Brandy the era, were considered some of the best in the world and often beat their French competitors at the International Expositions in Paris and Brussels in the early 1900s. Except for few major producers, brandy production and consumption tend to have a regional character and thus production methods significantly vary. Wine brandy is produced from a variety of grape cultivars. A special selection of cultivars, providing distinct aroma and character, is used for high-quality brandies, while cheaper ones are made from whichever wine is available. Brandy is made from so-called base wine, which significantly differs from regular table wines. It
Cut brandy cut brandy also has a very distinct taste, quite different from genuine brandy and other cut brandies like Finnish Jaloviina. Most brands of cut brandy in Germany are of East German origin and the eastern states of Germany are also the most important market for cut brandy. This has historical reasons. In the East German planned economy there was very often a shortage of brandy and cut brandy was produced as a substitute. Eastern German cut brandy is traditionally called "Goldbrand" (cut brandy with at least 10% brandy) or "Goldkrone" (cut brandy with at least 20% brandy), both colloquially called