All Cognacs originate from Cognac, France, and the six growing areas surrounding the town. In 1909, the French government defined the boundaries of the Cognac production area by a decree that covered the region of Charente-Meritime, part of Charente, and several municipalities in Deux-Sevres and Dragone. The entire delimited area covers 200 000 acres.

The Cognac is distilled wine, or brandy, and is often called eau de vie. Only the spirit made with eau-de-vie from the protected zone and permitted grapes are entitled to the name Cognac. They must be distilled and aged following specifically authorised techniques, respecting the double distillation process in a copper alembic, and aged in oak barrels for a minimum period of time.

Enjoying specific climate and soil, each region produces different and complimentary qualities of eau-de-vie. The blending, or "marriage", of these distinct qualities will confer to each Cognac its individual, unique, character. Only a long period of maturing in oak wood casks allows an eau-de-vie to become a Cognac. All cognacs are produced from wines made from grapes grown and harvested within the demarcated cognac region. Cognac is always distilled twice in small copper pot stills.

The first key to Cognac's success is the nature of the wine: the grapes used in the best brandies must have some character and be relatively weak and acidic. Unfortunately, only a few distillers have the means and patience to try alternative varieties. These requirements conflict with economic reality since the ideal involves the slow, gentle distillation of small batches of wine. The wine used to make cognac is heated twice in pot-stills holding not more than 30 hectolitres of wine; once to turn the wine (which has an alcoholic strength of 8 to 9%) into a brouillis of about 30%, and then into brandy up to 72%.

Newly distilled Eau de Vie tastes raw, oily and unappetizing. The key to its final quality is a more or less lengthy sojourn in oak casks. The choice of wood was originally accidental: oak happened to be the most easily available for making the casks required by the pioneering distillers. They were, of course, accustomed to using wood to mature and market their wines. Because cognac, like wine, is a product of the grape, oak has proved suitable for maturing it. But there are many varieties of oak, and as with so many aspects of cognac making, local practices differ so widely that only a few generalizations can be offered as applying to the whole range of cognacs. For whatever the chemical qualities of the wood and the reactions they induce when in prolonged contact with the spirit, it is the porosity of the cask which allows the brandy to have a steady, limited access to the air. The brandy gradually absorbs the oxygen required to oxidize and thus soften the raw spirit. The oak wood, quite porous, keeps the Cognac in permanent contact with the naturally humid or dry air of the cellars while losing some of its alcoholic content. This evaporation leaves a dark hallow over the walls of the town, poetically called 'The Angels Share'. A microscopic fungus develops thanks to the humid air of the cellars.

The 'extraction' is the phase during which the wood transfers to the eau-de-vie most of its tannin, boisé and taste. The newly distilled colourless eau-de-vie takes on some of the wood's tannins, naturally attaining its golden amber colour. Each Cognac house decides on the respective length of stay in young and old casks according to the desired quality: The younger wood will transmit far more tannin to the eau-de-vie than the older. The 'ageing', also called degradation or hydrolysis, is the period during which the eau-de-vie flattens. After two to three years of maturing, the eau-de-vie reaches qualities proper to consumption. But if allowed more time, the Cognac gains in complexity, perfume, aroma and taste. Finally, the 'oxidation' gives the eau-de-vie its final bouquet and golden shade. Once transferred into glass, the Cognac is no longer in contact with the air or wood, and stops maturing. It remains immutable. Each Cognac house stores its oldest Cognacs in demi-johns in remote cellars known as 'Paradise'.

This distillation process is a delicate and slow one. It lasts for approximately twenty four hours and requires the constant care of the distiller. It usually begins in November and is conducted day and night for several months. The rule binds it to stop at the latest at the end of March. Distillation is a key factor to confer the Cognac its distinctive character. Its secrets are handed over from generation to generation.

The harvest takes place in early October. By this time, the grapes have attained their aromatic maturity. Immediately after harvesting, the grapes are pressed in the traditional horizontal plate presses or in pneumatic presses. Continuous presses, using the Archimedes’ screw press, are prohibited because they might damage or bruise the grape skins, which would ultimately add bitterness and extra acidity to the Cognac. Also during this stage, the grape pips must be removed when pressing the grapes in order to eliminate the tannins in the pips because they can damage the final distilled product.

As soon as the grapes are pressed, the grape juice is left to ferment. Fermentation is natural - the native, wild yeasts are allowed to convert the sugar into alcohol. Fermentation usually lasts from two to three weeks. At this point, the wine is quite delicate and must be distilled while it is still fresh.

The last step in the process truly determines a particular Cognac’s ultimate taste, aroma, body, and even label. It is at this point that the Master Blender, or the person with a wealth of experience in charge of the maturing process, determines which Cognacs will be mixed in order to create the ultimate flavour. Cognac does not simply consist of a single year’s distillation, but is instead a complex mix of many different Cognacs ranging in years. Each Cognac house has its own Master Blender, and his or her secrets are fiercely guarded because they control the ‘personality’ of a particular Cognac. The blending is one factor that determines the ‘value’ of a Cognac, which is in turn identified by the Cognac label. The age of the Cognac shown on the label matches the youngest Cognac used in the blend.

