My World of Brandy

 Fantinel is a big wine producer in Friuli in the north eastern part of Italy. This grappa is made from wine pressings from the Fantinel wine Refosco which is a Friulian wine. It has an ABV of 38% and has been aged for a short time in Barriques. Otherwiese I cannot find so much information about this grappa. Colour: Light straw. indicating a small influence of the barriques. Nose: A sprit grappa smell.  Taste: Grappa, citrus and some light fruit. Aftertaste: Medium length showing off the distinctive Grappa taste. with some alcohol despite the low ABV. A nice Grappa however I can find better ones at this price range.  

Luigi Francoli Grappa Nebbiolo Del Piemonte is a grappa that I bought in one airport in Italy. The distillery was founded in 1875 in the village of Campodolcino above Lake Como. Over the years the company grow into Gruppo Francoli and nowadays they produce and distribute grappa, liqueurs, distillates, wines, dried ham (prosciutto) and electrical energy. All the grapes used by Distillerie Francoli come from the Piemonte region. They uses a slow distilling process, ensures that the grappa is smooth and has a distinctive flavour. Luigi Francoli Grappa Nebbiolo Del Piemonte has the ABV of 41.5% which is higher than normal. The grape remains used to produce this grappa is Nebbiolo. After the distillation the grappa has been stored for 8 months in inert tanks. Since this a young un-oaked grappa the colour is clear. The nose is strong with notes of sage and liquorice. The taste is of a full bodied grappa with a long finish. A very good white young grappa.    

 Nonino is a grappa producer in the Friuli Venezia-Giulia regionsituated in northeastern Italy. The distillery was started by Oraio Nonino in 1897 and today the distillery is run by the sisters Cristina, Antonella and Elisabetta. They are the fifth generation Nonino. The grappa has been distilled in the traditional discontinual method. For the Antica Cuvée the grapppa has been aged in barriques and small casks under seal and permanent surveillance by the Customs and Monopoly Agency in the seven Grappa Ageing Warehouses of the Nonino Distilleries. They are bottled without the addition of color additives. No E150 is used here. The Antica Cuvée aged five years is a blend of Grappas from fresh pomace among which Cabernet, Merlot and Refosco, aged from 5 to 20 years in barriques and small casks. The ABV is 43%. Colour: Light amber Nose:  Rich aromas of grappa and spices Taste: Rich warm taste with notes of orange, brioche, spices and oak. Aftertaste: Long and lasting w...

Villa Zarri is an Italian producer who makes brandy (brandy italiano) very similar to Cognac and Armagnac but with a bit more experimentation since the rules are not as hard. The wine Villa Zarri uses for distillation, is made of Trebbiano and the still used are the Charentais copper stills using a discontinuous production method. Then the brandy is put into oak casks made from French oak trees from Alliers or Limousin. This 16 year old brandy is a traditional blended brandy. The indiviual components of this brandy comes from different years but all are at least 16 years old but the mean age of the vintage is higher than that. The colours is like amber. In the nose I get caramel, apricots and and some spices. Quite deep and rich smell. In the taste I get apricot, some cinnamon, sweetness and coffee and some tannins in the back. In the aftertaste I get spices and tannins in the back of the mouth. A balanced and elegant brandy. More spice in the taste than the limited 23 year old.

Welcome to the blog of My World of Brandy. This blog will be all about the alcoholic drink brandy and the close cousins of brandy. What is brandy? It is a spirit produced by distilling wine. The alcohol level can vary and can be anything from 35% up to 65%. The worlds most famous two brandies are Cognac and Armagnac, both from France. But brandy can be produced all over the world. Sometimes the term brandy can also be used for the close cousins of brandy which is alcoholic drinks produced from fruits and the grape press remains after wine production. The French alcoholic drink Calvados is produced from Apple and pear while the Italian grappa is made from grape press remains. In the European Union for an alcoholic drink to be called brandy it has to be distilled from wine. Other countries may have different rules. Normally brandy is stored for many years in oak barrels before being bottled and sold to the public. Here there are many different rules depending on what is being produced...