Brandy is a liquor distilled from wine or other fermented juice. The name derives from the Dutch “brandewijn” ( burnt wine), referring to the technique of a heating the wine during distillation.
A number of subcategories fall under the broad definition of brandy, including fruit brandy, grappa, marc pomace and eau-de-vie (French for ‘ water of life’) Eau-de-vie and fruit barndies can be made from almost any fruit.

Brandy is a liquor distilled from wine or other fermented juice. The name derives from the Dutch “brandewijn” ( burnt wine), referring to the technique of a heating the wine during distillation.
A number of subcategories fall under the broad definition of brandy, including fruit brandy, grappa, marc pomace and eau-de-vie (French for ‘ water of life’) Eau-de-vie and fruit barndies can be made from almost any fruit.
The finest grape brandies traditionally come from the two south-western French regions of Cognac Armagnac. Spain also produces some top-quality brandies, such as the Brandy de Jerez Solera Gran Reservas. And in the United States, a surprising number of excellent examples come from several producers, including Bonny Doon, Carneros Alambic, St George, Creekside Vineyards and Germinal Robin.
Spanish Brandy: Spanish brandy and Spanish Sherry come from the Andalusia region of south-west Spain. Many of the towns in this area are qualified by the phrase ‘ de la Frontera’ because historically this was the frontier between Christian Europe and the Moors beyond. In the center of this area is the town of Jerez de la Frontera, settled by the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Goths, Moors and finally Christians. The vineyards of this area prospered in ancient times, and though the Moors didn’t drink alcohol, they developed an alembic still to distill alcohol for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. It is believed that the Moors, in fact are responsible for the first distilling of any kind in Europe, in the town they called Sherisch, which later became the town of Jerez. When the Spanish Christians recaptured the ‘frontier’ in 1262 from the Moors, they made wine for Spanish expeditions around the world. The wine was preserved for travel by the addition of alcohol distilled from grapes. This fortified wine, of course, came to be known as sherry.