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Fine (brandy)

In the field of oenology, the French term fine identifies and refers to a brandy that is distilled from wine, as opposed to marc, which is a brandy that is distilled from pomace, the solid remains of grapes after pressing for juice.{{cite book |last1=Courtine |first1=Robert |title=Larousse Gastronomique: the world's greatest cookery encyclopedia |date=1988 |publisher= Hamlyn |location=London |isbn=0-600-32390-0 |page=440 |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/247469981 |access-date=26 September 2024 |language=English |format=Hardback}}

In France, fine production often falls under Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. For example:

  • Cognac
  • Armagnac
  • Fine Bordeaux{{cite web |title=Our appellations - Planète Bordeaux |url=https://www.planete-bordeaux.fr/en/who-are-we/our-appellations |website=www.planete-bordeaux.fr |access-date=26 September 2024}}
  • Fine de Bourgogne{{cite web |title=Fine de Bourgogne |url=https://eauxdeviedebourgogne.com/fine-de-bourgogne/?lang=en |website=eauxdeviedebourgogne.com |access-date=26 September 2024}}
  • Fine du Bugey{{cite web |title=Bugey Vineyard Appellations |url=https://vinsdubugey.net/en/appellations/ |website=vinsdubugey.net |access-date=26 September 2024}}
  • Fine Figures{{cite web |title=Fine Faugères |url=https://www.faugeres.com/en/une-appellation-dynamique/la-fine-faugeres |website=www.faugeres.com |access-date=26 September 2024}}

In popular culture

In the works of Ernest Hemingway, the characters speak of their gastronomic adventures in drinking and eating:

In the novel The Sun Also Rises (1926):

  • "We had dined at l'Avenue's, and afterward went to the Café de Versailles for coffee. We had several fines after the coffee. . . ."

and:

  • "After the coffee and a fine we got the bill, chalked up, the same as ever, on a slate. . . ."

In the spy movie Goldfinger (1964), in an after-dinner scene with the head of the Bank of England and M:

  • James Bond is offered a second pouring of what his host, Col. Smithers, describes as a "rather disappointing brandy." Unclear on his host's meaning, M asks Col. Smithers "What's wrong with it?", and Bond replies, "I'd say it's a thirty-year-old fine, indifferently blended . . . with an overdose of bon bois."

Bond's oenological reference, bon bois, is to a potent brandy from a specific Cognac-producing region in the south-west France.

References

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Category:Brandies