Brandy



Brandy (short for brandywine, from Dutch brandewijn?burnt wine) 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.

History

The origins of brandy are unclear, and tied to the development of distillation. Concentrated alcholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and Rome and may have a history going back to ancient Babylon. Brandy as it is known today, first began to appear in the 12th century and become popular in the 14th centuries.

Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved over the original wine.