SA's top brandies assessed

It's a cliché to think of brandy purely in terms of its association with Coca-Cola. It's so much more than that - and South Africa's premium offerings are impressive. Fiona McDonald reports.I'm as guilty as anyone else of thinking that brandy is a natural fit with Coke, and that's in spite of my involvement with the wine industry. But then, hundreds of thousands of Spaniards drink top-notch whisky with cola - and the whisky industry hasn't ground to a halt. Anything but: they actively encourage people to drink the spirit any way they want to - so long as they keep on drinking whisky!

Over the past year I have reassessed my stance on brandy. I've always been aware of the fact that the best are world class, but I've never really examined the nuances of flavour and quality they offer. As editor of WINE I've recently attended a number of brandy events that have forced me to sit up, take notice and think about brandy as more than a mixer.

I'm not a wine or brandy snob, having enjoyed more than my fair share of spook and diesel or Klippies and cola. The annual pilgrimage to watch guitar maestro Nibs van der Spuy at Splashy Fen in the middle of winter was made more bearable by the brandy and ginger ale fuelling us. But I never really gave the serious, top-end stuff much thought - or credit.

The first brandy that had me thinking "Hello! This is different..." was Klipdrift Gold, a blend of potstill brandies, the oldest of which is 21 years old and the youngest just three. One of the Distell reps at the launch said they got their predictions horribly wrong with the Gold... They made enough for a year - and it sold out within two months! I was so impressed I served it at a wine dinner in Bloemfontein - paired with 70% dark chocolate - and everyone loved it, especially the women who said they "never drink brandy"... Not the case anymore!

Next up was a function at Van Ryn's brandy cellar outside Stellenbosch. It was fascinating to attend a high profile, high-toned event - and only drink brandy (10-,
12- and 20-year-old) with a sumptuous meal. A huge success.

And finally there was the opening of the Oude Molen distillery at Grabouw. That was quite an event with a superb audio-visual presentation telling the story of René Santhagens, considered the father of South African brandy. It's actually thanks to him that the quality of our premium brandies is so good - since he'd learned the art of distillation in Cognac and brought a copper pot still with him when he arrived in South Africa in 1887.

"The numbers don't lie" sounds like a cheesy line from a movie - but it's true. Brandy sales grew to 46.6 million litres between July 2004 and 2005 - an increase of 15%. But the most interesting statistic is that premium brandy sales showed an increase of 128% in the same period, accounting for 8 million litres of that total!

"Premiumisation is the global trend in the spirits industry," says Caroline Snyman, the savvy wine biotechnology PhD in charge of Distell's spirits division. She's ultimately responsible for brands such as Klipdrift, Van Ryn's, Collisons, Flight of the Fish Eagle and more.

"People want speciality products with prestige that denote status and success." There are now 25 premium brandies available in the country where a few years ago only a handful existed.

Something that sets South Africa apart from the rest of the world is the influence of both the French and the Dutch. Brandy had been rather roughly distilled at the Dutch East India Company's victualling station at the Cape for many years. Many distillers credit Santhagen for bringing quality control and superior production. He was a Dutchman but he learned all the secrets of the trade because he cleverly married the boss's daughter while living and working in Cognac...

The KWV's Kobus Gelderblom is adamant that South Africa is not trying to emulate Cognac. "We have our own style that is quite distinctly different to Cognac but our quality is not in question."

Former distiller Dave Hughes agrees: "At the International Wine & Spirits Competition, South African brandies do exceedingly well against international competition."
This year is no exception with the KWV's 15-year-old being awarded the top trophy for the best brandy overall, trouncing French, Spanish, Indian, American and Australian competition - and it's not the first time a South African brandy has won this accolade. In the past 30 years, South African brandies have won this trophy no fewer than 10 times, more than any other country - including the French who can only claim seven wins!

The point is made that Cognac's soils and temperatures are vastly different to those of South Africa. "In South Africa we work with fertile, alluvial soils and much warmer temperatures when growing and harvesting the grapes. Cognac has more chalky soils and cooler temperatures," Snyman says.

