Names and disputes
Brandy around the world: Armenia, Georgia, South Africa, Pisco
Brandy is made wherever grapes grow, yet the names are strictly allocated: Armenia must fully abandon the word Cognac by 2043, Georgia calls its spirits Brandy, South Africa strictly regulates Potstill Brandy, Pisco from Peru and Chile is a grape spirit with no oak requirement, and Metaxa isn't a brandy at all.
Armenian brandy: why it can no longer be called Cognac
In Yerevan, brandy has been produced from wine on an industrial scale since 1887. The best-known brand is Ararat from the Yerevan Brandy Company, now owned by Pernod Ricard. During Soviet times and long after, this brandy was simply called Cognac throughout Eastern Europe, and many bottles bore the word in Cyrillic.
The partnership agreement between the EU and Armenia, signed in 2017 and in force since March 2021, is ending this gradually. From 2032, new batches may no longer be labeled Cognac, and by 2043 the name must disappear entirely. The EU is financially supporting the renaming. The correct term is therefore Armenian brandy.
Georgia and South Africa: brandy with its own tradition
In Tbilisi, David Sarajishvili founded his house on September 1, 1884, which still produces spirits from Georgian wine today. Here too, the correct term is Brandy. It should not be confused with Chacha, Georgia's pomace brandy, distilled from the leftover grape skins and seeds after pressing, which became Georgia's first registered geographical indication in 2011.
South Africa has one of the most detailed brandy regulations outside Europe. According to industry standards, Potstill Brandy must come entirely from the pot still and mature for at least three years in oak casks of no more than 340 liters. A Blended Brandy contains at least 30 percent pot still component, with the rest allowed to come from column distillation. A separate Vintage Brandy category requires long maturation of all components. A formative influence was the winegrowers' cooperative KWV, founded on January 8, 1918. The difference between the two main styles is easy to spot in the glass: Potstill Brandy is denser and more layered, similar to Cognac, while Blended Brandy is lighter and better suited for mixing. In South Africa, brandy is traditionally often topped up with cola or water.
Pisco and Singani: grape spirit without an oak requirement
Pisco belongs to the family but isn't a brandy: it's distilled from freshly fermented must, oak maturation isn't required, and in the EU register, Peruvian Pisco is even classified as a fruit spirit. Both Peru and Chile claim the name, and both have their own designation of origin. Peruvian Pisco comes from five regions, is distilled once directly to drinking strength, with no water and no wood, and rests for at least three months in neutral vessels. It has been protected in the EU since 2009. Chile allows water addition and wood aging for its Pisco from Atacama and Coquimbo.
Singani from Bolivia is distilled from Muscat of Alexandria, from vines grown at least 1,600 meters above sea level, centered around Tarija. It has its own designation of origin and is not a Pisco, even though both come from aromatic grapes. Pisco and Singani are also often confused with Grappa. The difference lies in the raw material: Grappa is made from pomace, meaning the skins and seeds left over after pressing. Pisco and Singani, by contrast, are distilled from fermented must, the juice of the grapes. This makes them fruitier and more floral.
Metaxa, Brandy italiano and the limits of the term
Metaxa is often called Greek brandy, but it's actually a spirit of its own kind. The house, founded in 1888 by Spyros Metaxa in Piraeus and owned by Rémy Cointreau since 2000, blends wine distillate with muscat wine and botanical extracts, then ages the whole in oak. Because these additions aren't permitted in the brandy category, Metaxa has not been allowed to call itself Brandy since 1987. The bottle today reads "Original Greek Spirit."
Within Europe, however, there are numerous protected wine-based spirits: Brandy italiano, Brandy de Jerez, and Brandy del Penedés in the brandy category, alongside wine distillates such as Romanian Vinars or Bulgarian grape rakias. The same reading rule applies to all: first check whether wine or pomace was distilled, then whether and for how long oak aging is required.