Brandy Style

What types of brandy does South Africa produce, and how do they differ? The law recognizes three: Potstill Brandy, Vintage Brandy, and Blended Brandy. All three start from wine, yet they have little else in common, since the difference lies in the proportion of pot-still distillate and the length of time in the barrel. On a South African label, you can tell at a glance which category you're holding.

Potstill Brandy is the strictest category. According to the South African Brandy Foundation, it's made entirely — 100 percent — from spirit double-distilled in a copper pot still, and matured for at least three years in oak. It tastes full-bodied yet refined, with notes of apricot, dried fruit, and vanilla.

Vintage Brandy blends 30 to 80 percent Potstill spirit with aged wine spirit and matures for at least eight years. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with a vintage year. It's considered mild and round, since the wine spirit tones down the more intense notes.

Blended Brandy is the lightest of the three categories. It contains at least 30 percent Potstill spirit, which must be aged for at least three years, combined with unaged wine spirit; according to the Foundation, the minimum alcohol content is 40%. It tastes smoother and less spicy, and in South Africa it's often mixed with cola.

The difference from Cognac: there, two years in oak is the minimum, production is restricted to the Charente region, and the still is called a Charentais still. In South Africa, what matters most is the ratio of pot-still spirit to wine spirit, along with time spent in wood.