Both she and Gelderblom judge at the International Spirits Challenge and agree that SA brandies stand out because of their voluptuousness, complexity and riper fruit character.

Riaan Marais of Southern Cape Vineyards who is responsible for the Joseph Barry potstill brandy, makes the point that any brandy is only as good as the fruit and base wine used for the distillation - after all, it takes five litres of wine to get one litre of brandy.

"Making pot still brandy is a concentration process so the initial wine quality has to be good," says Snyman.

"We farm specific blocks of grapes to meet our standards," says Gelderblom.

All very technical - so the intrinsics are there, but what's behind the growth?

"Well, fashion… and marketing," Snyman admits. Brandy is becoming a "cool and trendy" drink, particularly since the consumption of cocktails is on the rise.

No-one can argue that the makers haven't put big money behind the promotion of their products. Ask anyone to name a brandy and they'll probably go: "Eish..." The Klipdrift campaign has been immensely well received with Eish becoming used colloquially, much as Vodacom's Yebo Gogo was a few years ago.

When it comes to the popular products such as Klipdrift and Richelieu, a consistent style has to be maintained because consumers expect it to taste the same from year to year, but it's in the premium class of pot still brandies where the distillers are experimenting and playing around with grapes and wooding.
As indicated, Klipdrift Gold is selling strongly - as is the newly launched Collison's in its clear bottle which celebrates the spirit's light colour. It's a contemporary product in a funky bottle and is appreciated by a younger - and more female - market.

"South African legislation is strict," Snyman concedes, "and it's because of this that our quality is so good across the board."

Non-negotiables for South African brandy are that the spirit must be aged for a minimum of three years in wood. Blended brandy must contain at least 30% pot still brandy aged for a minimum of three years in wood while vintage brandy has to contain a minimum of 30% pot still brandy aged for at least eight years. And pot still brandy is a double distillation which takes place in a copper pot still - and is then aged for three years in wood.

One of the other elements driving this growth in brandy appreciation is its versatility. Visitors to Van Ryn's can do a chocolate and brandy tasting. It's very popular, particularly with women.

"We had a group of local chefs in recently to test the suitability of brandy with a range of cheeses. Many were surprised at how well the pairing worked - and we think it's given them something to think about," says Snyman.

The tasting
The Brandy Foundation's general manager Ielanda Willemse set up a tasting of 20 of South Africa's premium brandies in Laborie's beautiful manor house. Roped in to assist were Kobus Gelderblom of the KWV, Dave Acker of Oude Molen, Riaan Marais of Southern Cape Vineyards and former distiller and current international wine and spirit judge Dave Hughes.

Doing a straight comparative tasting - or a blind tasting - was impossible because of the different ages of the products, so the panel stuck to distinct age categories. The whole reason for this exercise was to provide a tasting assessment of each brandy which will hopefully encourage WINE readers to go out there and try some of these products.

After the tasting Hughes noted that it would be difficult for any other country to line up 20 brandies of such quality. "If we were doing this tasting with top Spanish brandy there would only be half a dozen or so. This is a tribute to the South African brandy industry."

Gelderblom was of the opinion that the last five brandies, which were lumped together under a "no age stated" category, indicated the strength of South Africa. "The styles go from fresh and fruity to mellow and aged - and show the importance of blending different brandies to obtain complexity."

Nederburg Potstilled Solera Brandy
This brandy incorporates the Cognac-style double distillation in a pot still with the Spanish solera system which involves the blending of brandies. The ageing brandies are arranged in a multi-tier system with the youngest brandy at the top and the oldest at the bottom. A portion of each layer is used to replenish that which evaporates from the layer below. It's a constantly replenished system with the lowest layer being drawn off for bottling. The nose is perfumed and offers some vanilla and light citrus aromas. It's smooth and elegant in the mouth with dried fruit and nut flavours. Long, lingering finish.

