Showing posts with label cognac crus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cognac crus. Show all posts

The Aging and Blending of Cognac, France’s most Famous Brandy. Cognac II.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

   
Martell V.S.O.P. and a Cognac snifter.

Why you cannot age Cognac at home
  
Cognac and other liquors, unlike wines, only mature in a barrel; once bottled your Cognac, Armagnac, Calvados and also your whisky or whiskey, will age no more.

That bottle of a six-year-old Cognac bought twenty years ago, and just rediscovered in the back of a dark cupboard, is only as good, maybe, as it was on the day it was bottled. It is not a Cognac that has matured for twenty–six years!  Luckily, many Cognacs, in old bottles, are valuable for the rarity of the bottle and the label.
  
Storing Cognac at home

Cognac and other liquors must be stored standing up; otherwise, the alcohol will attack the cork. If the cork, of an old Cognac, has deteriorated over time and some of the Cognac has evaporated then the taste of the Cognac that is left will be different; however, that is not aging, it is the results of evaporation and a dried out cork will hardly have provided any improvement.
   
II wouldn’t advise drinking anything in these bottles.
The value is in the label and bottle, not the contents.
www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/15014877515/

Caveat Emptor:  When you see a one-hundred-year-old Cognac or an even older Cognac, offered for sale, you are, no doubt, being offered a Cognac that was bottled one-hundred or more years ago.  None of these bottles will contain Cognacs or eau-de-vies that were aged in barrels for one hundred plus years, that cannot happen, they would be undrinkable. If a really old bottle does contain any Cognac it was probably in a barrel for less than ten years and then was bottled, and that Cognac will remain a ten-year-old Cognac one hundred years later.  On the upside, the bottle and label may be truly unique. For more information about the legal ages and grades on Cognac labels read the post:  Deciphering Cognac Labels and How to Tell the Age and Grade of a Cognac. Cognac I.

The meaning of eau-de-vie.

A young eau-de-vie, in the world of Cognac, is a young liquor not yet a brandy; these eau-de-vies, as they age they will become simple brandies; though not very drinkable ones; however, when the aging is complete and blended with others they will become a complete and  truly unique grape brandy, a Cognac. 

Decanting Cognacs.

The old British tradition of decanting Cognacs to a beautiful decanter can bring smiles all around and warm the atmosphere even before the first sip.  Cognac in a decanter will remain, more or less, the same as it was when first decanted for up to a year. The more often that the decanter is opened evaporation will begin to show its effect just as will a bottle that is open and closed; however, from personal experience that is rarely a problem; decanted Cognac always seems to be finished within four or five weeks.

Hine Cognac Talent arrives in a cut-glass decanter.
Photograph courtesy of Gilles de Beauchêne from Hine Cognac.

Cognac begins with white wine.
 
All Cognacs start with white wine grapes gathered, pressed and made into wine.  The wines that create Cognac are extremely important; however, these wines are never used as table wines.
     
The names of the grapes used will not be on the labels of most Cognac bottles though they will undoubtedly affect the taste. The most popular grape in the Cognac region is the ugni blanc grape, locally called the St.-Émilion, but eight other grape varieties may be used, and they all bring different tastes to the final brandy.
  
Grapes ready for picking.
www.flickr.com/photos/fruitnet/2397935531/

   
The new wines used to make Cognac eau-de-vies are not aged as within a few months of becoming wine they will have been distilled twice, and have become fledgling eau-de-vies, young liquors.
  
The oak barrels used for Cognac eau-de-vies.
 
The oaks chosen for Cognac’s barrels come from the Limousin and Troncais oaks; these particular oaks have been evaluated over hundreds of years, and no other oak has been found to be better.
   
