Cognac is perhaps one of the most luxurious and opulent drinks that one can ever have the pleasure to drink, and has remained a staple favourite of those who appreciate the finer things in life. For those of us who like to know a little bit about what we drink, we thought we’d take a little time to familiarize ourselves with some facts about cognac that perhaps we had not previously considered.
What is cognac?
Cognac is a type of brandy, and interestingly it was named after a town in France; aptly named ‘Cognac’. In order for a drink to bear the coveted and well-regarded name ‘Cognac’ it must fulfill certain requirements. For a start, the way in which it is produced must meet certain requirements stated by law. One such requirement is the choice of grape used in order to make the drink. The following grape varieties are accepted as being the correct grapes with which to produce cognac:
Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, Colombard pus 2 other minor varieties.
Cognac is the best known type of Brandy in the world, a benchmark by which most other Brandies are judged. The Cognac region is located on the west-central Atlantic coast of France, just north of Bordeaux, in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. The region is further subdivided into six growing zones:
Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, are perhaps the two most well known.
These two of these regions produce the best Cognac and will frequently be so designated on bottle labels. Cognacs labelled Fine Champagne are a blend of Petite and Grande Champagne. The primary grapes used in making Cognac are Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard. The wines made from these grapes are thin, tart, and low in alcohol; poor characteristics for table wines, but oddly enough, perfect for making Brandy. Cognac is double distilled in pot stills and then aged in casks made from Limousin or Troncais oak. All Cognacs start out in new oak to mellow the fiery spirit and give them colour. Batches that are chosen for long-term ageing are, after a few years, transferred to used, or “seasoned,” casks that impart less of the oak flavour notes while the Brandy matures.
What do cognac grades mean?
There are three main grades used in conjunction with cognac. They are:
XO: XO stands for “extra old” and this grade of cognac is just that – extremely old and aged. In order to qualify as an XO cognac, the beverage has to have been aged for at least six years, although it has generally been aged for longer.
· V.S.O.P: This acronym stands for “very superior old pale” and this grade is used to describe a blend of cognac where the youngest brandy used within the blend has been cask stored for a minimum of four years with the actual cask being far older.
V.S.: Standing for “very special”, V.S. describes a blend in which the youngest brandy has been aging for at least two years. This grade is also frequently referred to as 3 stars.
BRANDY
The word Brandy comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, (“burnt wine”), which is how the straightforward Dutch traders who introduced it to Northern Europe from Southern France and Spain in the 16th century described wine that had been “burnt,” or boiled, in order to distill it. The origins of Brandy can be traced back to the expanding Moslem Mediterranean states in the 7th and 8th centuries. Arab alchemists experimented with distilling grapes and other fruits in order to make medicinal spirits. Their knowledge and techniques soon spread beyond the borders of Islam, with grape Brandy production appearing in Spain and probably Ireland (via missionary monks) by the end of the 8th century. Brandy, in its broadest definition, is a spirit made from fruit juice or fruit pulp and skin. More specifically, it is broken down into three basic groupings.
Grape Brandy is Brandy distilled from fermented grape juice or crushed but not pressed grape pulp and skin. This spirit is aged in wooden casks (usually oak) which colors it, mellows the palate, and adds additional aromas and flavors.#
Fruit Brandy is the default term for all Brandies that are made from fermenting fruit other than grapes
ARMAGNAC
Armagnac is the oldest type of Brandy in France, with documented references to distillation dating back to the early 15th century. The Armagnac region is located in the heart of the ancient province of Gascony in the southwest corner of France. As in Cognac, there are regional growing zones: Bas-Armagnac, Haut Armagnac, and Tenareze. The primary grapes used in making Armagnac are likewise the Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard. But distillation takes place in the unique alambic Armagnacais, a type of column still that is even more “inefficient” than a typical Cognac pot still.
The resulting brandy has a rustic, assertive character and aroma that requires additional cask aging to mellow it out. The best Armagnacs are aged in casks made from the local Monlezun oak. In recent years Limousin and Troncais oak casks have been added to the mix of casks as suitable Monlezun oak becomes harder to find.
Most Armagnacs are blends, but unlike Cognac, single vintages and single vineyard bottlings can be found. The categories of Armagnac are generally the same as those of Cognac (V.S., V.S.O.P., X.O., etc.). Blended Armagnacs frequently have a greater percentage of older vintages in their mix than comparable Cognacs, making them a better value for the discerning buyer.
Priestly Palate 