Cognac

Generally considered the finest spirit made from grapes, Cognac has established a reputation as the epitome of high quality, luxurious brandy, far outstripping its southern neighbour, Armagnac, in these respects. It would be somewhat disparaging to Armagnac if were to measure the ways in which Cognac has ascended to greatest only by comparison to the second best known French brandy. It is, however, informative. There are two key factors: firstly, Cognac undergoes double distillation compared to the one of Armagnac, resulting in less obtrusive and more finely-balanced spirits, and; secondly, the proximity of the Cognac region to Bordeaux, a major and historically important port city. It is because of this second point that Cognac was not only able to capture the interest of the wealthy city-dwellers, but crucially became a tradable good ripe for export. As the de facto spirit of the French bourgeoisie, it was associated with the middle and upper classes of society—both domestically and abroad—and therefore gained all the connotations of luxury that continue to be key aspects of all branding and marketing to this very day.

A further point on which Cognac can be differentiated from Armagnac is on the composition of the marketplace. Four big brands dominate the Cognac industry—Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin—whereas small, artisan production is the standard in Armagnac. Therefore, the money behind the two are incomparable, as marketing budgets alone allow those four big houses to grow and expand into new markets, totally dominating the story of brandy.

Located just north of Bordeaux, the region of Cognac radiates out from the central town, Cognac, from which the name is taken. It is worth noting that the entire Cognac appellation totals 79,000 hectares, making it the second biggest wine region in France, right behind Bordeaux. This gigantic region covers the entire Charente-Maritime, a large part of the Charente, and some smaller parts of Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The entire region is parcelled up into six different crus, each of which have a distinctive terroir and produce discernibly different eau de vie. Grande Champagne, comprising 13,250ha under vine, produces the finest eau de vie due to the chalky soils underneath. Eau de vie from Grande Champagne are extremely elegant, with lots of finesse, floral character and an extraordinary ability to age. The soils of Petite Champagne, similar to Grande Champagne, are made from chalk, albeit much more compact, with water logging a problem. Light and floral, the eau de vie from here are built to age. Of the other sub-regions, Fins Bois is most significant, with 31,200ha of 350,000ha planted to vine. Rounded and supple in texture, these eau de vie are of lesser quality, but are delicious all the same. Borderies, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires complete the region.

Similar to Armagnac, there are three main grapes used: Colombard, Folle Blanche and Ugni Blanc. The latter accounts for the majority of production. Fermentation occurs as when making still wines, but with the express intent to retain acidity and the more delicate aromatic flavours. Cognac requires a double distillation in a specific pot still called a “Charentais” still named after the department in which part of Cognac is located. This is different to Armagnac, which is distilled once in a column still. Once distilled, each Cognac is given a designation depending on the time spent ageing. Very Special (VS) spends a minimum period of two year in wood, with Very Special Old Pale (VSOP) requiring a minimum of four years. Napoleon designates six year maturation, with Extra Old (XO) requiring a minimum of 10 years, the uncommon XXO (Extra Extra Old) undergoing a minimum 14 years. Hors d’Age (Beyond Age) requires an identical minimum ageing period to XO, but is primarily used to designate a very high quality, prestigious product.