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COGNAC TRADE TRAINING

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Introduction

Cognac has been associated with tradition, luxury and refinement over the centuries and is known to have been the favourite aperitif in the days of Nelson’s navy. The region that produces this drink of great style is known as the Charentes and although it is quite small, the many different qualities and styles that are produced vary considerably in aroma and taste. There are thousands of producers making the water clear eau de vie, the distilled wine, ready for its long ageing in oak casks, but many sell it to big brands who blend it, store it and sell it under their own names.

FranceThe word ‘cognac’ comes from the town of Cognac which is situated in the very centre of the Charentes region on the west coast of France, about two hours’ drive north of Bordeaux. We refer to cognac as a brandy but that is not to say that every brandy is a cognac, it is not. Cognac is a type of brandy as are calvados, armagnac, marc, grappa and many different grape brandies, which are widely available.

Read more about the Definition of Cognac.

History of Cognac

Cognacs are of course made from a wine, usually produced from a single grape variety known as the St Emillion des Charentes or Ugni Blanc. It is this distilled, or reduced, wine that was responsible for the introduction of cognac in the Charentes region.

For many centuries wines were shipped along the natural waterway of the River Charente from the vineyards in the Cognac region to the port of La Rochelle. The journey took a long time and in some cases the wine would have become rancid by the time it reached the port. Rather than waste the wine, the locals distilled or reduced it by boiling and then stored it in oak barrels. The story goes that a certain Chevalier de la Croix Maron took two barrels of this to the local monastery and gave it to the monks. On opening the first barrel they found the liquid to be fiery and tasteless. The second barrel was put away and not found until many years later. This time when they opened the barrel it had developed a deep golden colour and it had a wonderful aroma and taste.

Over the years popularity for the spirit increased and importers purchased barrels and sold them under their own names. In 1857 however, the law permitted for the first time, trade marks to be registered. Some well-known brands, still around today, were able to impress their own names on their characteristic products.

Read more about the history of cognac at The Cognac Process.

The Cognac Region

Cognacs are made in a region known as the Charentes and Charentes Maritime, on the western coast of France. It is widely accepted that the closer one gets to the centre of this region, the finer the cognac becomes. The town of Cognac is regarded as the centre and lies in Grande Champagne, the best of the six cognac crus.crus of Cognac

Of the six crus Grande Champagne is the second smallest but produces about 18% of all cognac. Petite Champagne produces about 20%, Borderies 5% and the rest is from the Bois crus.

The main advantage that this region offers to the grape is the soft steady climate and low hills with well drained soil and differing strata levels. The climate is stable with very little frost and a gentle moist air blowing off the Atlantic coast. Temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees and average around 20 degrees for most of the year.

Many famous cognac names can be found in and around Cognac and the neighbouring town of Jarnac, just 13 kilometres down the road. There are of course many other small towns and villages that can claim a piece of the history and fame of the area. Perhaps the best known are Segonzac, Archiac and Chateauneuf, all in the Champagnes. The simple facades and gates of the small estates in these areas often hide some of the finest producers of the noble spirit.

Read more about The Land and Cognac Crus.

Grapes

Approaching 95% of the grapes in the Charentes are the Saint Emilion du Charentes, better known as the Ugni Blanc. It is a small, relatively acid grape that produces a low alcohol acidic wine, ideal for distillation. The main reason that such a high proportion of Ugni Blanc is used is that the vine crops well and does not produce too high a level of sugar. It is also easy to graft onto the phylloxera resistant root stock which was imported from America. There are other grapes found in the region that are used for making cognac. Folle Blanche and Colombard are two of the most common and are normally used in conjunction with the Ugni Blanc. Wine fermentation usually takes about three to six weeks and a wine of around 8% a.b.v. is produced for distillation.

Read more about The Vines and Grape Varieties.