The last step is to reduce the cognac by gradually adding water to bring it down to 40 or 43° alcohol. It is then ready to be bottled and labelled. A part of the production goes for private labelling and you may find some bottles on the tables of some great restaurants under their own names.

The unofficial grades used to market cognac include:

• VS (Very Special) or *** (three stars), where the youngest brandy is stored at least two years in cask.
• VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), or 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 six years in cask.

The crus where the grapes were grown can also be used to define the cognac, and give a guide to some of the flavour characteristics of the cognac.

How to drink cognac

First, it is necessary to choose a proper wineglass. The specialists of cognac blending recommend a tulip-shaped wineglass, but the low, spherical wineglass will be OK too. Pour into the wineglass 20-25 ml of cognac and heat in a palm for 8-10 minutes. If you warm up the wineglass in another way, for example by burn-in lighter, all aromatic matters will evaporate.

Take the wineglass and look at the surface. The cognac colour can tell you much. For example, the light-straw colour points to young cognacs, straw-yellow, amber, golden and auburn-red - to older. Always look at the colour – it characterizes the age of cognac.

Then you should smell the cognac. Put the nose to the edge of the wineglass and inhale “montant odours". It’s usually floral or fruit odours: violets, iris, rose, pear, cherry, apricot, plum, fig, quince, grapefruit, jasmine, chestnut, orange zest, nut, or peach. Come off and shake up cognac, now bring the wineglass to the nose again, inhale…

Now you are ready to try cognac. Make a small sip. The cognac will pass and make you to estimate all complication and individuality. We drink cognac in a circle of close friends and in pleasant atmosphere. Cognac perfectly combines with coffee (preferably with cognac XO), cigar (special cigar cognac) and chocolate (preferably with cognac VSOP or XO).

Classification of cognacs

(1) Grande Champagne. The cognacs made of the grapes grown on this territory, have subtle floral taste and require long maturing. (2) Petite Champagne. Cognacs, produced here, are similar to cognacs of Grande Champagne, but with less subtle taste. (3) Borderies. The cognacs Borderies reach optimal quality after shorter period of maturing, than cognacs Grande Champagne. (4) Fins Bois. Less than 33000 he of the vineyards make strong cognacs, which mature faster and have a bouquet that resembles an odor of freshly squeezed grapes. (5) Bons Bois. The cognacs mature very fast and have rough taste. (6) Bois Ordinaires. The soil is completely sandy, gives the odors of the sea, seaweeds and Iodine to cognacs.

How long is cognac kept?

There are some rules, taking into account of which you may store cognac for a long time. Avoid cognac contact with a cork, for this keep bottles vertically. If you opened a cognac bottle and did not drink out, pour it into a bottle of smaller volume. It is made for avoiding contact with air that can worsen the cognac quality during long keeping. For this reason cognac should always be closed by the cork.

Reading a label

Cognac labels are the result of much creative and aesthetic research in the same way as are bottles and decanters. This does not prevent them from giving a lot of consumer information. Beyond all legal information - capacity, place of production or bottling -, the cognac label provides additional information on the product you are about to taste, including its age and its vintages. Cognac, which has a worldwide reputation to protect, has established very strict rules to protect consumers but also to prevent its production and presentation from being counterfeited. This implies compliance to many rules for distillation, for stocking, for ageing or for assembly, etc.

A cognac that is ready to be commercialised must be at least two and a half years old starting from the 1st October of the year of harvest. For the different classes of Cognac, it is the age of the youngest spirit that determines its class. The youngest spirit of the assembly may not be less than four and a half years old. But often, the spirits are much older. The youngest spirit in the assembly for Very Superior Old Pales, also called Reserve Cognacs is between four and a half and six and a half years old. All terms like Napoleon, XO or "very old" are assemblies of spirits that are at least six and a half years old. However, most Cognacs are well above this minimum imposed by the regulation. In fact some of the most prestigious names assemble spirits that are each at least dozens of years above the minimum required.

Even though Cognac is not wine, it nonetheless depends on the climate and on the grapes from which it is made. Cognac producers pride themselves on tradition and quality of their grapes that have remained stable for many generations. The change in climate and the possible effects on the Cognac grapes, soil, and even aging methods poses a formidable challenge to the next generation of producers.

A cocktail with Cognac

In Asia Cognac is drunk during the meals, while in Europe it is often considered as an after dinner drink. Some specialists insist on the properties of Cognac as an aperitif, over ice or as a cocktail, or as a great winter warmer. A dash of Cognac adds a special touch to the most exquisite recipes, whether meat, fish or deserts, as well as to dishes that may be flambéed with Cognac.

Here are some drinks that should be served in a tumbler and don't forget the ice!!!

Brandy Alexander

1/3 Cognac, 1/3 Grand Marnier, 1/3 cream

Shake well

Absalon festival

1/3 Cognac

1/3 Grand Marnier

1/3 fresh lemon juice

Olympic

1/3 Cognac

1/3 Curacao

1/3 fresh orange juice

Just perfect

2/5 Cognac

2/5 Grand Marnier

1/5 Rose's lime juice

egg white

shake well

American beauty

¼ Cognac

¼ dry vermouth

¼ fresh orange juice

¼ grenadine

a drop of creme de menthe

Cuban (great with a cigar!!)

½ Cognac

¼ apricot brandy

¼ lime juice