COGNAC, ARMAGNAC, CAPE BRANDY… An acquired taste, some would argue. Thrice as strong as most red and white wines. Aqua vitae, the water of life! Distilled wine, in basic terms, but in its finest form a wonderful spirit savoured in sips. And those bottles… Medicine for the soul!

Originating in the vineyards, as they do, the brandies of South Africa tend to come from cellars in the Cape winelands, and apart from the specialist distillers, wouldn’t you expect the best brandies to come from distilleries on those farms where they make the best wines? Maybe so, maybe not. Similar to the big Champagne brands and the world’s other so-called luxury wines of which South Africa has plenty selling for large amounts per bottle, the top Cognacs have status appeal that has more to do with image and perception than just how good they taste.

The Cape’s most awarded brandies on the show circuit are those of the KWV in Paarl and Van Ryn’s in Stellenbosch – not forgetting Joseph Barry of Barrydale in the Klein Karoo and Oude Molen of Grabouw, near Elgin. But grape spirit lovers have also been discovering the increasing number of pleasures on a brandy route that extends to small-batch producers in Calitzdorp, Constantia and Durbanville, Franschhoek, Wellington and Worcester. The directory runs to 36 and counting.