Cape Town - They just keep coming. International awards and plaudits, that is, the latest (May 19) an impressive tally of nine silver and one gold medal awarded to South African brandies entered into the Global Spirits Masters competition in the UK.
The judges were so impressed that they wondered why anyone would choose entry-level (French) cognac over our brandies.
Earlier this year, Klipdrift Premium, made in Robertson, was voted World's Best Brandy at the awards presented by TheDrinksReport.com, while Van Ryn's Reserve 12-year-old walked off with the Best Extra Old Brandy accolade. An impressive start to the year, after Distell brought home Distiller of the Year award along with a cache of gold for its Klipdrift, Richelieu and Oude Meester ranges late last year.
Which brings us to a pertinent question: Why has the sale of brandy to South African consumers declined from 45 million litres in 1999 to 31 million litres in 2014?
One reason given is that young peopledon't regard the spirit as cool and sexy, another is that the whisky industry spends far more on aggressive marketing in South Africa than our brandy industry does.
Let's take a closer look at this fire water, as it used to be known.
Back in 1672, an assistant cook on board a Dutch ship lying at anchor in Table Bay, distilled about 1 000 litres Cape wine into 130 litres of brandy. This feat proved popular with local bars, whose customers clamoured for a tot.
It was the raw, rough start to our brandewijn, or burnt wine industry which prospered over the next century. As the years rolled on, dealers joined farmers in making brandy, some of whom are household names in the liquor industry today, like Van Ryn and Sedgwick.
Joseph Barry was another entrepreneur who settled in Swellendam and included brandy in his enterprises.
Rene Santhagen, a French distiller, helped improve the quality of Cape brandy through the introduction of double distilling.
Today, along with Distell, the largest brandy producer in the country, KWV makes fine award-winning brandies. In 1990 new legislation allowed farmers once again, to make, distil, bottle and sell their own brandies - which have proven popular with connoisseurs. These are known as pot still brandies, alongside the other two classes, which are vintage (a blend of pot still and matured wine spirit) and blended, (a blend of pot still with unmatured wine spirit.)
Vast hectares of chenin blanc and colombar vineyards in the Worcester area are grown to make the base wine for brandy. This is distilled in copper stills, transformed into low wine, then distilled again. The first vapours, know as the heads, are discarded, the second portion - known as the heart, or the soul - is what is eventually bottled, while the tails, the last vapours, are discarded. Brandy must be matured in oak casks for a minimum of three years, but many are aged for longer.
The former Cape brandy routes have been renamed the Brandy Homes network, but still consist of two regions where travellers can stop and taste brandy. There are 13 Boland cellars from which to choose in the Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington areas, while the Klein Karoo offers a handful of farms in Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and De Rust, with the big Klipdrift distillery in Robertson another popular stop. Visit www.sabrandy.co.za for information on these and other aspects of the golden spirit.
Anyone heading down Route 62 can pause at Barrydale, home of the renowned Joseph Barry pot still brandies. They have been given new labels, as the cellar is now part of Southern Vineyards and the Oude Molen group. A restaurant is scheduled to open there soon and artisanal beer will add a further attraction.
Brandy's ability to transform many a dish into a classy experience is not that well-known: Fare across the menu, from soup to seafood, poultry and meat, veggie dishes, a range of desserts and bakes, all benefit from a splash of brandy. The flavour of humble classics like baked sweet potatoes, stir-fries, winter soups and stews and casseroles of beef, lamb and chicken, are given distinctive character and lent sophistication which enables inexpensive dinners to attain entertaining status.
Brandy is an essential ingredient for some winter desserts, from comfort puddings to gourmet finales. The alcohol content cooks off quickly, but the flavour lingers on. Christmas and brandy puddings are obvious candidates and the sauce for malva and other old-fashioned steamed and baked puddings benefit from a tablespoon or two of this fire water. For those who like a dramatic finish, bring a dish of crepes suzettes flamed with brandy to the table. Your guests will not forget the occasion.
Gin may be the voguish spirit for summer cocktails, but now that we are heading into winter, brandy is the base for cocktails both fruity and warming. When the Cape does its worst, and the temperature plummets, we could contemplate The Snuggle, which is a mixture of brandy, chocolate liqueur and cream - 25ml of each, stirred and sipped (with a cinnamon stick if you wish)
Our winemakers, coopers and distillers have been perfecting their art for nearly 350 years. From an essential item in the pioneer's medicine chest to a sophisticated ingredient in the gourmet kitchen, our brandy is a proudly South African spirit, to be savoured with friends and treated with respect. Cheers!
RECIPE: Oude Meester hot winter cup
Serves 2
50ml brandy
Wassail batch:
330ml cider
200ml cranberry juice
50ml orange juice
25ml lemon juice
2T castor sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
1 vanilla pod
50 ml water
Heat two hot toddy classes. Divide brandy equally between the two glasses. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, stirring and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and divide the contents between the glasses. Garnish each with dried apples, if desired.
Myrna Robins, Cape Argus