Cognac - The King of Brandy

Before I got into wine, I didn't cognize much about it: I thought Bordeaux was used to do bread, I assumed vino in a box was as good as any, and I figured that Cognac was the name of the cat who wrote On the Road. It turns out, I was incorrect on all points.

Even as I larn about wine, compose about wine, and drink all sorts of wine, I still must acknowledge that I don't cognize everything. Truth be told, vino is such as an extended topic that it's nearly impossible to possess every single seed of knowledge. Take for instance, Cognac. While maybe not an complete author, it is still a drink rich with complexness and sophistication.

Essentially the male monarch of brandy, Cognac is produced in the Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France; it acquires its name from a local town. The anal-retentive drink of the alcoholic beverage industry, Cognac must be made under extremely precise regulations. Deviating from these ordinances even slightly turns Cognac into regular ol' brandy.

Seven countries in French Republic are designated for Cognac production. Grande Champagne, Bantam Champagne, and Borderies green goods the majority, but Flipper Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and Bois Communs be given to squash out a driblet or two. Each country makes a alone drink, but all are of high quality: they each have got a bent for Cognac.

The grapes used for Cognac are very exclusive: no substance how many implore to be picked, only certain 1s are. First of all, Cognac must be at least 90 percentage Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, or Colombard grapes. Ugni Blanc carry the most weight (some Cognac is made solely of this grape), with Folle Blanche and Colombard grapes minimally represented. The remaining 10 percentage may, by law, include other assortments of grape. These assortments are typically specific and, like a grape involved in play club, highly eccentric.

Dissimilar to other brandies, Cognac must be distilled twice in Cu pot stills. After the 2nd distillation, the bosom of the Cognac, or the eau-de-vie, is placed into barrels made from the oak trees of the Troncais or Limousin forests. Here, the eau-de-vie must be aged for a lower limit of two years, though most is aged for much longer. Still, Cognac isn't allowed to acquire too old: it's usually not kept barreled up for more than than five or six decades; it does, after all, have got things to do.

The age Cognac can be somewhat confusing (cutting unfastened the brandy and count its rings doesn't work). A system does, nonetheless, be to assist you understand the youngest eau-de-vie inch the blend. A volts (very superior) or three star label is for the youngest, meaning that all the eau-de-vies inch the blend are at least two and a one-half old age old. A VSOP (very superior old pale), a VO (very old), and Modesty label is for the center child, meaning that all the eau-de-vies inch the blend are at least four and a one-half old age old. A XO (extra old), Napoleon, Extra, Vieux, and Vielle Modesty is for the eldest, meaning all of the eau-de-vies inch the blend are at least six and a one-half old age old.

It's important to maintain inch mind, however, that this system of labeling is used only to find the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend and not the norm age of the Cognac. For instance, a Cognac could be blended with a two twelvemonth old eau-de-vie and a 60 twelvemonth old one, possessing an norm age of twenty nine years.

Whether young, old, or somewhere in between, Cognac bring forths a smooth, rich, and well balanced taste sensation with spirits of smoke, soil, fruit, vanilla, and honey. It's a drink people be given to nurse: chugging it, shooting it, or sipping it through a straw just doesn't look to make it justice.

One of the more than expensive drinks, Cognac isn't something you will ever happen on the clearance racks of your local spirits store. For this reason, it's not something you're likely to happen yourself imbibing frequently: it may just be reserved for particular occasions……like wage day.