Expert: Paul Wagner - 8/3/2004

Question
1. Gin and Brandy are made from?
  
2. Is Wine made only from Grapes?

3. Is Cognac and Brandy same?

4. What is Ale?  

Answer
Dear Sunil:



These sound suspiciously like homework questions--so I hope you will take the time to learn more about these subjects.



1.  Gin and Brandy are both distilled products.  Gin is made from grain alcohol and flavored with Juniper berries.  Brandy is distilled from wine, and flavored by aging in oak casks or barrels.



2.  Legally, wine must be made from grapes---unless it has another word on the label.  If you look hard enough, you can find such things as berry wine, apricot wine, onion wine, and even jalapeno wine.  But if the label just says "wine" then it must come from grapes.



3.  Cognac is a kind of brandy, made in the Cognac region (near Bordeaux) of France.



4.  Ale is any beer made with top fermenting yeasts--and in the US, it must be at least 4% alcohol.



Paul Wagner