Harvest and the Wine

September is one of the most exciting periods of the Cognac season. There is a huge sense of anticipation as vats and stills are cleaned, machinery is serviced and viticulturists check the acidity and sugar levels in the grapes. Final checks are also made on the quality and cleanliness of the grapes, ensuring that no mildew or rot exists.

On the chosen day, usually at the end of September and depending on acidity and sugar levels, the whole region goes into action and mechanical harvesters work down the lines of grapes, plucking the clusters from the vines. The grapes are loaded into trucks and taken straight away to the presses. It is essential that they are crushed as quickly as possible to prevent sulphur dioxide forming on the skins. Modern presses are long rotating cylinders with slatted sides. Two stainless steel plates move in from the ends as the drums rotate releasing the juice until the pulp of the grape comes out. This is called the lees and is often used in the wine to produce a fruitier flavour.

Generally the juice will take about 6-8 weeks before natural fermentation turns it into a wine with an alcohol content of around 8-9%. The wine is a cloudy liquid with a relatively acidic quality, ideal for distilling. It is usually stored in big concrete tanks before being checked for the optimum quality and pumped into the stills boiler for the heating and reduction process.

Read more about The Wines.

Distillation

Cognac StillDistillation takes place in an Alembic Charentais still, of not more than 25 hectolitres and with a double distillation. The first provides a cloudy low alcohol liquid called broulis which is around 26% a.b.v. In some cases the general sediment from the wine, including the skins, pips etc, is added to provide a fruitier end product. This is of course filtered out before the second distillation which is usually at or around 70% a.b.v. The actual requirement is defined by the BNIC as being between 67 – 72% and generally the higher up the range, the more refined the finished product becomes. According to French law, cognac distillation must be completed by 31st March each year.

The Alembic still is traditionally heated with a wood or coal fire but today the use of gas and electricity is allowed enabling more control over the quality. Oil is never permitted for fear of tainting the eau de vie with the smell. The warmed wine is poured into the boiler on top of the heat source. Subjected to heat, the alcohol turns to steam which is caught and passed through a cooling coil turning it back into a liquid before running into a barrel. At every distillation the strength increases but it is not allowed to go too high for fear of burning the spirit. At the end of the distillation there is always a small amount of burnt wine left over which is thrown away. By the same token, at the beginning of the distillation process some of the spirit does not reach the right level so it is put back into the still.

Read more about The Still , The Wine Reduction and Distilling on the Lees.

Blending and Ageing

Once the distilled spirit (known as eau de vie) is made, it becomes a valuable commodity (a single batch of 25 hectolitres will usually take around 24 hours to produce).  It is also subject to more duty. In the United Kingdom, duty is high, charged at around £28 per litre of pure alcohol. This adds nearly £8 to each bottle at 40% a.b.v. so it is essential that the distilled spirit is cared for and stored in ideal conditions.

Initially, the eau de vie is stored in new oak barrels that have not had any cognac in them before, for a period of about 6 months to a year providing some colour and modest flavour. At this stage it is the blender’s job to decide what combination, if any, of other eaux de vie is required to develop the brandy’s flavour. Because there is no one producer who can supply large enough quantities of eau de vie for the bigger brands, they buy their spirits from many producers and blend as many as 250 different ones. Inevitably, when large quantities are required, commercial pressures dictate that supply comes before quality. It is therefore usually the case that average barrel ages decline. Blending occurs in large vats, which hold up to 25,000 litres of brandy, before the cognac is transferred into old barrels to start its long ageing process. Vintage cognacs are of course not blended; they are kept in sealed barrels which are only opened once a year to check their quality and strength.

old barrelsCognacs must be aged in the barrel for a minimum of two years. In moist cellars the cognac will age more slowly, since the moisture will prevent the alcohol from evaporating, whereas in dry cellars, away from the river, the alcohol will come away quicker. It therefore follows that cognacs from the Grande Champagne, which borders the Charente River, will be of a higher quality than cognacs from lesser crus. As a broad average we can allow a loss of a degree in alcohol every year which means that it will take around 30 years to age naturally and some may take considerably longer. Not unnaturally, large brand leaders are not prepared to wait this long and choose to add water and additives such as caramel and sugar syrup to control colour and the fieriness of the spirit.  Read more about cellars,  here.

