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
drinks 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!!!
vintages. 
Comments
Will Cognac get spoiled if
Garbage
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