The smallest Cognac barrels.
www.flickr.com/photos/dunleavy_family/9467244674/ 

Cognac experts will explain that the barrels made from these oaks affect the aroma, taste, and colors of Cognac in ways that no other oak can replicate. The larger the barrel the higher the exposure of the eau-de-vie to the wood; the wood provides critical contributions to taste, aroma and color; however, the larger the barrel, the greater the evaporation. Barrels sizes are from 200 liters to over 400 liters with the most typical barrel size being 300 liters. The color of a cognac and many of its flavors will come from the wood on the inside of charred oak barrels
  
In the Tonnellerie,
Where the barrels are made.
Photograph by Gilles de Beauchêne courtesy of Hine Cognac

What goes on inside the barrels

The newly distilled eau-de-vies are poured into the oak barrels and then transferred to humidity and temperature controlled dark cellars called a chai in French, (pronounced shay) and the aging begins.
  
Testing Cognac directly from the barrels;
The cellars of the Camus Cognac House
Photograph courtesy of Camus Cognac.
 
When you visit a Cognac house they will tell you that, depending on a combination of factors, after two, four, six, ten, twenty, thirty, or at most forty years in a barrel all eau-de-vies will have arrived at their optimum ages; leaving an eau-de-vie for longer would see it deteriorate, as would the wood. As the Cognac eau-de-vies age, they lose up to 2% of their volume annually due to evaporation through the porous oak. That loss, through evaporation, is charmingly called the angels share.  Demineralized water may be added to replace the lost liquor but whatever the angels take they keep!
    
Another angel on the way to a Cognac cellar.
www.flickr.com/photos/rubenholthuijsen/30285604718/
    
The eau-de-vies that are aging in the barrels are also affected by the heat and humidity of the cellars; these factors affect the way the barrel releases flavor, aroma, and color from the wood.  From the oak used for Cognac barrels comes vanillin, a compound with a vanilla flavor as well as other flavors and tannins that will bring color. There is no accurate scale, or algorithm, to calculate these influences; it is the Maitre de Chai, the cellar master, who is the master blender, who evaluates each barrel as the eau-de-vies age over the years.

The Maitre de Chai, the master blender.
   
We, the consumers, cannot evaluate a Cognac by the manner in which a barrel is stored; we do not see this information on the label anyway.  However, for the Maitre de Chai, the method of storing the barrels is critical.  Barrels may be stored on their sides, standing up, touching the barrels next to each other, separated by wooden divisions or stacked on top of each other; these and other variations will all affect the changes inside the barrels in different ways. The barrels, during the years, that the eau-de-vies inside them mature, may also be moved to different cellars that offer different ranges of temperatures and humidity, and in Cognac, many of the cellars are, in fact, sealed thick-walled buildings above ground.
      
The Maitre de Chai and friends.
Photograph courtesy of Cognac Bertrand
     
The profession of Maitre de Chai is the most senior position in a Cognac house, in many ways it is almost a vocation. The profession and the time spent working to achieve that status and responsibility are not short term jobs.  When you visit a Cognac house you may find that the Maitre de Chai will have spent all or at least half of his or her working life with the same house.  In some Cognac houses, the Maitre de Chai may be a second or third generation of the same family working for the same Cognac house.
    
The Maitre de Chai oversees each part of the process, beginning from when the grapes arrive to when the Cognac is bottled. The first process is taking the young wine to be double distilled in a process that is unique to Cognac; the double distillation is a fundamental part of the creation of a Cognac eau-de-vie and also makes for a smooth brandy.  From the first distilled liquors, the Maitre de Chai must first supervise the removal of unwanted liquids produced at the beginning of the distillation, liquids that would ruin the taste of the final product.
    
The traditional Cognac double-distillation apparatus.
Photograph courtesy of Bertrand Cognac
  
From the distilled eau-de-vies that are left there are many differences, and they will be separated and grouped; some will be sent, with wines not yet distilled, to run through the whole process again.  Finally, the tails, the end parts of the distilled liquors that are not acceptable will be removed entirely, and the new eau-de-vies that meet the Cognac house’s standards and are approximately 30 per alcohol will be poured into the oak barrels.  In the oak barrels, the eau-de-vies begin to mature, and the Maitre de Chai will determine how the barrels will be stored and which cellar will be chosen.
  
