In the field ofoenology, the French termfine identifies and refers to abrandy that is distilled fromwine, as opposed tomarc, which is a brandy that is distilled frompomace, the solid remains of grapes after pressing for juice.^[1]

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

• Cognac
• Armagnac
• Fine Bordeaux^[2]
• Fine de Bourgogne^[3]
• Fine du Bugey^[4]
• Fine Figures^[5]

In the works ofErnest Hemingway, the characters speak of theirgastronomic adventures in drinking and eating:

In the novelThe Sun Also Rises (1926):

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

and:

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

In the spy movieGoldfinger (1964), in an after-dinner scene with the head of theBank 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 the matter with it?", and Bond replies, "I'd say it's a thirty-year-oldfine, indifferently blended . . . with an overdose ofbon bois."

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

• Brandies