Cognac

Cognac is a city in the French département of Charente.

The drink

This is the town that gave its name to the drink, a kind of brandy, which must be produced in the region around the town of Cognac in order to be called cognac.

The region, divided up into six growth areas, or 'crus', 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: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires.

A cognac made from just the first two of these crus is called 'Fine Champagne' cognac, although no cognac has anything to do with the sparkling wine Champagne.

Cognac is made from 'eaux-de-vie' (literally, water of life) produced by double distilling the white wines produced in any of the growth areas. The wine is a very dry, 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% alcohol.

Cognac may not be sold to the public unless it has been aged for at least two years, counting from the end of the period of distillation (1st April following the year the grapes were harvested).

During the aging, a large percentage of the alcohol in the eaux-de-vie evaporates through the porous oak barrels. This is termed locally as the 'part des anges', or angels' share.

A black fungus, torula compniacensis richon thrives on the alcoholic vapours and normally grows on the walls of the aging cellars.

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 taste absent from an eau-de-vie from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (Maitre de chais) who is responsible for creating this delicate blend of spirits, so that the cognac produced by a company today will taste identical to a cognac produced by that same company 50 years ago, or in 50 years' time.

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, may not be called cognac, nor sold as such.

• It must be produced within the delimited region, from wine using certain grape varieties;
• It must be obtained through double distillation, in typical 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.

A related drink produced in another region is Armagnac.

Grades include

• VS (Very Special) or *** (three stars), where the youngest brandy is at least 2 years old.
• VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), Réserve, ... where the youngest brandy is at least 4 years old.
• XO (eXtraordinary Old), Napoléon, Hors d'Age, where the youngest brandy is at least 6 years old.

Brands include

• Braastad
• Courvoisier
• Hennessy

Companies

• Allied Domecq
• LVMH

Cognac-based drinks

• Grand Marnier
• List of cocktails