A relative who lives in New Zealand came back to the States
for the holidays. He has been making Vodka in NZ and wants
to make Brandy.

He asked me "What is the best type of wine for making Brandy?"

Other than telling him to use a wine he made rather than one
he purchased, I don't know. Does anyone know?

Dick

AFAIK, the starting point are usually pretty neutral, acidic white
varieties - the main one in Cognac, for example, is Ugni Blanc aka
Trebbiano in Italy. These are cheap too so that works well for home
winemakers. I am not sure if he can get something similar in NZ though.
In any case, it doesn't really matter that much because no matter what
he starts with, he'll have a grape spirit after distillation, so closer
to vodka than brandy. His main issue is getting the colour and flavour
- these mostly come from oak aging and added flavourings like caramel,
not from the grapes. Basically, the problem is converting grappa into
brandy.

Pp

On Jan 3, 11:45 am, (Dick Adams) wrote:
> A relative who lives in New Zealand came back to the States
> for the holidays. He has been making Vodka in NZ and wants
> to make Brandy.
>
> He asked me "What is the best type of wine for making Brandy?"
>
> Other than telling him to use a wine he made rather than one
> he purchased, I don't know. Does anyone know?
>
> Dick