ADVERtORiAL
y d N A r B N A c south AFri
NG QualitY ti ea -B lD r O W tO er G N NO stra
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ocal is lekker, and certainly, when it comes to brandy, local also means quality.
In the same way that only sparkling wines from the Champagne region in France can be called as such, so can only brandy made in the Cognac wine growing region in the same country be called cognac. “However, South African pot still brandy is made in the same way as cognac, and is governed by even stricter production regulations. South African pot still brandies must be aged for at least three years in small French oak casks while cognacs have to be aged for a minimum of two-and-a-half years in casks which do not have a size specified, said Caroline Snyman, Distell’s business director of Spirits. “This means that the quality of even South
Africa’s entry-level products is at a high standard. And with brandy having being distilled in the Cape for over three hundred years, it goes without saying that our distillers have refined the art of producing exceptional brandies.” Like producers in Cognac, South Africa’s brandy masters double distill a high quality wine in traditional copper pot stills. Besides the climate and the soils, the type of grape variety used to make the wine and resultant brandy can have a significant influence on the ultimate style of the brandy. Producers in Cognac mainly use Ugni Blanc (for roundness), Colombar (for depth) and Folle blanche (for finesse), while in South Africa, the most commonly used grape varieties are Chenin blanc and Colombar. “We use these for their clean, fruit driven profiles. We are also starting to experiment with some red varieties.”
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS AND FLAIR South African brandy has a rapidly growing reputation for consistently exceptional quality, validated by the fact that South African brandies have taken the title of “Worldwide Best Brandy” no less than 11 times in 13 years at the highly prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. This honour has not been bestowed on just one or two producers but has gone to a number of producers proving that South Africa has a broad base of quality brandies coming out of the region. The image of brandy has begun to change, helped by musicians making mention of prominent brands in their lyrics. This shift began in 2001, when rap artist Busta Rhymes came out with his hit song, “Pass the Courvoisier.” The album’s cover featured the artist holding a brandy balloon, sky-rocketing sales of the brand almost 20% the following year. South African band Van Coke Cartel released a song called “I want brandy” in 2012. International brand ambassador Jamie Foxx is the current face of Oude Meester and local rapper Pro is aligned to Flight of the Fish Eagle. While Super premium brandies are best enjoyed neat with ice or a splash of water, brandy’s popularity as a base for cocktails is growing. It seems the general population has joined the music fraternity in their affinity for the amber liquid. Popular cocktails include the Collison’s Cosmo, Klipdrift Gold Julep and the Oude Meester Franklin, with talented young mixologists constantly inventing delicious new drinks with brandy.
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