Tasting three Martell Cognacs of different ages.
www.flickr.com/photos/dunleavy_family/9464451759/
 
It is the nose and taste buds of the Maitre de Chai, along with modern technology that follows every barrel of eau-de-vie as it matures. At their peak, the mature eau-de-vies will be transferred from barrels to large glass bottles called Demijohns that hold about 25 liters each; each of these Demijohns will be marked with the age of the eau-de-vie and its the individual attributes.  A sampling will be taken to the blending room where different blends are tested.
       
Older eau-de-vies, to be tested with the latest production.
Photograph courtesy of Martell Cognac.
   
The Demijohns
   
Demijohn bottles, containing Cognac, like all bottled alcoholic liquors must be stored standing up; unlike wines, liquors will attack the cork. These bottled eau-de-vies are kept in temperature and humidity controlled dark cellars; there the corks will not dry out, and light, which would lighten a Cognac’s color, will not enter. In the same manner when you are storing Cognac, or any other liquor, at home keep the bottles standing up, and when possible in a closed dark cabinet.
      
Painting of glass demijohn by Félix Vallotton (1865 –  1925)

The blending
      
The blending begins when a particular Cognac is required or when a new Cognac is being created; then the eau-de-vies in glass Demijohns and blended. The youngest will have spent two years in a barrel, and most eau-de-vies will come from the same cru, the same rated vineyards, but they will be from different years.
     
The least expensive Cognacs may be blends of just a few eau-de-vies while an unusually complex Cognac may be a blend of over twenty or more different eau-de-vies with the youngest eau-de-vie being over ten years old.  From 2016 the term X.O. is only be used for Cognacs where the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend is at least ten-years-old
    
The Cognac Vineyards
    
The vineyards that grow the grapes used for Cognac cover a large part of the old French region of Poitou Charente; that is the departments of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne. Since 2016 these departments are part of the new super region of Nouvelle Aquitaine.  There are even Cognac vineyards on the islands of Île de Ré and  Île d'Oléron of the Atlantic coast of Charente-Maritime.  The islands of Île de Ré and Île d'Oléron are even more famous for their beaches, oyster farms, mussel farms, fish and seafood.
  
Vineyards for the grapes used for Cognac on the Isle De Ré.
Photograph courtesy of Camus Cognac
     
The six Cognac crus.
 
The vineyards are divided into six crus, graded growing areas. The label on every bottle of Cognac should include its Cru.   Exceptionally, there is one grade that has no vineyards and therefore no Cru; it is a blend of eau-de-vies from the first and second rated crus and it is called Fine Champagne.  The grade of Fine Champagne (which has no connection at all to the sparkling wine called Champagne),and is very highly rated, is discussed in the post Deciphering Cognac Labels and How to Tell the Age and Grade of a Cognac. Cognac I.

The advertising departments of some Cognac houses may highlight the words single cru as a special attribute, but most Cognacs are, in any case, the product of a single cru, a single growing area.
   

The map of the crus, the graded growing areas.
Cognac Map from Bilzor through Alain Peaudeau
 
Choosing a Cognac you like.
   
For knowledgeable Cognac lovers, specific Cognacs will have an undefinable je ne sais quoi, a distinctive taste, and aroma that cannot be defined.  That unique combination results from the aging of the eau-de-vies, their individual attributes, and the expertise and knowledge of the Maitre de Chai.   Elsewhere, the marketing department of another Cognac house may demand a competitively priced Cognac that they can be marketed as containing a 20-year-old eau-de-vie and advertised as such.  The result of that request may be a relatively inexpensive Cognac that is the youngest possible saleable two-year-old Cognac, V.O, and it will contain a very small percentage of a fifty-year-old brandy; maybe a teaspoonful.   There will be no je ne sais quoi as the percentage of that 50-year-old eau-de-vie, and its impact on the final taste will be negligible. Like wines, so with Cognac, stay with the one you like the best, not the one with the fanciest label or the most beautiful bottle.
   