Some of the older houses will keep a special cellar known as the ‘Paradis’ where the very old and valuable cognacs are stored. Many of these may have been stored for more than 50 years and there are still some cognacs that may date back as far as 1800, or even earlier. Some very old cognacs are taken out of the barrels, to prevent further ageing, after they have reached their optimum condition. Some are without doubt of exceptional quality and will be of a value that is well beyond even 50 year old cognacs.

Read more about Barrels, Dilution, Balancing, Blending, Natural Colour and Changing Colour.

Only by establishing the true age of the cognac are we able to determine the quality of it. The longer the cognac has been in the barrel, the more likely it is that the flavour will be enhanced through contact with the oak. In old cognacs a ‘rancio’ can develop.  The generic terms VS, VSOP and XO used with the more modern cognacs do nothing to describe how long the cognacs have been in the barrel. Even cognac described using the best term, XO, is only required to be 10 years old and fails demonstrably to provide any assurance as to the quality of the cognac.

Read more about the Rancio, Age of Cognac and Label Definitions.

 Hermitage Cognacs

The Hermitage Cognacs range is different from and superior to any other cognac range available today.

Hermitage 1900 CognacHermitage Vintage Cognacs all have age statements and are regarded by many professionals in the drinks industry as the finest cognacs that they have ever tasted. They are sublime examples of the distillers’ skills and experience because they are single estate and not blended with hundreds of other cognacs that have already lost their identity. Hermitage Cognacs are all different and provide our customers with individuality and choice. A choice from the ‘premier cru’ where all the finest cognacs originate and a choice of cognacs that may have been started over a hundred years ago, aged in barrels and transformed into the most sublime nectar you have ever tasted.

Our range starts with a 1900 and currently ends with a 2005 from the ‘premier cru’, Grande Champagne. There are many in-between including our Provenance range of cognacs, specifically aged and designed for some of our discerning customers outside of the UK. There are someH Prov25 800x800 exceptions as well, such as the Hermitage 1914 from the Borderies, a cru famous for rich nutty cognacs and rated by a famous cognac writer as ‘the finest Borderies cognac that he has ever tasted’. We are not big; we simply want to make our customers happy buying cognacs that are made by people who understand cognacs and who seek the taste and quality that you could buy a hundred years ago.

Hermitage Cognacs are not young, sugary offerings available in the high street shops. They are perfection in a bottle, a bottle called Hermitage.

Read more about Tasting Cognac , Cognac Tastes and Brandy Bottles.

David on Technical Topics – The Vines

Posted / in Brandy Education, How to make Cognac and tagged

The chalky soil of the Charente, particularly in the Champagnes, is not unique since it is also a notable feature of the Champagne growing region (it is the ‘Champenoise’ who stole the name for their famous drink). The chalk provides excellent drainage and can also store substantial quantities of water which the vine roots can easily access. Crucially too, chalky soil, which provides very few nutrients, improves the quality of the grapes.

Whilst the ‘terroir’ in the Cognac region can change, the grape varieties used have changed only twice in the last four centuries. In the 17th Century the region was largely planted with Balzac. It had some important characteristics in that it was a good cropping variety and didn’t bud too early which avoided any potential spring frosts. By the turn of the 19th Century the Folle, or Folle Blanche as we know it today, and to a lesser extent the Colombard, had largely replaced the Balzac. Both of these varieties had already been grown in the Armagnac region with considerable success.

By the mid-19th Century demand for cognac had grown considerably and there was increasing pressure on the vineyards to produce more wine. This increased demand had a detrimental effect on the vines as their roots weakened and they became susceptible to the tiny, yellow, louse, Phylloxera Vastatrix. The Phylloxera outbreak devastated European vineyards around 1870 – 1875 and most of the cognac vines died. It took twenty years before a new rootstock, principally grafted with an Italian grape variety, known as the Trebbiano Toscana from the hills of the Emilia Romagna, was imported from America. The grape became known locally as the St Emelion du Charente but is better known today as the Ugni Blanc. This green acidic grape, which produces a low alcohol wine with little character, is normally used as a base wine for blending.