Barry & Nephews Muscat Pot Still Brandy
Made at Barrydale winery in the Klein Karoo, this has a distinct floral, Muscat aroma because of the use of Muscat d'Alexandrie grapes in the distillation. There's also a hint of butterscotch on the nose. Flavour is again distinctly Muscat and somewhat raisined with some spicy oak. Marais noted that this was popular with women and people just getting into brandy. "It's appealing because of that Muscat/floral character."

Avontuur 5 Year Old
An estate brandy made only from Chenin Blanc, it showed honey aromatics. Acker and Gelderblom picked up a fusel oil character which is seen as a negative. On the palate there was also an unappealing wet or green wood character - also negative.

Sydney Back NV
Another brandy matured for 5 years made only from Chenin Blanc grapes. This showed a nice complex nose of oatmeal, biscuit, some honeysuckle and peach. Gelderblom led the discussion about its haziness - especially when a little water was added. Again a negative as the brandy should be crystal clear - but it didn't affect the flavour which was warm, smooth, with some citrus and nut notes and an elegant, long finish.

Laborie Alambic
Gelderblom said this was also a 5 year old but it was made from Chardonnay. "In the last two years we've changed that and made it from Pinotage - but it is from a specially farmed block of vines on Laborie." 20 000 litres of wine are used to produce just three to four barrels of this a year! Its nose shows some chocolate, nuts, butterscotch and pineapple. On the palate it's smooth textured with a citrus and nut flavour.

Oude Molen 100 Reserve
Dave Acker related that the number in the brandy's title relates to its 100 months of oak maturation - so it's an 8 year old product. It's a lighter-style brandy and the tasters agreed that it would be perfect for summer, over ice and with a splash of soda. Some honey and wood aromas with the same nuances on the palate. Distinctly smooth with touches of heathery and oatmeal biscuit.

Sydney Back 10 Year Old
Again 100% Chenin Blanc used in its making and the 10 years in barrel has resulted in a complex aroma and flavour profile. Roasted nuts, dried peach and a hint of liquorice. Dave Hughes said he found a pleasant ginger flavour too. Lack of clarity again noted.

KWV 10 Year Old
"We don't mature brandy for 10 years and then select the best barrels," said Gelderblom. "We set out to make the 10-year-old from the best wines right at the start." The grapes used are Colombar and Chenin Blanc with a bit of Cinsaut and Pinotage. It's a popular brandy, responsible for sales of 100 000 cases annually. The nose offers honey, nuts, dried fruit and even marmalade while its flavours are the same. Full-bodied, fruity and with a long finish.

Avontuur 10 Year Old
Only Chenin Blanc grapes were used in the distillation and aged for 10 years. Once again the panel picked up a negative fusel oil note and wet or green wood/sawdust element. Some felt it reminiscent of a young bourbon. Vanilla on the nose and nuttiness on the palate.

Oude Meester Reserve 12 Year Old
This was a very popular brandy with the panel. It's rich, smooth and complex on nose and palate. Aromas and flavours include tea, hay, caramel even a peat moss smokiness - along with chocolate, vanilla and pear. "Seriously good!" was Dave Hughes' comment. Its elegance and refinement with a leashed strength set it apart.

Van Ryn's 12 Year Old Distillers Reserve
This suffered in comparison with the Oude Meester. Nutty, vanilla and cherry fruit on both nose and palate, there was a hint of astringency and a slightly harsh note on the palate. "Not as elegant as previous versions of the Van Ryn's 12 year old," was the comment.

KWV 15 Year Old
Gelderblom said only 3000 to 4000 litres was made, again with white and red grapes. He's a fan of Cinsaut as it adds a lovely dried fruit/apricot element which develops with age. Hughes spoke of the distinct KWV wooding style. The dried fruit - peach and raisin - is on the nose and palate with a wonderful roasted nut and vanilla flavour. Complex and lingering, but smooth.

Oude Molen 14 Year Old
A beautiful tiger's eye colour, this 14-year-old is rich and nutty with some vanilla fudge and caramel toffee aromas. Same on the palate with honey and almonds too. Wonderfully complex and with a silky smooth texture.