When I request my favorite Cognac, in a country far away from France, I know that it will taste the same as the one I bought five years ago half a world away. I rely on the ability of the Maitre de Chai to replicate my favorite year after year.
   
What are the permitted additions to a Cognac?
      
Cognacs, Armagnacs, and Calvadoses have a three permitted, but controlled additions. A small amount of caramel for color is permitted along with up to 2% sugar syrup to enhance the flavor. Then comes a small amount of liquid called boise; boise is made from boiled oak chips for more of that "natural" aged oak flavor. There are Cognacs that do not use one or more of these legally permitted additives, and that will often appear on the labels, boxes or advertising as a sales factor. However, knowing the secrets of a Cognac’s additions will not change the magic of a Cognac’s aroma and taste.
   
To train your nose and taste buds to detect the differences between Cognacs. Look for a tasting at a wine and liquor store in your home town; it can be a thoroughly enjoyable experience; however, it will also require a designated driver! 
    
Tasting Cognac at home
    
Try a blind test of two or more Cognacs with friends; a group of Cognac lovers is much like whisky (or whiskey) lovers who relish the opportunity to sample three or four different whiskies. When you have found a Cognac that you like and fits your budget, stick with it; the master blenders will not let you down. When you are satisfied with a particular Cognac, use that as your own gold standard to grade others.
  
Traveling to France and tasting Cognacs there:
   
The ultimate indulgence for a Cognac lover is to include two or three days of a one or two-week trip to France with a side-trip to Cognac. The area around Cognac from the town to the sea is so beautiful and special that you can easily spend two wonderful weeks there. Beautiful sandy beaches are 50 minutes away from the town of Cognac and  Bordeaux, with its wines and World Heritage city is an hour and a half distant.  The city of La Rochelle with its own incredible history and beauty as well as its wonderful sea fish and seafood restaurants in its vieux port, old harbor, is less than one and a half hours away, 98 km (61 miles).
 
Tours in Cognac, France.
 
On the internet, you will find many companies who organize tours to France and Cognac country; some offer flights to France as part of their packages. Other companies meet you upon arrival at a local airport or railway station, and all offer one, two or three plus day tours with tastings in Cognac houses great and small, discussions, trips to museums, areas of historical interest, local farmer’s markets and much more.  There are also sites that show their love for Cognac and offer information on Cognac and links to other Cognac websites with tours etc.
     
Welcome to Cognac.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/padorange/225900905/sizes/m/
    
You can find a great deal of more information on Cognac at the English language Tourist Information Office website:

Tourist Information Office, Destination Cognac.
https://www.tourism-cognac.com/uk/
      
The English language website below is run by over fifty companies that promote all things Cognac and are based in the town and the surrounding area.
  
    
Trip Advisor also has pages with things to do in Cognac as well as information on its hotels and restaurants.
 

Cognac in other languages:


(Chinese - 科涅克白 - kē niè kè báilándì), (Greek – κονιάκ –koniák), (Hebrew – konyak - קוניאק), (Japanese -コニャック -  konyakku), (Korean –코냑 - konyag), (Romanian- coniac), (Russian - kоньяк  - kon'yak), (Tagalog – konyak), (Thai – คอนยัค).
  
The map below covers including the Cognac growing regions:         
   
To the south-west is part of the department of Gironde
with Bordeaux and its fabulous wines.
Copyright Google Maps ©
   
Pineau de Charentes.

The aperitif from the Cognac region is Pineau de Charentes; it is internationally famous.
  
The other Cognac posts:
  
Cognac I.  
   
