
Brandy de Jerez is a
brandy
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...
that is matured in a
solera system in the
Jerez area of
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
, Spain. Besides being sold as a brandy, it is also an ingredient of some
sherries. It has a
Protected Designation of Origin
The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...
(PDO), being matured exclusively within the "Sherry Triangle", the municipal boundaries of
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...
,
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María (), locally known as El Puerto and historically in English as Port Saint Mary, is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. , the c ...
and
Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar may refer to:
* Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a city in the Province of Cádiz, Spain
* Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a village in the Province of Huelva, Spain
* Sanlúcar la Mayor, a city in the Province of Seville, Spain
*Sanlúcar de Albaida, forme ...
, in the
province of Cádiz
Cádiz is a Provinces of Spain, province of southern Spain, in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the southernmost part of mainland Spain, as well as the southernmost part of ...
.
History
Being unable to drink the already famous wines to be found in the Jerez region for religious reasons, the
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
opted to distil them in order to obtain “alcohol” not only to make perfumes but also for antiseptic and medicinal use. When wine spirits began to be aged in oak-wood casks in order to produce brandy is unknown. However, by the sixteenth century sufficient wine spirit was being produced that levies on its manufacture could be dedicated to public works, as in the Town Council of Jerez handing over the revenue from its municipal Wine Spirit Tax to the Church in 1580 for the construction of a Jesuit college.
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw the consolidation in Spain of the production of wine spirit for commercial use destined for exportation, especially to countries in Northern Europe.
The Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
were the main market and from there shipped on to practically the whole world.
Brandy is an English adaptation of the original Dutch word “brandewijn” (burnt wine) whilst the term holanda (name given to wine spirits of low alcoholic content used in the production of Brandy de Jerez) is derived from the name of the country to which most of the exports were destined: Holland. The term 'brandavin' was already in use in picaresque literature of the 17th Century, as can be seen in “The Life and Works of Estebanillo González, man of good humour”. In the early 19th century English and French merchants began to arrive in Jerez and, together with Spanish traders with clear commercial instincts, promoted trade and laid down the guidelines for the characteristic production and ageing process of Brandy de Jerez.
The creation of brand names for Brandy de Jerez occurred during the 19th Century on the initiative of sherry firms who were pioneers in the sale of brands which still exist today, not only in Spain but in numerous countries throughout the world.
Production
''Brandy de Jerez'' uses two different types of
distillation
Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...
equipment, both made of
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
:
# the traditional
pot still
A pot still is a type of distillation apparatus or still used to distill liquors such as whisky or brandy. In modern (post-1850s) practice, they are not used to produce rectified spirit, because they do not separate congeners from ethanol as ...
which in Jerez is called an ''alquitara'' – introduced by the
Moors
The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a s ...
- made of copper and heated directly by a holm-oak wood fire using a discontinuous process (loading and unloading). These are used to obtain spirits of low alcoholic content, between 40° and 70°. ''Holandas'' is the term used in Jerez to refer to these wine spirits low in alcoholic content, which are of greater quality as they require the distillation of the best of wines and better evoke the raw material from which they are produced.
# distillation
columns
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...
which are more modern and efficient into which the wine is introduced continuously. These columns are used in order to obtain strengths of between 70° and 94.8°.
In the case of ''Brandy de Jerez'' double distillation is not required. From a simple distillation wine spirits of 65% by volume are obtained. The more a wine is distilled, the more of its characteristics and aromatic substances are lost.
The traditional production method of ''Brandy de Jerez'' is controlled by the ''Consejo Regulador del Brandy de Jerez'' (the Brandy de Jerez Regulatory Council). The method has three main characteristics:
# The brandy must have been produced exclusively within the municipal boundaries of
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Sp ...
,
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María (), locally known as El Puerto and historically in English as Port Saint Mary, is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. , the c ...
and
Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar may refer to:
* Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a city in the Province of Cádiz, Spain
* Sanlúcar de Guadiana, a village in the Province of Huelva, Spain
* Sanlúcar la Mayor, a city in the Province of Seville, Spain
*Sanlúcar de Albaida, forme ...
.
# It must be aged in
American oak casks with a capacity of 500 liters that previously contained sherry. Different types of sherry give the brandy a slightly different flavor.
# The traditional aging system of
criaderas y soleras must be used.
In Jerez it is also possible to use wine spirits of a higher degree of alcoholic content, but never (by decree of the ''Consejo'') more than 50% of the total. The ''holandas'' must always represent 50% minimum of the final brandy.
Classification of Brandy de Jerez
The Brandy de Jerez Regulatory Council classifies brandy de Jerez according to age:
* ''Brandy de Jerez Solera'' — Is the youngest, with a minimum average age of 6 months and a volatile content greater than 150 mg. per 100 cc. pure alcohol
* ''Brandy de Jerez Solera Reserva'' — With a minimum average maturation period of 1 year and a total content of volatile components of 200 mg. per 100 cc. of pure alcohol.
* ''Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reserva'' — Is the longer aging, with a minimum average of 3 years and a total content of volatile components of 250 mg. per 100 cc. of pure alcohol.
Tourism
"Enotourism" is a quite new kind of tourism that looks for places where wines and distilled beverages are produced. Recently the Route of Sherry Wine and ''Brandy de Jerez'' has been established.
''Brandy de Jerez'' in Spanish cuisine
''Brandy de Jerez'' is being used in Spanish cuisine in recent years, especially with meats.
[Brandy de Jerez Published by SIMPEI S.L. Madrid, 1994 (168 pages). , ]
References
External links
Brandy de Jerez Regulating Councilofficial site
Brandy de Jerezon SherryNotes
{{Alcoholic beverages
Spanish cuisine
Brandies