Renaissance VSOP Brandy 500ml

Renaissance VSOP Brandy is a VSOP grade grape brandy sold in a 500ml bottle. Its owner, the Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits group, lists Renaissance among the top brandies in Lithuania and says the brandy distillate behind it comes from France, from the Cognac house Tessendier & Fils.

Buy Renaissance VSOP Brandy Online in New Zealand

VSOP means Very Superior Old Pale, a grade used for brandies blended from older spirits than a standard VS. Renaissance is built from French grape spirit aged in oak barrels and then blended for the Baltic market, where it sells as an everyday sipping and mixing brandy. It is bottled at 38% ABV, a touch lighter than the 40% of most Cognac. The range also includes an XO, which sits above the VSOP in age.

This is a practical, well-priced brandy rather than a special-occasion bottle. The 500ml size is handy if you want a brandy for the cupboard without committing to a full 700ml, and it is a sensible pick for cocktails where a pricier Cognac would be lost.

Serve it neat in a tulip glass or small snifter, with a splash of water, or over a large ice cube. For mixing, it works in a Sidecar with orange liqueur and lemon, in a brandy sour, or long with dry ginger ale and a wedge of lemon. It also has a place in the kitchen: a splash in a pan sauce, Christmas cake or a flambé. Alongside dark chocolate or a cheeseboard it makes an easy after-dinner pour.