This post is Cognac II. 
The Aging and Blending of Cognac, France’s most Famous Brandy. Cognac II.
  
Cognac III:  

 Cognac IV:

   
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by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

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Deciphering Cognac Labels and How to Tell the Age and Grade of a Cognac. Cognac; the World's Most Famous Brandy. Cognac I.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com     



Can any digestif be better than a Cognac,
after an enjoyable meal?
I think not.  
  
All French Cognacs are entitled to use the initials AOC and AOP.  
   
The Cognac labels.
  
Cognac houses, the Cognac producers, print on the labels their Cognacs' brand name. Included, along with legally required specifications, they often add awe-inspiring detail. Apart from their labels, many Cognacs bottles are themselves works of art. Despite that, their design has no connection to the quality of the Cognac. Among all the extraneous material  look on the label for the following:

The legal age of the Cognac in the bottle.

The labels and or packaging may indicate the ages of the older eau-de-vies. Cognacs begin as wines. When they have been distilled, they become eau-de Vies; distilled grape liquors. They only become a Cognac when they have been blended. Never mind the age of the oldest eau-de-vies on the label. The legal age of the Cognac is the age of the youngest eau-de-vie used in the blend.
The age is shown cryptically with symbols such as ***,  or initials such as VSOP. Words such as  Extra or Napoleon may also be used. Five paragraphs further down this post all these symbols and initials, with their meanings, are listed.

A Cognac's grade

If a Cognac is graded by using the French word "Cru," the label will show that. Apart from affecting the taste of a Cognac, the cru will also affect your wallet. Cognac mavens use the labels to narrow their choices; however, knowing the legal markings are only a fraction of a great Cognac's story.
     
The Talent Cognac
This Talent (brand name) Cognac was created in 1991 by Bernard and Jaques Hine.
It commemorates the bi-centenary of their ancestor’s arrival in France, from England.  Included in the price of this Cognac is the exclusively designed Baccarat Crystal decanter shown in the picture.
Photograph by Gilles de Beauchên, courtesy of HINE.
     
The minimum age of a Cognac.
   
After at least two years in oak barrels, young eau-de-vies may be blended with other eau-de-vies; only then they may be called a Cognac.

N.B. there are said to be old Cognacs made with a single, unblended, vintage. These would be extremely expensive Cognacs. They may be out there, but I have only heard rumors.

Cognac blends and ages.
   
A Cognac blend may include four, six, ten, or even thirty-year-old brandies. However, if a single drop of a two-year-old eau-de-vie is included in the Cognac, all the producers may show for the legal age of this Cognac is a two-year-old Cognac. 
     
The legal initials, symbols, and names for age on Cognac labels.

Two years

 V.S., (Very Special), or ***, Three Stars Sélection and De LuxeOn the label for a Cognac where the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend was matured in oak barrels for at least two years.

Three years
Supérieur, Cuvée Supérieure and Qualité SupérieureThese labels may be used for Cognacs with the youngest eau-de-vie matured in oak barrels for at least three years.

Four Years  
 V.O., (Very Old); V.S.O.P. (V.S.O.P.), (Very Superior Old Pale), Réserve, Vieux, Rare and Royal – The youngest eau-de-vie in these Cognacs will have been matured in oak barrels for at least four years.

Five years
Vieille Réserve, Réserve Rare and Réserve Royale - These labels may be used for Cognacs with the youngest eau-de-vie matured for at least five years.

Six years
Napoléon, Très Vieille Réserve, Très Vieux, Héritage, Très Rare, Excellence and Suprême -  These labels may be used for Cognacs with the youngest eau-de-vie matured in oak barrels for at least five years.

Ten years
 X.O., (X.O.), (Extra Old); Vielle Réserve, (Ancient Reserve); Extra; (Extra), Hors d'Âge, (Too old to determine), Ancêtre (Ancestral) « Ancêtre, Gold, Impérial All the eau-de-vies in these Cognacs will have been aged for at least ten years in oak barrels. 