After the Phylloxera the Cognaçaise started to plant their new vines in rows rather than the uneven bush planting methods used before. This new method of planting produced a greater concentration of vines per hectare and more recently has enabled the use of machines to pick the grapes. With careful pruning the vines, which grow on wires, can grow up to 1.8 metres high though are usually between 1.2 – 1.5 metres. The vines are still kept relatively low in order to take advantage of the reflection of the heat from the chalky soil. In some cases grapes at the top of a vine can take a week longer to ripen than those close to the ground.

Cognac grape picking

Machine harvesting is now used in virtually every vineyard and has become well adapted to the modern methods of viniculture. Vine planting is controlled at a maximum of 3000 per hectare but this is a substantial number. Improvements in harvesting have increased the amount that a hectare can now produce. This was demonstrated a few years ago when the Chinese demand for cognac was high. As a consequence the BNIC changed the maximum permitted allowance to 10 hectolitres of pure alcohol per hectare (hl/ha) and many vineyards achieved this – only a few years earlier they had been struggling to produce 8.5 hl/ha.

However, as with all harvesting the weather is the biggest influencing factor. Whilst in most cases the Charente ‘terroir’ holds good, extremes of rain and sun can either delay the harvest or produce too much sweetness in the grapes creating a ‘pappiness’ in some cognacs. Cognac viniculture has come a long way in a relatively short period. If we can find Grande Champagne cognacs in 80 – 100 years’ time that were made in the last 20 years, they will be the true Siècle d’Or.

David on Technical Topics – ‘Terroir’, The Land

Posted / in Brandy Education, How to make Cognac and tagged

The French use the term ‘terroir’ uniquely to describe geological and climatic conditions as a basis for their system of ‘Appellations Cognac Controlee’. This is the geographic, quality control that defines the cognac crus and is vital for the Cognaçaise to differentiate their products. All the brandies entitled to the ‘cognac appellation’ are made from the same grape varieties, harvested in the same way, at the same time of the year, fermented in similar vats, distilled in the same type of still and aged in regulation oak barrels.

There are six crus of cognac and in the centre is the Premier cru de Cognac, Grande Champagne, from which most of the finest cognacs come. Most Hermitage Cognacs originate from here.  Cognacs crus form concentric circles with Grande Champagne as a rough semi-circle in the heart. As you move further away from the centre, the cognac quality steadily decreases. Over time, cognac producers have gradually moved closer to the centre of the region.

Cognac crus

In the west of the cognac region lie the islands of Ré and Oléron and the port of La Rochelle. Towards the east is the region of Limousin famous for its oak forests, the wood of which is used for the production of barrels used to age cognac. The landscape of the region is generally that of rolling hills, resembling the Sussex Downs, only with vines rather than pastures. This comparison is no accident since ‘cognac is a brandy of chalky soil’.

The heart of the Grande Champagne is composed of a special sort of chalk, the Campanian, a name which echoes the Latin origin of the word ‘Champagnes’. This pure chalk is found mainly on the higher elevations of the cru and is one of three layers of variously chalky soil which comes to the surface in the area. The other two layers are also rather special. Santonian chalk is named after the collective area of ‘Saintonge’ which covered much of Petite Champagne and Cognaçian chalk which surrounds the town of Cognac. The soil in Grande Champagne, like all other chalky soils was formed by the accumulation of small fossils including one found nowhere else called Ostrea Vesiculari. Fault lines made up of silica and marcasite also exist but it is the chalkiness in the soil which is crucial due to its physical properties, crumbliness and friability. The Santonian chalk is more solid and slightly less chalky but still quite crumbly and extends over some of the smaller slopes of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.

