COGNAC

COGNAC(BRANDY)

 

Brandy is the concentrated goodness of wine. Fundamentally brandy is the distillation of wine The term is derived from the Dutch term “Brandewijn” which mean “burnt wine.” A reference to the heat applied to the wine in a still. But the term brandy is also used to embrace distillate made from the other fruits such as Calvados from apple Slivovitz from plums and Kirsch from cherries. In France these are correctly known as eaux de vie de fruits where as the brandy is known as eaux de vie de vin. Grape brandy is made in all wine producing countries like France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, United States of America, Australia, Israel, South Africa and South America.
Of all the brandies the French especially Cognac and Armagnac are most highly regarded. The French laws of controlled appellation demand territorial integrity, as well as controlling the types of vines to be used and in what density they are planned. This in turn, determine yield and regulate quality. Distilling also obeys fixed regulations ensuring that spirits produced elase where will never be used to adulterate the native spirit. Cognac and Armagnac have set standards of quality by which all other brandies are judged.

COGNAC

Cognac is defined as the brandy produced from the Charente and Charente Maritime Department of south western France extending over an area of 2’50’000 acres enclosing the city of Cognac squarely in between which lends it’s name to the brandy produced in this delimited region. The others criteria to be complied with are:
1 . It must be produced from the following grapes:
a) Saint Emilion, also called as Ugni Blanc
b) Folle Blanche
c) Columbard
Now a days it is produced mainly from only Saint Emilion grapes.
2. The brandy must be twice distilled in copper pot stills.
3. Must be aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais

Producing region and legal definitions:

The region authorised to produce Cognac is divided into six zones, including five crus broadly covering the department of Charente-Maritime, a large part of the department of Charente and a few areas in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six zones are: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois Ordinaire.

Grand Champagne: Located south of the town of Cognac and Jarnac, this innermost sector full of chalk and limestone produces fine, elegant,and most delicately fragrant brandies. These classic brandies take 15 years or longer maturing in casks before they reveal their exceptional qualities. The word Champagne has nothing top do with celebrated sparkling wine. Here it conveys the French interpretations indicating a region of chalky soil. The name comes from the Latin Campania meaning field or cultivated area.

Petit Champagne: This larger area is second only to Grand Champagne in terms of quality. There is slightly smaller portion of chalk in the soil which is less friable. This brandy ages more quickly and becomes mellower sooner but it tends to be lighter in body.

Borderies: This small zone has only half the carbonate of lime found in Grand Champagne and Petit Champagne. The brandy made here ages rapidly and is more robust, lacking the delicacy and elegance associated with fine brandies but it does give body to any blend.

Fine Bois: The soil here is looser and more pebbly. The brandies produced are sound rather than spectacular and they age rapidly. Bois means wood as the slopes of the hillsides were covered with trees before being cleared and turned into vineyards.

Bons Bois: The zone has a variation of richer soil including clay and sand. The brandies are pleasant but a bit thin and sometimes have a earthy flavour.

Bois Ordinares/ Bois Commune: Due to the proximity of the Atlantic: the soil has now become more sandy. The salt wind give these thin brandies distinctive earthy flavor. The use of sea weed as a fertilizer may also influence the flavor. Major distillers rarely use any of the Bois grapes to make their classic styles.

The distillation of Cognac started sometime between 1620 and 1630. Heavy taxation on wine at that time meant that only a small proportion of wine was sold. This inevitably led to over production, so the farmers in order to save space and preserve the wine, started to distill. In late seventeenth century Dutch and Scandinavian salt merchants who did their customary business through port of La Rochelle had developed a taste for this course crude wine.
Recognising that taxation was levied on bulk and not on alcohol content

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Cognac is made from grapes produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the growth areas.

GRAPES

The wine is very dry, acidic, and thin, “virtually undrinkable”, but excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties, if it is to carry the name of one of the crus then it must be at least 90% Ugni Blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle Blanche and Colombard, although 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, Montils or Sémillon. Cognacs which are not to carry the name of a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90% Colombard, Folle Blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni Blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.

FERMENTATION

After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for two or three weeks, with the region’s native, wild yeasts converting the sugar into alcohol; neither sugar nor sulfur may be added.[ At this point, the resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.
Although some major distillers own vineyards and make their own wine most buy grapes or wine – even young Cognacs from local farmers. After the grapes have been gathered and brought in from vines, they are pressed and the juice is fermented into a wine – albeit a harsh wine. It is said locally that the best Cognacs are made from the worst wine. That may be the case but the wine must be healthy and sound as any blemishes would be carried through the distillation and show up later.

