“Claret is the liquor for boys, port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy.”

Samuel Johnson, English author

A Centuries-Old Tradition

South Africa’s brandy history dates back to 1672, when the country’s first brandy was distilled. As a major maritime presence, the Dutch first settled in the Cape in 1652 with the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck.

The word brandy derives from the Dutch word “brandewijn” or literally, “burnt” or “distilled wine.”

As is the case in many of life’s instances, distillation of brandy evolved out of necessity. Back in those days, natural wine would spoil after a few months, so distilling wine into brandy was introduced to prolong its life.

In Europe, legislation dictates that any spirit labelled as a brandy be grape-based (as opposed to fruit-based) and aged for a minimum of six months in oak.

In South Africa, legislation requires that all brandies be aged for a minimum of three years.

Van Ryn Distillery: Masters in the Craft of Award-winning Brandy

Introduction to Brandy-Making

“I am easily satisfied with the very best.”

Winston Churchill could quite possibly have been referring to the cognacs (the finest of all brandies) produced by the Van Ryn Distillery when he uttered these words. Its founder, Jan Van Ryn, believed that great brandy lies in practised waiting until its time is ready. Each sip of the award-winning brandy is testament to the company’s philosophy of “Excellence in Maturation” and on a recent trip back to South Africa, I am fortunate to experience it firsthand. Situated in Stellenbosch, in the heart of the Cape Winelands, the circa 1845 distillery produces the Van Ryn Collection Reserve of 12-, 15- and 20-year-old brandies as well as the 10-year-old Vintage brandy.

I had planned my trip 9 months earlier and so am eager to learn more about the age-old craft of brandy-making. I am the only one on the tour this day and I am met by Sonja, my tour guide. Her smiling, fresh-looking face, sans makeup, immediately puts me at ease. “Good morning,” she says in her Afrikaans accent. As she leads me toward a room just off the foyer, she continues, “We will start off your tour with a 5-minute audiovisual presentation that gives a brief history of the distillery.” After she starts the video rolling, she leaves the room.

After the presentation, Sonja re-enters the room (it’s uncanny how she knew the precise moment the video had ended) and guides me into the distillery, where four workers are cleaning and prepping the equipment for the next stage of production. Sonja explains that only Chenin Blanc and Columbar grapes are used in Van Ryn brandies. The first step in brandy-making is similar to that of winemaking: the grapes are harvested only at the optimum degree of ripeness and thereafter destalked and crushed. The juice that separates from the pips (seeds) and pulp is fermented to become wine. The young wine is then distilled twice in copper potstills.

Because water boils at 100 degrees C and alcohol at 78.3 degrees C, it is the alcoholic vapours that are the first to be released during distillation. They are then trapped, cooled and condensed. Each distillation process is comprised of various stages that produces a head, heart and tail. It is only the liquid produced during the heart stage that is used to make the brandy; the rest—-the head and tail—-are discarded. And since the distillation is repeated twice, you can imagine how intensely concentrated and flavourful the resulting alcoholic liquid is at the end of the process.

Inside the Van Ryn Distillery












A Vintage Copper Potstill

The Cooper’s Skill and “Angel’s Breath”

Much of a fine brandy’s character derives from the wood that is used in making the vats, and at Van Ryn’s, French oak is used exclusively for this purpose. The cooper’s skill in assembling the barrels also extends to his tools, which are handmade by him and paramount in the tradition of vat-making. Each stave of wood that forms the barrel fits like a puzzle and Sonja asks the cooper to demonstrate a special rhythm he beats out with his hammer every time he taps a piece in place. It has a jazzy, melodic sound to it and I cannot resist the urge to move my feet.


Once the barrel is completed, the inside is toasted over an open flame to awaken the wood’s nuances that will develop during maturation. The vat is then tightly sealed using only natural bulrushes selected and gathered from the nearby Eerste River; no nails are ever used.





Assembling the Barrel





Sealing the Barrel


On the way to the cellar, Sonja informs me that no flash photography is permitted once we are inside. She explains that optimum care is taken in keeping cellar conditions as stable as possible during maturation and sudden light and temperature changes can interfere with the process. Once inside the cellar, I learn that it is normal for a percentage of the casked brandy to evaporate. This evaporated portion is called “angel’s breath” and to me, it seems quite fitting that the angels should receive their share. In fact, Van Ryn’s produces a cream liqueur called “Angel’s Breath” that I find out later does taste, well, heavenly.

