What is Cognac?

Last Updated on June 10, 2022

What’s the Difference Between Cognac and Brandy?

Simply put, Brandy generally refers to a distilled spirit made from fermented fruit. It can be any type of fruit, including grapes, apples, plums etc, and can be made anywhere in the world. There is no regulation on the distillation process. Cognac, however, can only be made from the white Ugni Blanc grape variety, from one of six different terroirs that make up the Cognac region of France. The fermented grape juice must be distilled twice between October 1st and March 31st.

To understand why people rave about Cognac and value it so highly, let’s dig a little deeper into the history.

Where Is Cognac

The Cognac region is in the southwest of France, below the Loire Valley and above Bordeaux. Only grapes grown in this legally defined area can be used to create Cognac, and only the defined processes of production can be used to call the final spirit Cognac. Anything that doesn’t meet the strict criteria is just called brandy.

The Cognac region has six different grape areas: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires.
The area is mostly shallow soils of clay and limestone on top of chalk, known as Argilo-Calcareous, with the dominant grape grown being the Ugni-Blanc.

The History of Cognac

In the 16th century, Dutch merchants would visit the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France to buy provisions, mainly salt and wine. However wine proved difficult to transport in those days so the Dutch sought better ways to preserve it on the long voyage home. They started to distil the wine, making it much higher in alcohol and therefore cheaper to ship for dilution again at its destination, creating the first brandy.

The name Brandy comes from the Dutch word “branewijn”, which means “burned wine”.

The first stills were made by the Dutch, but Cognac region distillers started to make their own designs, developing the swan neck Alambic Charentais design used today. From the 17th century, Cognac was double distilled giving it a smoother flavour that was highly sought after, cementing the region as a major producer.

One of the side effects of the long trips in casks of the brandy to its destinations was that the spirit would start to take flavours from the wood, which added to the value of the wine.

The distillers saw this as a way to enhance their own spirits before sale so started to age their distilled spirit, called “eau de vie”, in oak barrels before shipping in casks to the merchants.

By the 18th century, British merchants were based in the Cognac region and this led to the classification of Cognac in British terms such as very special (V.S.), Very Special Old Pale (V.S.O.P.) and Extra Old (X.O.)

In the 19th century, Cognac started being shipped in bottles rather than casks, which allowed the producers to blend and create their spirits in-house and therefore give more consistency to the finished drink.

 

Also in this period, phylloxera decimated the vineyards of the region, reducing production to a tenth of what it had been. The introduction of the American rootstock allowed the Cognac region to rebuild (re-grow?) the Ugni Blanc grape which soon became the dominant and preferred variety for Cognac production.

How is Cognac Made Today

The harvested grapes, typically Ugni Blanc, are pressed and the resulting juice is fermented for 10 days. The resulting wine is fruity, highly acidic and has low alcohol, which are the essential qualities of a good distillation wine.

The next stage is the first distillation; its goal is to capture and concentrate the aromas of the initial wine. Distillation is done by gently heating the wine to separate the alcohol and volatile elements from the organic and non-volatile elements (ie water)

Distillation of Cognac can only be done in an “alambic charentais”, made of copper with a distinct “swan neck” design, a distillation pot that uses the same design for the last 400 years.

This first distillation process, the “chauffe-de-vin” is designed to remove both the most and least volatile element, and leaves a milky liquid called ‘brouillis’ which is about 30% alcohol. The second distillation, called “la bonne chauffe” repeats the process, to generate a crystal clear liquid called “eau-de-vie” which is placed into oak barrels for ageing.

Note: 9 litres of wine makes just 1 litre of Cognac. 

The ageing process allows for an ongoing exchange between the eau-de-vie, the oak and the air, which is vital to bring out the aromas and complexity of the big three; fruit, florals and spices.

The eau-de-vie can be moved between barrels to build up its complexity, depending on the needs of the producer. Firstly, it will start in a new oak barrel for up to a year to gain spicy aromas. Then it will move to a seasoned barrel to give it more complex notes and depth. Finally it maybe aged in a 20 year old barrel in order to add roundness and complete the process.

Cognac Blending Makes it Unique

The Cognac Houses take the eau-de-vie to blend, age and create their signature Cognacs. At Hennessey, for example, their blending team will sample over 50 different eau-de-vie in order to create both quality and consistency in their final product. And this is a skilled job; you need at least 10 years of training and experience before you will get onto their blending team!

In the Cognac region, there are 270 merchants, 4,200 winegrowers,120 professional distillers and 1175 home-distillers. This means that there is an infinite number of permutations to get a unique Cognac flavour.

The top four big brands, Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin and Courvoisier, can be found in almost every shop or supermarket, and blend for quality and consistency. The smaller houses, usually family-run, such as Delamain and Tiffon, have unique styles and flavours that appeal to the connoisseur. It is these Cognacs that are worth searching for in order to experience the variety of expression that the drink has.

VS or VSOP or XO

Cognac must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in French oak barrels before it can start to be classified. The longer it ages in barrels the finer it becomes and this is reflected in the sale price. The typical classifications you see on Cognac bottles are:

• VS (Very Special) means every part of the blend has been aged for 2 years in the barrel.
• VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) means every part of the blend has been aged at least 4 years in the barrel.
• XO (Extra Old) means every part of the blend has been aged at least 6 years in the barrel.

Note these are the minimum ageing requirements. It is perfectly normal to get a 30-year-old XO Cognac.

How To Drink Cognac

In 2021, 97.3% of Cognac was shipped in 223 million bottles to more than 150 countries, of which more than 80% of that was for personal consumption.

Typically, VS and VSOP Cognacs are used for cocktails, pairings or drinking (neat or on ice) and the finer XO and above drunk neat or for pairings.

Cognac Glasses

Cognac is best served in a large balloon-shaped glass, that feels good in the hand and holds the aromas of the drink within the glass. The large size usually means you will want a more generous pour.

However, most Cognac tastings serve the Cognac in tall tulip glasses, their concave shape and smaller size allowing the sampling of smaller amounts, whilst still retaining all the aromas within the glass.