High-quality wine, skill and meticulous timing at heart of award-winning local brandy, writes Eugene Yiga VAN RYN’S 12-year-old Distillers Reserve competed with more than 7,000 entries and won the Worldwide Brandy trophy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London last year. It was the 12th time a local brandy had scooped the top prize in the past 15 years.Part of the secret to the success is SA’s strict legislation, which ensures high-quality standards in production. And it all starts with high-quality wine."Wine-making for brandy is different to that for regular wine," says Ferdi Smit of Barrydale Cellar, whose Joseph Barry brandy won the trophy in 2009. "The first distillation takes about eight hours and turns base wine into low wine. The second distillation is where the heart of brandy-making takes place."Quite literally, it seems. When the low wine is distilled, three parts emerge. The first is called the "head", and because it contains volatile alcohols, i...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.