Our final part of the tour is the tasting room.

Chocolate & Brandy: A Winning Combo

My tour guide, Sonja







For me, the best part of any tour is always the tasting. This is where the proof is, literally, in the tasting and you get to experience the product for yourself. Does it live up to your expectations or does it fall short? I’m about to find out.

In the Van Ryn tasting room, Sonja has arranged for four cognac glasses each filled with the Van Ryn Collection Reserve of 12-, 15- or 20-year-old brandies. The last glass, and the one I am the most excited to taste, is the “Angel’s Breath” cream liqueur. Crackers and water are nearby to clear my palate inbetween sips.



Though not a brandy connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, I find myself liking the taste of drinking it neat (I usually mix it with Coke-a typical way for South Africans to drink brandy and one which causes many purists to cringe). Then again, the cheapie stuff available at the corner liquor store doesn’t even come close to the quality of what I am tasting here. What amazes me the most is how the brandy tends to take on a “sweeter” nuance the longer it is matured. By the time I taste the 20-year-old brandy, I’m a believer , and it becomes crystal clear why you absolutely always should drink cognac neat. I never thought I would say this, but now that I know better, any other way is just sacrilegious, in my humble opinion.

Remember how I mentioned previously while visiting the cellar that I was to find out later that the “Angel’s Breath” liqueur tasted heavenly? I wasn’t putting you on. If you love cream liqueurs as much as I do (and I do!), one sip of this stuff will have you reaching for more. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find it here in the United States and no amount of Googling has delivered any positive results. If you happen to come across it or have more information on where to purchase it, I’d be very interested to hear from you. Can you guess what I’ll be bringing back as part of my “loot” from my next South African trip?









Chocolate and Brandy Tasting



The last part of the tasting involves a chocolate (it’s a good thing you can’t see me drooling!) and brandy tasting. Here, I get to taste three brandies (sorry, I don’t recall what they are; I think the chocolate melted my brain!) along with three chocolates that range from the sweeter milk chocolate through to the darker, more bitter-tasting. There is also a cup of espresso to clear my palate. Sonja suggests I try each chocolate with each of the brandies to see which combination I prefer. All I remember is that the bitter chocolate appeals to my palate; so much so that I end up buying a few slabs of it before I leave the distillery.

I must confess that initially during the planning stage of my trip, I was reluctant to sign up for the brandy tastings offered after the tour. I honestly didn’t think it would be something I would enjoy since I’m not much of a brandy drinker. However, after my experience at Van Ryn’s, I am very pleased I decided to participate.

Though Churchill very well may not have had Van Ryn’s cognac in mind when he uttered his famous words, I have no doubt that if he were ever fortunate enough to taste such fine brandy, those would be the words he would use to describe it. So at the end of the day did the brandy live up to my expectations? You betcha!

Cheers! And here’s to your health.

Pinotage: South Africa’s Red Grape Varietal

PINOTAGE WINE TASTING WITH GARY VAYNERCHUK
Click here to view the video

Pinotage – A local cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage), created by Professor Abraham Perold in 1925, this variety combines the noble characteristics of the former with the reliability of the latter. Unique to South Africa, it can produce complex and fruity wines with age but is also often very drinkable when young. With great strides made in the making of Pinotage, South Africa’s own variety is rapidly gaining increasing acceptance and finding favour worldwide both as a varietal bottling and in blends. The ‘Cape blend’ is an evolving term which generally denotes a red blend with Pinotage as a component making up 30 to 70 percent of the wine.

Cinsaut – Previously known as Hermitage. A strong bearer and very versatile variety – it can be used to blend with Cabernet, to produce reasonably priced early drinking wines, or as quality wine for brandy distilling. It is also often used for rosé, port and jerepigo wines. Once South Africa’s most widely planted red varietal, the vineyard area has decreased as it has been replaced by more noble varieties.

Source: Wines of South Africa

Dornier Donatus White

WINE TASTING WITH GARY VAYNERCHUK: DORNIER DONATUS WHITE
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