Fourteen years
XXO (Extra Extra Old) - All the eau-de-vies in these Cognacs will have been aged for at least 14 years in oak barrels.

The differences in the ages in the list above
   
The Cognac producers' organization, the B.N.I.C. (the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac), accepts that there are differences between each Cognacs' age grouping. However, these differences are the producers' provenance; they are not the law.
   
 
A night view of Cognac across the River Charente.
Photograph courtesy of Hellebardius
  
Cognacs older than six years
    
To taste a very old Cognac, you will need to be extremely lucky, or be willing to pay a high price. If you are in the town of Cognac and extremely lucky, the maître de chai, the cellar master and master blender of a Cognac house may invite you to try a real twenty-year-old cognac.  By that, I mean a Cognac none of whose eau-de-vies in the blend are younger than twenty years.  You would, no doubt, enjoy an unparalleled and extremely rare Cognac;  a twenty-year-old blend with no eau-de-vies younger than 20 years. You may know the true age of the youngest Cognac in the bottle; however, for sale, the label may only show the same markings as a Cognac with a six-year eau-de-vie in the blend.  There is no legal marking for a twenty-year-old blend. 
    
   
Checking aging Cognac in the Chai, the cellar.
Photograph Eric Forget courtesy of Cognac HINE.
        
The crus, the grades, on Cognac labels.
    
French wine-growing areas are divided by appellations, which legally limits the area where a particular wine used for Cognac may be grown. Within appellations, some wines are then separated by crus, grades in English. The crus were allocated to areas whose grapes produced superior wines.  For Cognac, the crus reflect the ratings among vineyards and the quality of the white wine grapes that grow there; that rating may under certain conditions be transferred to the bottled Cognac’s label.
      

There are six Cognac crus, each cru equaling a grade. However, there are seven grades. That grade was set between the first and second crus. These grades may be on the labels. The map below shows the six Cognac cru’s growing areas.
   
The Cognac growing areas with the Cognac Crus.
Map courtesy of  BilzOr.
Based on the original by Alain Peaudeau, Membre du Club Rando-photo
  
The Crus
   The first is Grande Champagne:
Grande Champagne, also called Grande Fine Champagne. This is the area with the highest rated vineyards.
    
NB. The word Champagne in Cognac labels has nothing to do with the wines called Champagne including the famous sparkling Champagne wines. The wines come from the area that begins just one hour north of Paris.  The origin of the word champagne is related to the Roman word for a type of soil.
    
Not a Cru but still the second level is Fine Champagne:
Fine Champagne is not a separate cru as there are no Fine Champagne vineyards.  Fine Champagne represents the second level in Cognac grades. It is made with grapes from the first and second crus. At least 50% of the eau-de-vies used in this blend must come from first cru Grand Champagne vineyards.
    
NB. The name Fine Champagne is not to be confused with the name of the first cru noted above.  That first cru may be called Grande Fine Champagne.  Don’t blame me for any confusion that results; I did not allocate the names!  Fine Champagne and Grande Fine Champagne Cognacs are from different grades.
   
Petite Champagne:
Petite Champagne also called Petite Fine Champagne; the second-highest cru and the third grade.
    
Then comes four more crus:

Borderies:
Borderies; the third cru vineyards.

Fins Bois:
Fins Bois; the fourth cru vineyards.
  
Bons Bois:
Bons Bois; the fifth cru vineyards.
   
Bois Ordinaires and Bois Communes.
Bois Ordinaires and Bois Communes:  the sixth cru vineyards.  Bois Ordinaires and Bois Communs may be the sixth cru, but they are certainly not the least.
     
Ungraded Cognacs
  
However, well-aged and blended, and despite their great taste and aroma, and however magnificent their packaging, Cognacs made from two or more crus may not mention any cru. The singular exception to that rule is the blend made with the first and second crus Grande Champagne and Fine Champagne noted above.