Van Ryn's 20 Year Old Collectors Reserve
This is a serious labour of love because of the amount of precious spirit that evaporates from the barrel every year. It's full of dried fruit (apricot, prune and pear) aromas. The flavours are of walnuts, almonds along with those dried fruits. Again, silky texture and lingering aftertaste.

KWV 20 Year Old
A gentle floral bouquet (dried everlastings) with some Port and nutty nuances. That same floral character is apparent in the mouth which is mellow and rich. Some caramel and dried apricot.

Collison's White Gold
There was some discussion about its colour, being very light and yellow rather than the traditional gold. This brandy carries no age statement so is meant to be fresh and fruity although the minimum age of its pot still content will be three years. It's fruity with a hint of malt and even thatch. Surprisingly smooth with a long finish and just a hint of sweetness. The panel agreed that this would be ideal to introduce someone to brandy because of its smoothness and flavour.

Joseph Barry Cape Pot Still Brandy
Marais mentioned that this is oak matured for five years and differs from the cellar's other offering in that no Muscat is used. Around 50% is Ugni Blanc with the rest Colombar. "Colombar gives the fruit and the other the fatness." A deep tawny gold with aromas of peach and apricot with some nuttiness. A similar roasted nut and dried fruit flavour on the palate.

Flight of the Fish Eagle
100% pot stilled brandy, all of it three-year-old, it's meant to be light and was initially produced to take on the whisky market - which it's done very successfully. "It used to even be stocked in the whisky section of liquor stores," Hughes recalled. There's a distinct almond nuttiness and malt to the nose. It tastes of malt, toffee and caramel. Like the Collison's it's quite light in colour and would do well as a "summer" brandy.

Klipdrift Gold
A blend of potstilled brandies, the oldest of which is 21 and the youngest three. It's a wonderfully complex, multi-faceted product that the public loves. There's coffee and chocolate with spice and vanilla on the nose. The mouth is full flavoured with chocolate, some tobacco and peach flavours. Warm and inviting with good texture.

Imoya VSOP
Another blend of different aged pot stilled brandies, the VSOP tag follows the Cognac practice with V meaning Very, O for Old, S for Special and P for Product. Gelderblom described this as a "three year old with steroids" since it contains a blend of that and 20 year old brandy "with a few bridges in between". Notes of vanilla fudge and spicy biscuit on nose and palate. Mellow but rich fruit flavour.

HOW IS BRANDY MADE?
Brandy is the product of distilling wine into a high alcohol spirit. So firstly, grapes are fermented to make wine. This is then placed in a still - either a pot still or a column still. A pot still distills brandy in batches while a column still utilizes a continuous process.

This first distillation produces a low wine with an alcoholic content of 28%. It is later redistilled and concentrated further to an alcoholic strength of between 68% and 72%.

At this point the brandy spirit is almost colourless - that distinctive caramel colour is the result of ageing in wood with South African law requiring a minimum of three years for pot still brandy. It also needs to be reduced in concentration to 60% by the addition of neutral, de-ionised water for this maturation period. To reduce the alcoholic strength to the legal requirement of 43% for South Africa, more neutral water is added once it's undergone maturation.

Brandy routes
There are two brandy routes which can be travelled at leisure - the Western Cape and the R62 brandy route.

The Western Cape brandy route encompasses the following producers:

In Stellenbosch are Avontuur, Louiesenhof, Tokara, Uitkyk and Van Ryn. Paarl boasts Backsberg, Laborie and Nederburg while Wellington has De Compagnie, Oude Wellington and Upland. In the town of Grabouw is the Oude Molen distillery which is well worth a visit with its massive copper stills.

The R62 brandy route starts at the KWV House of Brandy in Worcester. Klipdrift has a newly opened facility in Robertson and Rietrivier can be found in Montagu.

There's Barrydale wine and brandy cellar in Barrydale and then Boplaas in Calitzdorp. Between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn you'll find Grundheim while the Kango Wijnhuis is just outside Oudtshoorn with the final stop being Mons Ruber on the road between Oudtshoorn and De Rust.

For more information on brandy contact the SA Brandy Foundation by calling 021 887 3157 or logging on to their website www.sabrandy.co.za.