Corbières brandy symbolises the region’s resilience after last summer’s wildfire

ocated in the heart of the wildfire that destroyed vast swathes of land last summer in the Corbières, the Cellier des Demoiselles co-operative winery in Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse joined forces with the Mediterranean distillery organisation (UDM) “to give grapes affected by smoke a second lease of life”. The two companies combined their skills to create “a symbol of revival and a tribute to the region’s winegrowers”, says a press statement. The brandy is uniquely crafted from flames and smoke.

“Winegrowers decided to go ahead and harvest their grapes and make the wines at the co-operative before sending them to Languedoc distillers”, adds the statement. The final part of the process was carried out in a “hundred-year-old still, perpetuating the tradition of fine Languedoc brandies”.

Rather than conceal the smoke aromas, the distillers chose to reveal “and enhance these markers of fate, with notes of smoke and fire, creating a singular brandy in a style that is both appetising and powerful, symbolising revival and a fierce determination to live and move forward”.

The Languedoc brandy has been produced in very limited quantities and will only be released for sale in a few years’ time, once the lengthy oak maturation process has been completed. The aim is to “achieve perfect balance between the fruit, fire and wood”. Cellier des Demoiselles will market the brandy so that all the proceeds can go to its members. “This brandy is so much more than just a product – it is a tribute to our winegrowers, to the Corbières region and to their ability to get back on their feet and rise again”, explains the chairman of UDM, Bruno Guin.