Lourinh

About

A Portuguese brandy Lourinhã, located in western Portugal's Estremadura region, is one of the few brandy-making areas to receive appellation status along with Cognac and Armagnac. The name Brandy is derived from brandywine (more accurately from Dutch brandewijn which means 'burnt wine'). Barndy is a spirit produced by means of distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by means of fermenting grapes. Brandy contains 40%%-60%% alcohol by volume and is normally consumed as an after-dinner drink. It is generally coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of long aging in wooden casks.

Information

Other names: brandy, aguardente

Translations: Lourinhã, Лоуринх, Lourinhã

Physical Description

Colors: Amber

Tasting Notes

Food complements: Coffee

Beverage complements: Coffee, Heavy cream

Social/Political

Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to the brandy shortly before consumption.

History: The origins of brandy are clearly tied to the development of distillation. Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and Rome and may have a history going back to ancient Babylon. Brandy, as it is known today, first began to appear in the 12th century and became generally popular in the 14th century.