DISTILLATION:

The new wine is put into a still. The still used is a pot still known in Cognac region as alembic Charentais/Cognac‚ais. The design of the still was perfected in the seventeenth century by the Dutch. The still consists of a huge copper kettle or boiler encased in a brick framework with provision for an open furnace underneath. The brick furnace is known as Chaudière in French. On top of the boiler is the chapiteau or hood from which the pipe shaped like a swan’s neck protrudes. This swan’s neck is called col de cygne. This carries the vapour through or past the prheater and then into the condenser coil which is kept immersed in cold running water. It is here that the vapours are converted into a liquid. The material used in the still is pure copper because wine being distilled throws off acids which can dissolve metal. The acids have less effect on copper and as the still gets older they gradually build up a resistance to acids. Spirits emerging from the new stills always show traces of copper. The copper character is known as goût de cuivre‘and disappears after about a year of cask ageing.
Before distillation begins the two important decisions have to be made, the size of the still to be used and whether or not to use a preheater (chauffe-vin). It is known that smaller stills make more distinctive brandies. Larger stills make smoother brandies with little less character. Regarding the use of the preheater some major distillers such as Hennessey use them. They speed up the distilling process, save fuel and most importantly prevent the scalded taste that is noticeable when cool wine is put onto a hot surface. Others such as Martell don’t use the preheater as they feel wine should take the natural course through the distilling process and by doing so they believe that purer product is obtained.
In the making of Cognac there are two separate distillations, the first one is called premier chauffe and the second one is called bonne chauffe.

PREMIER CHAUFFE: (FIRST DISTILLATION)

In the premier chauffe the wine is taken from the fermenting vats with or without it’s lees and is put into a boiler. If the lees or impurities are added, some believe that they give a fuller character to the spirit. The heat source slow and regular brings the temperature to 78.4®C when the alcohol evaporates. The vapours are taken by tube through the preheater ( if used) thereby heating the new wine about to be distilled. From there the vapours are conducted into the condenser where they are converted into a liquid.
The first liquid to emerge from the condenser is called produit de tête or “heads”. It is pungent and contains ethers and is almost toxic and certainly unpleasant. It is removed and added to new batch of wine to be distilled.
The next liquid to emerge is technically known as brouillis (boiling up), but in distilling terms it is also known as the heart. Or the best or the centre part of the distillation. It is put to one side and has alcoholic strength of 25 to 30 percent by volume.
The final liquid to emerge from the still is known as tails or produit de queue. This is very low in alcohol- the water is also evaporating by this time – and is full of impurities. It is added along with the heads to the new wine.

BONNE CHAUFFE (SECOND DISTILLATION):

It takes three lots of brouillis to fill the still for the second distillation which is known as the bonne chauff ( the good heat ). Whereas the first distillation takes about 10 hours the second distillation takes about 14 hours or more. The aim is to extract maximum alcohol and flavourings. Again there will be heads hearts and tails. The heads and tails will be separated and added to the incoming brouillis. The heart will be new brandy, raw, white with harsh overtones often accentuated by copper. It will have a definite bouquet and an alcoholic strength of 70 to 72% by volume. The new spirit is known locally as la vigne en fleur- “the vine in flower”.
The new colourless Cognac is put into new casks to mature.

MATURING OF COGNAC:

Cognac is matured in casks made from Limousin oak. Limousin east of Angoulême has always been a natural forest. The wood so important to Cognac, has the degree of porosity and tannin content. Before being made into casks, the wood is matured for seven years- four years in open and three years under cover, but with access to air. This dries the wood and some soluble extracts evaporates. Sometimes young Cognacs are stored in wood that comes from the forest of Tronc͵ais in central France. The wood is harder, less absorbing and has less tannin than the Limousin quality. It is mostly used for short term storage. Casks vary in capacity but the ideal size of casks for maturation holds 350 litres (92.5 gallons).
The conditions of storage are also important. Many of the warehouses are located near the river which created damp storage conditions. Brandies loose bulk in dry warehouses and loose strength in very damp warehouses so a happy medium is sought. Young casks absorb a liberal a liberal quantity of spirit and the spirit absorbs tannin from the wood. Some tannin is necessary for mellowness and flavor but too much gives the spirit a woody flavor which is highly undesirable. So the young brandy is left for about six months before being transferred to older casks. During it’s time in the cask air will penetrate into the pores of the wood and causes the brandy to loose it’s harshness and fiery character. Oxidation which also takes place through the porous wood, will develop bouquet and taste. Some tannin will be absorbed and some colour and flavor too, but while older casks will mellow the spirit, they have less to offer in terms of character building as the wood has now become more neutral. Because the alcohol dissipates faster than the water, cognac reaches the target 40% alcohol by volume in about four or five decades, though lesser grades can be produced much sooner by diluting the cognac with water, which also makes its flavor less concentrated
The rate of oxidation is relative to the humidity in the warehouse, but during the ageing process in casks- which can last in some cases up to 50 years or more- 2 to 3 percent of alcohol escapes into the air annually. That is the reason to why building around the warehouses has a black sooty appearance. The loss through the evaporation known locally as “angel’ share”. The distillers estimate that they loose to the equivalent of 2 million bottles annually but they are philosophical about it, merely saying that the sun is our best customer. The black colour fungus which feeds on this evaporated alcohol is known as Torula compniacinecis. To make up for the loss each cask is refreshed or topped up annually with spirit of the same quality. Since oak barrels stop contributing to flavor after four or five decades, cognac is then transferred to large glass carboys called bonbonnes, then stored for future blending.