The areas divided into crus were laid out long ago. None of the recent changes in agriculture, blending techniques, or the actual taste are represented on the label. The lack of a cru on the label does not mean a very poor Cognac. The lack of a cru on the label is only one among the many rules that affect the final taste, aroma, and that je ne sais quoi, of an excellent Cognac.
  
Some like ice in their Cognac.
www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/32625830898
   
Cognac crus were established 150 years ago
 based on soil and other tests.

Since the Crus were established they have been part of French law since 1909. No cru has ever been changed. With tremendous prestige behind the best crus, not to mention enormous financial investments, it may be another 150 years until Cognac crus and their growing areas are revisited.
  
French Cognacs with English names on the labels.
 
Nearly all of the initials and names used to describe a Cognac's age are in English. That should not be surprising as the English were also behind the popularity of Bordeaux wines, Port, Sherry, Rum, Madeira, Marsala wine, and, of course,  gin.   In the 17th century, the Cognac house's most significant customers were the English, and the English being English, only placed their orders in English. Additionally, two of the most famous Cognac houses had English founders and a third was Irish.
    
 Before Cognac was called Cognac, all these brandies were sold as Eau-de-Vies de Cognac or Eau-de-Vies de Charentes. From those early days, the usage of English for these brandies' age was the accepted standard. When France set legal standards for Cognac labels, the English names and initials remained.

French names on Cognac labels
    
Hors d'Age is one example; it means too old to determine. Hors d'Age was added by French Cognac Houses, who claimed older brandies than those using the X.O. marking. Both markings, from 2018 when XO changed, have precisely the same legal meaning; the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend is ten-years-old

Napoleon Cognacs.
 
Legal permission to use the name Napoléon for Cognacs at least six-years-old was given in 1936. By then, there were no Napoleons around to claim the copyright. The name is said to relate to the preference of Napoléon III. Napoléon III did give a Royal Warrant to the Cognac house Courvoisier in 1869, and today Courvoisier calls itself Le Cognac de Napoléon. Other Cognac houses use the name Napoleon for their six-year-old Cognacs.  
  
The Arc de Triumph in Paris.
The arch was begun by Napoleon I to memorize his victories.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bruchez/400331291/
  
Where does Cognac come from?
    
Cognac comes from grapes grown in the beautiful departments of Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres, and Vienne. These departments were part of Poitou-Charentes in southwestern France. Since 1-1-2016, they are included in the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The area is well known for its great shellfish, goats' cheeses, AOP butters, AOP new potatoes, melons, truffles, and much much more. Some of the grapes for Cognacs come from vineyards in the department of the Dordogne in Aquitaine, itself a magnificent center for other wines, Cuisine a la Périgordien, black truffles and more.

     
The Cognac producing departments.
Below, and to the left, is the region of the Gironde with the city of  Bordeaux. 
 © Google Maps.
    
Who produces Cognac?
      
In the center of this genuinely distinctive region is the town of Cognac that gave its name to this 40% alcohol grape brandy.  The Cognac region is vast and includes the islands Ré and Oléron, off France’s Atlantic coast.   Within the growing area of Cognac, there are over 5,000 vignerons, owners of vineyards. Nevertheless, less than 300 of these vignerons sell a Cognac with their name, their own brand, on the label. Less than  50 Cognac producers with their own brands are known outside of France. 
   
A number of famous Cognac houses, in fact, own no vineyards at all. These Cognac houses buy their grapes, or young eau-de vies from growers. A Cognac house’s knowledge and art in aging and blending Cognacs, and merchandising the final product makes them famous, not growing the grapes.
              
Cognac barrels in a cellar.
www.flickr.com/photos/dunleavy_family/9467244674/
   
A clarification of two of the words used in this post:
     
The origin of the word brandy.
    
