picolit—for grappa
39
Q

Where is Calvados?

A

Normandy region of northern France

40
Q

Calvados

3 areas of production

A
  • Calvados
  • Calvados Domfrontais
  • Calvados Pays d’Auge
41
Q

Perry

A

Pear Cider used in the production of Calvados

42
Q

Calvados Pays d’Auge

A

Limits pear cider to a max of 30%

43
Q

Calvados Domfrontais

A
  • Min 30% pear cider
  • Aged min 3 years in cask
  • Must be produced using a continuous still
44
Q

Calvados

Age Indications

A
  • Fine / Trois Étoiles / Trois Pommes / VS
    • 2 yrs
  • Vieux / Réserve
    • 3 yrs
  • Vieille Réserve / VO / VSOP
    • 4 yrs
  • XO / Hors d’Age / Très Vieille Réserve / Très Vieux / Extra / Napoléon
    • 6 yrs
45
Q

Calvados

“Production Fermière”

A

“Production Fermière” (Produit Fermier)

  • Estate Calvados - produced on the same estate where the fruit was harvested and fermented
46
Q

Calvados

Authorized Pruning Methods

A
  • “Haute Tige” (high stem)
    • Branches at least 1.6 m off the ground for apple trees
    • Branches at least 1.8 m off the ground for pear trees
    • Min. 10% (or at least 50 trees) of the estate must be trained in the “haute tige” fashion
  • “En Basse Tige” (low stem)
    • Branches begin at less than 1.6/1.8 (apple/pear) m off the ground
47
Q

Calvados

Max Planting Density

A
  • “Haute Tige” Apple Trees
    • 250 trees / ha
  • “Haute Tige” Pear Trees
    • 150 trees / ha
  • “En Basse Tige” Apple and Pear Trees
    • 1000 trees / ha
  • Irrigation is prohibited
  • (all if planted after 1997)
48
Q

Eua de vies

  • Kirschwasser
  • Poire William
  • Framboise
  • Mirabelle
  • Quetsch
  • Boukha
  • Barack Palinka
A
  • Kirschwasser: (Kirsch) black cherries
  • Poire William: Williams (Bartlett) pear perry
  • Framboise: raspberry
  • Mirabelle: (Mirabelle) plum
  • Quetsch: (Questch) plum
  • Boukha: fig (from Tunisia)
  • Barack Palinka: apricot (Hungary)
49
Q

Californian brandy

Quality producer

A

Germain-Robin

  • Artisan producer in Ukiah
  • Must be made with 100% Californian grapes
  • California brandy historically been of lesser quality, but newer entries from producers like Germain-Robin are generating praise