Microblog Memes

At 11 am? Don't mind if I do!

*And from a specific region of France that a specific variety of grape grows

It's probably more accurate to say that it's made from a fruit base than to say it's distilled from wine, (as opposed to a grain base like whiskeys, a lot of vodka, gin, etc)

Because there's things like Italian Grappa, which is a pomace brandy, which, if the name weren't obvious, is made from pomace, which is the solid leftovers from after you press grapes for wine. I suppose there's an argument that when you ferment it before distillation it could still be considered a wine, but probably not one you'd want to drink.

Then you have Applejack, which is a brandy (though not usually marketed as such) made from apples. When you press and ferment apple juice, you'd normally call it a cider, not a wine. Sort of splitting hairs a little, it's all fermented fruit juice, but such is life.

I've seen the French term "eau de vie" borrowed in English to describe brandies made from fruits other than grapes, which I think is useful to distinguish between brandies that are distilled from a certain kind of fruit and the various "[fruit]-flavored brandies" that are out there that are usually regular grape brandy with fruit flavor added. I have a bottle of Applejack and a bottle of apple flavored brandy in my home bar, they're not really interchangeable

Side note, in French "eau de vie" I believe is used as a more general term for liquor, not specifically brandies. Also a lot of liquors when you trace the origins of the names share similar "water of life" etymology, whiskey comes from the Gaelic "uisqe beatha" (spelling varies depending on if we're talking Irish or Scots Gaelic) meaning the same, Scandinavian Akvavit (again spelling varies,) "Vodka" pretty famously pretty famously basically means water (really it's a diminutive form of water) probably coming from the same sort of origin, and a lot of it goes back to the Latin "Aqua Vitae"

it doesn't just have to be grape wine either

People in my country make hard spirits out of various fruits, but mostly plums, and in English those are being translated as fruit brandy.

Although if you want to make cognac (a type of brandy), it has to be grape wine.

Cognac, like Champagne, is about where it's made, not just the recipe. I has to be made out of specific varieties of grapes harvested and fermented in the Cognac area in France. You can import the same grapes and follow the same recipe, but you're not allowed to name it Cognac if you made it outside that area.