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BRANDY |
Some
of the wine from the 1997 Harvest at Moorlynch Vineyard was distilled into
Brandy.
Making brandy was an exciting new product for us, and we did have
some important advantages: the grapes are quite suitable; we are able to call
on the services of an excellent established local distillery (the Somerset
Cider Brandy Co.); and in the mid 1990’s there were changes in the way Customs
and Excise treat the producers of alcoholic drinks which make the whole project
more viable.
Making brandy consists of four principal stages,
following the methods used in Cognac:
·
First one
starts by making a base wine. To make the best brandy it is essential to
harvest specifically for that purpose. Some people try to turn failed wine into
brandy, and this is seldom successful. The type of grape is not too critical,
but it needs to be picked at a higher acid level and lower sugar content than
for wine. It needs to undergo a strong fermentation, and on no account should
sulphur be used.
·
Next the wine
is distilled to produce a high alcohol spirit (around 65-70% by volume) - over
to Julian Temperley at Somerset Royal
·
Now comes
the most important bit - maturing in oak casks. By law a minimum of three
years, but the longer the better. Spirit which has not been matured in oak is
clear, and sold in various countries under different names (Eau de Vie in
France; Grappa in Italy for example). During maturation the ‘Angels’ come
and take their share, but luckily they have a taste for the rough spirits, and
what they leave behind becomes smoother. Of course we have to satisfy Customs
and Excise that it is indeed the ‘Angels’, and not mere mortals,
that have taken the spirit. Remember C&E have a strong financial interest!
We opted not to blend our spirit, and kept the contents of the two casks we
made separate. However in order to improve the flavour of the brandy we matured
the brandies in two different types of cask (or barrique), first American oak
barriques, and then French oak which previously used for Sherry. This
latter cask, or barrique, has imparted a wonderful smoothness and deep flavour
to the Brandy. The brandy
from the two casks will undoubtedly taste slightly different, all of which
makes the whole process so interesting. Each cask will be sold as a Limited
Edition brandy, with signed back labels.
·
Finally the
matured spirit is ‘cut’ or ‘let down’ to the required alcoholic strength for
selling. This process is done slowly, adding small quantities of ultra pure
distilled water produced specifically for the food industry. As the water is
added, the spirit turns cloudy with fatty acids being precipitated, and when
the desired alcohol level is reached (in our case 40% by volume) the spirit is
filtered to clear it. The filter is not as fine as for wine because one is not
trying to achieve sterility – the 40% alcohol ensures that!
Our Brandy was matured
for five years. The first cask has now been bottled for sale in half litre
bottles. The label, as with most of our labels, is taken from original artwork
provided by our eldest daughter Nancy, who appears in the picture on our home
page. The Brandy is called ‘Sleeping Beauty’, and the picture on the label
appears below.
Nancy Farmer’s
Original picture for the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Brandy label
To see a wide range of
Nancy’s work visit www.nancyfarmer.net