The Borderies cru, to the north of Grande Champagne, has special clay in the soil known as groies which dates geologically from the Jurassic era, some ten million years ago. It is a mixture of chalk, which is gradually breaking down and clay and produces a unique cognac with nutty and toffee qualities. Sometimes underrated this cognac is very different from the other crus. The surrounding crus of Fins Bois and Bon Bois are quite difficult to define, being a mixture of arable soil, compacted chalk and clay. They usually produce some unremarkable cognacs but there are a couple of exceptional areas. One is to the North East of Jarnac and the other is close to the Gironde estuary. Both have quite dense chalk and can produce some excellent cognacs. The sixth cru, Bois Ordinaire, makes little, if any cognac these days but it does supply eaux de vie for other purposes.

The climatic conditions over the area are usually regarded as temperate. Although snow is seen from time to time, very cold conditions are unusual and the extreme heat often experienced on the Mediterranean coast is rare. So it is in these rather special conditions, where vine roots can spread through the soil sometimes to a depth of more than twenty five metres, that the Cognaçaise can claim uniqueness, unmatched by any other part of the world. They are the perfect conditions for ‘Appellation Cognac Contrôlée’.

To read more Technical Topics go to our Brandy Education page.

 

Half a Million Bottles of Cognac Seized

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Cognac delivery seized

Chinese customs officials have arrested four suspected smugglers and confiscated more than 520,000 bottles of Louis Royer XO Cognac bound for the Chinese mainland. It is alleged that those arrested avoided paying the correct excise duty and VAT by lowering the declared price by 30% and falsifying customs declarations at their HK company. Clamping down on imports appears to be another measure by the Chinese government to curb luxury spend and cognac exports to China continue to fall.

Entry Level Cognac Brands Haven’t Improved Quality

Posted / in News, News from the Brandy Houses and tagged

According to Hine Cognac’s CEO, “The trend towards premiumisation across all consumer categories, including fashion and alcohol, is seeing brands improve their image without improving quality.” This trend has meant that lower grade brands have been able to improve their overall perception without improving their quality. However he goes on to say that “connoisseurs are now seeking products with flawless raw material, of precise provenance and uncompromising quality” in their search for truly premium brands. So, it’s not about the logo, discerning customers want superb quality, like Hermitage – take our 43 year old for example.

Revamping Cognac’s Image?

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Various spirits have enjoyed a revamping of their image in recent years as cocktail culture continues to evolve, but what about cognac? It still tends to conjure up one of two images. The first is of an older gentleman in a suit, sitting in an overstuffed leather chair next to the fire with a large snifter. The second involves a whole lot of bling and rap music, thanks to the various rappers who have claimed cognac as their signature beverage. But what about influencing those outside of these two somewhat polarised groups? Even cocktail consultant Jordan Watson does not believe cocktails are the way ahead stating that “The higher-end, older cognacs are best for sipping on their own so as to fully appreciate their amazing range and depth of aromas and flavours.” So how can we get this message across to other sectors of the younger generation? Justin Bieber, at just 21, is clearly a fan and one of the oldest cognac houses has just employed its youngest cellar master ever, at just 35 years old, perhaps indicating a different approach? Maybe this is the start of a new trend to broaden the appeal of cognac as an elegant drink to youngsters?

The Bottle Story – Gautier

Posted / in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

Cognac Gautier has just released its XO Gold & Blue and Tradition Rare expressions. Once upon a time Gautier was held in very high regard as a cognac producer but now it is owned by Jemaco, who specialise in Pastis, and is not so well known. The XO Gold & Blue was recently voted the World’s Best Cognac, quite an accolade indeed, but don’t forget like most others XOs, it can surely only claim to be the best Blended Cognac?  It should be compared against one of the few XOs we stock – Fontpinot – a rare, single domaine XO cognac.

