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An Article by JürgO

I just returned from a weekend of spirits tasting. As the Old World Old Guy, I was shocked by the prevailing attitudes I found my fellow tasters had, including the lecturer at our event, to lesser-known spirits. Everyone knows it is fashionable to like Cognac. Aficionados go for Armagnac and their dried fruit flavors. Fewer are enthusiastic about Brandy de Jerez. Surprising, to me at least, is the level of enthusiasm for the best-selling “clean spirits,” e.g. vodka. Its singular distinguishing mark is this: the less you can identify the base material, the better it seems to be. Go figure. Given that fact, perhaps I should not be surprised by the general aversion to grappa, marc, and—god forbid—non-grape fruit-based spirits. I have always noted a general surprise North Americans have to the perceived dominance the alcohol has in the lesser-known pitted fruit derived eaux-de-vie found in Europe. There are fruit esters, which make the brandy appear more astringent.

There is the issue of congeners, or flavors inherent to the base material from which a spirit is distilled. A high level of congeners is detrimental if the goal is a neutral spirit: vodka is the best example. No matter the base, it should taste neutral. Wouldn’t it be a novel concept to use in wine? “Hey, honey, come taste this wine: it is clean and clear and tastes like nothing but alcohol.” Novel? Perhaps not. Too many wines follow that path to Mondovino!

The opposite of that position is to have superior base materials good enough to convey congeners to the distillate. Cognac and Armagnac are the best examples. Top quality grappa and certainly the upper tier of eaux-de-vies de fruits belongs in that category as well.

The first observation is that, as under-appreciated as they are stateside, there are young European artisanal distillers enjoying devoted, cult-like following. They produce what is known as Edelbrand (German), Distillats Nobles (French for noble distilled spirits). These producers generally are very hard to find on a specialty shelf in the U.S. Urs Hecht of Gunzwiler Destillate link (to German web page) has been awarded the title of Distiller of the Year every year since 1999.

German-speakers refer to distilled alcoholic beverages as Schnaps, or Schnäpse (pl.), not to be confused with the American schnapps, which is neutral spirits (see above), flavors and a generous dose of sugar and glycerin: a liqueur. There are two broad segments of Schnaps: those derived from stone fruit and other pitted fruit, namely apples and pears.

Method of Schnaps Distillation

Fruits contain sugars which are directly fermentable. In a first step a mash is fermented, resulting in a fruit “wine” of single-digit alcoholic strength. That “wine” is then distilled, usually twice, using a pot still. Separating the “heads” and “tails” which are toxic, form the potable “heart” is critical. Depending on quality, the final level of alcohol by volume is between 40 and 43%. These eaux-de-vies are usually not aged in oak. Specialty distillers have begun to offer top-tier Schnaps aged in Barriques, (sometimes oak, for Kirsch in cherry-wood) albeit without much wood-derived color.

Steinfrücheschnaps; Stone fruit derived

The least-liked example may be Slivovitz from the Slavic countries, often pungent and sometimes compared to moonshine. Avoid home-made Slivovitz, as it may contain traces of methanol.

Zwetschgenwasser (Quetsch in Alsace), Pflaumenschnaps, Pflümliwasser are produced from Prunus domestica subsp. Domestica, the plum. A preferred digestif after a n-course meal, served with espresso, after dessert.

Better quality is called Pflümli, a diminutive of Zwetschge, the former being smaller and intense, the latter large and less expressive.

Abricot, or Aprikosenwasser is made from apricots and can be found in Hungary, as Marillenschnaps in Austria and in Alsace and Switzerland.

Mirabelle is the rather exotic small stone fruit which is used to make, well, Mirabelle.

This is a specialty not readily found outside Alsace and Switzerland.

Kirsch (Kirschwasser) is made from cherries, sometimes including crushed pits. It is the most noble of the noble destillates. There is Kirsch made from cherry varietals (eg. Lauerzer, Doleseppler), from geographic regions (Zuger, Baselbieter, Luzerner). Specialties include sour-cherry Kirsch from (Prunus cerasus). Swiss Kirsch production is about 535,000 bottles. Zadar, in former Yugoslavia, produces Kirsch, but is more famous for its Maraschino (“Mara-SKIno”), a water-white cherry liqueur with bitter notes–the origin of the well-known maraschino cherry–best known from the distillers Maraska, and the Italian Luxardo.

Kernobstschnaps: Pitted fruit derived

Poire Williams is the name of a varietal known as Bartlett in North America which makes an exquisite pear brandy. Some bottles contain only liquor, others a pear carefully grown into the bottle which is then filled with Williamine. How do you get the pear out? Well, you don’t. Initially, the pear absorbs the alcohol and is relatively protected from spoilage even once the bottle is empty. You simply fill the bottle with a regular bottle of pear brandy and keep the pear in the bottle, in perpetuity, as it were.

Apfel: Gravensteiner, Bernerrosen etc. Schnaps: varietal Apple Brandy

Regional varietals, sometimes heirloom varietals, are the up-and-coming thing. Most of these varietals are local and may be of no significance internationally, which is precisely the attraction.

Quittenschnaps: Quincy Apple, or Quince

Good example of a mostly overlooked tree fruit-based distillate. Most people have never seen, nor tasted a quincy apple. Its called Cydonia oblonga and is inedible unless cooked. Unmistakable aromas. A quince is a quince, hard to compare to anything else. Try it, you may like it.

Conclusion

America is following the French in its obsession with the notion of terroir. Not to be outdone by the French, we invoke this concept whenever we can, and wherever there is wine to be sold. To dismiss terroir in wine is akin to being a heretic, unless one is an agnostic to start. The idea of what the wine is made from, where it is sourced, the influence of climate, cellar technique, barrel-aging all add to the sum total of a wine.

Vodka is at the other end of the continuum. Distill any trace of source out of it. Make it neutral, like distilled water with a punch. Never mind what it is made from. If you don’t like it, they’ll add flavors: Citron, Pepper, Bison Grass, Strawberry, Watermelon, Cinnamon, Coffee, etc., paling Baskin Robbins palette of flavors. Now there is even a hot pepper-flavored vodka! If vodka is any indication of the sophistication of the American consumer, then we have lowered the bar to (American) schnapps! Vodka, the very antithesis of source, is now the best selling distilled spirit in the U.S.

Go out and find some good quality fruit-based European spirit. Brace yourself for impact. You’ll survive. And be the better for it.

JürgO

An Apologia for Grappa to follow shortly.