Introduction
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In layman's jargon it's nothing more than Brandy, but for an aficionado a brandy worth a billion.The difference between a brandy and a cognac is simple i.e., Cognac is a brandy distilled from white wine and produced in the vicinity of Cognac, France.
Law of the Land
The term “Cognac” can be used for all those manufacturers who produce the brandy in a certain delimited region in France called the Charentais region, and more specifically in 6 demarcated districts namely:
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1. Grande Champagne (nothing to do with “Champagne”)
2. Petite Champagne
3. Fin Bois
4. Bon Bois
5. Borderies
6. Bois Ordinaire
By law Cognac must be aged a minimum of three
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Making It...
Well simply put, brandy is a distilled wine, and that's the reason it was called “brandejiwn” (meaning burnt wine), since, in the olden times when the wine was transported in ships, as it crossed the equator, the wine used to get a little concentrated, and a result the taste was different and some of the patrons started developing a taste for this drink. That's how the drink became popular and known. In addition to the above, the wine from which the cognac is distilled has to be made from only a certain style of grapes namely:
1. Folle blanche
2. Colombard and
3. Ugni blanc.
If it is made from any other grape variety, then it cannot be labeled as Cognac.It generally is distilled in special Giant Copper Kettles called Alembic Kettles. The style of distillation followed is the pot still one. The specialty of cognac is that it has to be aged in special wooden casks made from the trees of the limousin forests in Portugal.
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Drinking Cognac
The best way to drink Cognac is from a Brandy Balloon or from a Brandy Snifter, where the lip just curls inwards. This will help to preserve the aroma and the initial Bouquet not escaping faster. It is ideally drunk on its own or mixed with warm water in equal quantities. Hold the base of the glass and allow the palm of your hand to impart a little warmth to the spirit. Swirl for 30 seconds, sniff, inhale and just lace it around the top part of the tongue to get the slightly woody and crispy feel. You can feel the smoothness as it flows down.
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Why maturing is important in cognac
Contrary to the popular notion, maturing is the time the spirit spends in the wooden barrels or casks, where it develops it final character. In a true sense most of the spirits are matured and then bottled, because their character never changes once bottled, except wines. It is only through maturing in oak wood casks a cognac acquires its colour, flavour, bouquet, aroma and individual characteristic. It is important to note that around 3% of cognac is lost due to evaporation every year from the barrels termed as "Angels Share.
Reading the Label
If the label of a cognac bottle says it is blended and 12 years old, it means there were various different cognacs of various years and the youngest blend which was used was 12 years old.
Cognac Terms
1. * Aged for 3 years
2. ** Aged at least for 4 years
3. *** Aged at least for 5 years
4. V.S. - Very superior
5. V.S.O.P. - Very superior old pale
6. V.V.S.O.P. - Very very superior old pale
If a Cognac label has "Fine Champagne" on it , it means that 60% of the grapes used are from the Grand Champagne region. It has "Grande Fine Champagne on it than it means that the cognac is manufactured entirely form the grapes form the Grande champagne rgion. Labels such as Reserve, Extra Reserve, XO generally stands for some of the oldest aged cognacs from that cognac house.
Famous Brands
· Hennessy
· Courvoisier
· Hine
· Bisquit
· Martell
· Camus
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