David on Technical Topics – Pineau

Posted / in Brandy Education, Learning about Brandy and tagged

Many of us travel to France in the summer holidays and diligently search out local products which are unique to the area we are visiting and Pineau des Charentes, with its rich and often sweet properties, is perhaps the one which interests us most.  We ask “what is it?” and the answer “Pineau” does nothing to reassure us.  We ask, “is it a wine or a brandy?”, ”is it like a sherry or a port?” and the answer still comes back, “Pineau”!

Pineau is unique as indeed sherry or port are in their respective countries.  It is a combination of freshly distilled Cognac, which we call ‘eau de vie’, and the indigenous grapes of the area and is available as either white, red or rosé.  It is made by Cognac producers, often to use up their excess of newly distilled eau de vie as there are strict limits as to how much can be aged to make Cognac. Pineau is a combination of 25% eau de vie and 75% grape juice which is then aged in oak barrels and in France it is consumed as an aperitif.

The Cognac production region is known as the Charente and Charente Maritime, a part of France which overlaps with some of the most famous wine producing regions.  As a consequence, it is not unusual to find grape varieties such as Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabinet Sauvignon and Cabinet Franc in addition to some of the cognac grapes such as Ugni Blanc and Colombard, being used in the production of Pineau.  The individual choice of grape can have a big inflence on the colour and taste of the final product.

Muost of the Pineau des Charentes produced is sold at the relatively young age of 3 – 5 years old.  However, some is aged for longer, up to 20 years, producing much richer and intense flavours and maybe sold as vintage Pineau. Indeed one red Pineau, produced near the Gironde estuary, has been compared to a fine cold port but this is unusual as most of the red is quite light in colour. The white Pineau will darken with ageing and is sometimes mixed with citric fruit juices and cognac, as in our Pineau Royale recipe, to form a delightfully fresh and cool cocktail.

Pineau des Charentes is a product of the cognac region but there are also similar drinks made in the Armagnac and Calvados producing regions. In Armagnac the product is called Floc and it differs in that it is not aged in oak whilst in Normandy, where Calvados is produced, it is called Pomeau and is of course made from apple juice.  Both of these are rarely seen outside of France and even in their respective regions can sometimes be very difficult to locate.

The Charente Scene – Winter 2016

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Very much as expected, the grape harvest in 2015 is producing one of the best and biggest quantities of distilled spirit ever.  It looks like the total will be well over 800,000hl, indicating a record year.  Despite this, many distillers are fearful of a new demand on cognac from export markets, especially the USA where a record 4.3 million cases (51.6 million bottles) were sold last year. The US market is predominantly led by Hennessy whose share is 67%, the majority of which is of VS quality.  It has been made popular by influential rappers such as Nas and Jay-Z and the trend seems to be increasing.  Many of the distillers who sell their cognacs to Hennessy believe that surges in demand, such as that from China a few years ago, will lead to their instability; the current large production requirement may not be needed in 2 -3 years’ time.  In contrast, many of the Hermitage vintages have been aged for decades and are now in extremely short supply.  Take a look at the Hermitage 1903 for example, only a couple of bottles remain.

2015 – A Good Year for Armagnac

Posted / in How to make Armagnac, News and tagged

According to the regulatory body representing Armagnac producers, the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel l’Armagnac), Armagnac distillation started on 8 October, the earliest date in living memory.  Favourable weather conditions in the spring got the vines off to a good start.  This was followed by a very hot July, and then the “right” amount of rain in August, which helped to speed up grape maturation.  As a consequence, harvesting started two weeks earlier than usual on 10 September.  “It is important to harvest early as the producers are looking for wines that are high in acidity and low in alcohol for the distillation and October can be a very sunny and warm month,” a BNIA spokesperson explained.  When harvesting early, it is also important to distil early or keep the wines cold. The harvest itself was deemed “good quality” – it will be very fruity and rich with fine lees, and the producers are expecting a particularly good vintage.  So, make a note for the future, 2015 Armagnac should be delicious!  And while you’re waiting, how about another recent vintage to whet your appetite – the Domaine du Cardinat 1994?