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Cognac,
named after the town of Cognac in France, is a kind
of brandy, which must be produced in the region
surrounding the town. The wine to be distilled must
be made from Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc or Colombard
grapes. It must be distilled twice in copper pot
stills and aged at least 2 1/2 years in oak barrels
in order to be called "cognac".
A related drink produced in another region is
Armagnac.
Producing region and legal definitions
The region of Cognac, divided up into six growth
areas, or crus (singular cru), covers the department
of Charente-Maritime, a large part of the Charente
and a few areas in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The
six crus are, in order of decreasing appreciation of
the Cognacs coming from them: Grande Champagne,
Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois,
and Bois Ordinaires.
A cognac made from just the first two of these crus
(with at least 50 percent from Grande Champagne) is
called "Fine Champagne" cognac, although no cognac
has anything to do with the sparkling wine
Champagne. ("Champagne" coming in both cases from
old words alluding to agricultural fields.)
If a brandy is produced that fails to meet any of
the strict criteria set down by the "governing body"
of cognac, the BNIC – Bureau National
Interprofessionel du Cognac – it may not be called
cognac, nor sold as such.
A Cognac Pot Still
Map of the Cognac region
• It must be produced within the delimited region,
from wine using certain grape varieties;
• It must be obtained through double distillation,
in typical copper Charentais stills;
• It must age in oak barrels, which give it its
color and part of its taste.
Many of the cognac producers in the town allow
visitors to taste their product; the bigger
companies have guided tours.
Process of fabrication
Cognac is made from eaux-de-vie (literally, "water
of life") produced by doubly distilling the white
wines produced in any of the growth areas. The wine
is a very dry, acidic, thin wine, not really
suitable for drinking, but excellent for
distillation. It may only be made from a strict list
of grape varieties. Distillation takes place in
traditionally shaped Charentais copper stills, the
design and dimensions of which are also controlled.
Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting
eau-de-vie is a colourless spirit of about 70
percent alcohol.
Cognac may not be sold to the public, or indeed
called 'Cognac' until it has been aged for at least
two years, counting from the end of the period of
distillation (1 April following the year the grapes
were harvested).
During the aging, a large percentage of the alcohol
(and water) in the eaux-de-vie evaporates through
the porous oak barrels. This is termed locally the
"part des anges", or angels' share, a phrase also
used in Scotch Whisky production. A black fungus,
Torula compniacensis richon, thrives on the
alcoholic vapours and normally grows on the walls of
the aging cellars.
The final product is diluted to 40 percent alcohol
content (80 proof).
The age of the cognac is shown as that of the
youngest eau-de-vie used in the blend. The blend is
usually of different ages and from different local
areas. This blending, or marriage, of different eaux-de-vie
is important to obtain a complexity of flavours
absent from an eau-de-vie from a single distillery
or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (maître
de chai) who is responsible for creating this
delicate blend of spirits, so that the cognac
produced by a company today will taste exactly the
same as a cognac produced by that same company 50
years ago, or in 50 years' time. In this respect it
may be seen to be similar to a blended whisky or
non-vintage Champagne, which also rely on blending
to achieve a consistent brand flavour.
Grades include
• VS (Very Special) or *** (three stars), where the
youngest brandy is stored at least two years in
cask.
• VSOP
(Very Superior Old Pale), Réserve, where the
youngest brandy is stored at least four years in
cask.
• XO
(Extra Old), Napoléon, Hors d'Age, where the
youngest brandy is stored at least seven years in
cask.
Each
cognac house also produces its own premium-level
cognac. These include:
• Louis XIII by Rémy Martin is composed of more than
1,200 of the finest eaux-de-vie aged between 40
years and a century in very old Limousin oak
barrels.
•
Richard Hennessy - produced by Hennessy, 'Richard'
is a blend of over 100 eaux-de-vie aged up to 200
years. It is sold in a Baccarrat crystal blackman
and is named after the founder of the company.
•
L'Esprit de Courvoisier - Courvoisier's leading
cognac, presented in a hand-cut Lalique decanter,
blended from eaux-de-vie up to 200 years old, and
individually numbered.
Brands include
• Braastad
• Courvoisier
• Hennessy
• Martell
• Rémy Martin
• Hine
• Meukow
Cognac is mainly sold by trading houses. Some of
them were founded centuries ago, and still rule the
market today.
• Bache-Gabrielsen
• Camus
• Courvoisier (Owned by Allied Domecq)
• Delamain
• Hennessy (owned by LVMH)
• Hine
• Martell
• Rémy Martin
• Moyet
• Otard
• Pierre Ferrand
• Renault
• Meukow
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