BLENDING:

When the Cognac is required for sale the skill of the blender comes into play. The blender has to marry together the contents of many casks taking into account the length of time the spirit has matured and the special characteristics that the individual casks have imparted to the spirit during the storage. Sometimes wonderful and extraordinary old Cognacs are stored in a section of the warehouse called le paradis. The blender may decide to use some of the quality to give the blend an uplift. The main aim is get a consistent product that is typical of the distillery’s style and worthy of it’s name. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon Painturaud and Moyet, do not blend their final product from different ages of eaux-de-vie to produce a 'purer' flavour (a practice roughly equivalent to the production of a single-cask Scotch whisky) Nearly all cognacs will have to be diluted to a potable strength, usually 40% by volume. This is done gradually over a few months by adding distilled water or petit eaux, a combination of weak brandy and water. Then final touches are added—a little caramel to enhance the colour and the little sugar syrup to soften the blend. Cognac id filtered before being bottled to ensure a star bright appearance. Once bottled it will remain constant. It will not mature any further.

GRADES OR LABEL TERMINOLOGY:

Ø  Internationally Cognac may not be sold until it is at least 3 years old and age always refers to the youngest brandy in the blend. Terminology is nearly always confusing because age indicators are not consistent from company to company. However according to the interprofessional French institution BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac), the official quality grades of cognac are the following:

Ø   V.S. ("very special"), Very Special, or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a blend in which the youngest brandy has been stored for at least two years in cask.

Ø  V.S.O.P. ("very superior old pale") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is stored for at least four years in a cask, but the average wood age is much older.

Ø  XO ("extra old") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is stored for at least six years but on average for upwards of 20 years. On 1 April 2016, the minimum storage age of the youngest brandy used in an XO blend will be set to ten years.
The names of the grades are in English because the historical cognac trade, particularly in the 18th century, significantly involved the British, as explained at the FAQ of the BNIC website.
In addition the following grades can be mentioned:

Ø  Napoleon is a grade equal to XO in terms of minimum age, but it is generally marketed in-between VSOP and XO in the product range offered by the producers.

Ø  Extra designates a minimum of 6 years of age; this grade is usually older than a Napoleon or an XO.

Ø   Vieux is another grade between the official grades of VSOP and XO.

Ø  Vieille Réserve is, like the Hors d´Âge, a grade beyond XO

Ø   Hors d'âge ("beyond age") is a designation which BNIC states is equal to XO, but in practice the term is used by producers to market a high quality product beyond the official age scale.

 

v  Grand Champagne or Grand Fine Champagne: Refers to a Cognac made exclusively from grapes grown in the premier
growing area of Grand Champagne zone. It is the ultimate Cognac, elegant in style and when aged to perfection has unrivalled finesse.

v  Fine Champagne: It is another excellent style of Cognac. It is made from grapes harvested from the Grand Champagne and Petit Champagne region but minimum 50% grapes should be from the Grand Champagne region.

v  Fine Maison: Is a quickly matured Cognac which is made specifically for a group of outlets or restaurants or for an individual restaurant that wishes to market the Cognac under it’s own name and label, in other words BOB (Buyer’s Own Brand). The product is usually smooth and delicate offering good value.

Early landed Cognac: It was fairly customary at one time but not so much today, for some British merchants to ship quantities of young Cognacs—a year or so old – to Britain so that it could mature more slowly in casks in cooler, damper bonded warehouses in London, Bristol and Leith. This practice produced a brandy of great smoothness that was eventually sold under the importer’s name. The label showed the date the spirit was shipped from Cognac and when it was bottled.

WELL KNOWN BRANDS:

While there are close to 200 cognac producers,[1] a large percentage of cognac—90% according to one 2008 estimate—is produced by only four companies: Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell, and Rémy Martin. Hennessey sells about 50 million bottles of Cognac worldwide or more than 40% of the world’s Cognac, making it the world’s largest Cognac producer.
Biscuit, Camus, Courvoisier, Davidoff, Delamain, Delon, Hennessey, Martell, Hine, Otard, Polignac, Remy Martin, Renault.