The Dutch were among the most influential traders in the Old and New Worlds. They were the first serious buyers of the wines from the area now called Cognac. When the Dutch bought the wines from the area that would become  Cognac, they transported them, in barrels, to Holland.  Unfortunately, back in Holland, they found these wines did not travel well and would not sell as wine. To safeguard their investment the Dutch distilled these not so brilliant wines; the result was a magical liquor.  The Dutch called this liquor brandewijn, meaning burnt wine. Brandewijn was the word that would become brandy.
   
Ten liters of wine makes one liter of brandy and the Dutch realized that distilling the wines where they were made would save a great deal of space on their ships.  Distilling the liquor in the area around the town of Cognac was a momentous decision. In the first case, it saved the Dutch shipping costs. In the second case, this allowed the French to see that brandy distillation was a growing business.  The French copied the Dutch and opened their own distilleries.  Then the French came up with a second distillation that is still used today. That second distillation allows for a smoother liquor. 
   
Then came the English
   
The English were the largest buyers of wines in nearby Bordeaux. They traveled a few miles north and crossed to the other side of the River Gironde to see what was being sold near the town called Cognac. Following their second distillation, the French distillers discovered that allowing the brandy to spend more time in oak barrels improved the taste and color. The English quickly became the largest buyers of brandy.  As quickly as they could age the brandy and that was at least two years they had customers standing in line. Aging and blending the eau-de-vies from different years produced many excellent and different brandies and among them Cognac became the most famous.
  
The meaning of Eau-de-vie.
    
For the area of Cognac, an eau-de-vie means a grape alcohol made from a wine that has been distilled twice.  In other areas of France, an eau-de-vie may mean a distilled fruit brandy, and the French have many notable fruit brandies.  On a carte des digestifs, a list of recommended after-dinner drinks, Cognacs, Armagnacs, Calvadoses, and eau-de-vies will be separated.  The eau-de vies on the list will be fruit brandies.
   
The words eau-de-vie are the French translation of the Latin words aqua vitae; in English the water of life.   Aqua vitae were the words used for certain alcoholic products produced by the Romans. When the Romans occupied France and Britain and elsewhere the translations of the words aqua vitae were taken into the local languages. Despite the Roman’s knowledge of wine-making, the distillation of wines into liquors only came about hundreds of years later, probably in 13th century by monks in Europe.

 What else did the Romans bring?
  
The words aqua vitae were also taken into Scottish and Irish Gaelic.  According to Dictionary.com and the World English Dictionary, the Gaelic words for the water of life would eventually become whisky in Scotland and whiskey (with an e) in Ireland.
We blame the Romans for many unnecessary things; they spent a lot of time introducing the French and English to good roads, aqueducts, and baths, etc.   They also taught the French how to grow snails for food and how to make foie gras, fattened goose liver The Romans also brought apricot, cherry, peach and many other fruits and trees into France. The Romans also knew how to make good wine, and they added to the types of grapes grown in France. 
   
I digress as I write as this is a blog on French cuisine so I cannot cover even a shortened story of Cognac in one post.   As I write I pass along my own impressions together with what I have seen, tasted, been told, shown or read. To cover the world of Cognac there are four separate posts.
    

My annual visits to France,  for work and pleasure, allowed me to try and enjoy a number of Cognacs.  Over many years and many tests, I found a Cognac that suits my taste. That Cognac is a well-known brand and it is usually available wherever I travel and so I search no more.  For those who are still looking for their preferred Cognac, read about the changes that occur in Cognac when they are stored and aged in oak barrels in the post  Cognac II and the aperitif of the Cognac region, Pineau de Charentes, Cognac III.
   
       
Cognac in other languages: 
 
(Chinese - 科涅克白 - kē niè kè báilándì), (Greek – κονιάκ –koniák), (Hebrew – konyak - קוניאק ), (Korean –코냑 - konyag)  (Russian - kоньяк  - kon'yak), (Tagalog – konyak).  
    
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2017, 2020, 2024.

 
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