BEVERAGE

Mystic Cognac

In simple terms Cognac is the famous variety of brandy, produced in the wine growing region surrounding the town Cognac from which it gets its name. The town of Cognac is one of three officially demarcated brandy regions in Europe. The others are the French towns of Armagnac and the Spanish town of Jerez.

What is in a name – the guarantee that it has followed the strenuous requirements to be made in the unchanged style followed for over three centuries. The grapes used must be at least 90% Ugni Blanc, Folle Blance or Colombard, although it is Ugni Blanc specifically Saint-Emilion that are used today. Then it must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged for a minimum period of two years in French oak barrels. Even if the oak has been acquired from other parts of Europe, it must pass through the town of Limoges and may then be called Limousin oak. Limoges is, incidentally, also famous for its blue and gold delicate porcelain.

Respecting the regional divisions ordinarily done in France for these products, there are acknowledged six zones, including five crus and broadly cover department of Charente-Maritime, Charente, Deux-Sevres and the Dordogne. In fact, these six zones, in decreasing appreciation of the cognacs from them are Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and Bois Ordinaire. Process of Cognac

The white wines of the growth area are doubly distilled and the thin wine, at this stage very dry and acidic, is not suitable for dinking is excellent for distillation. The traditional copper stills are also known as an alembic, design and dimensions of which are legally controlled. Two distillations result in eau-de-vie (literally meaning waters of life) and the resulting spirit is without colour and 70% alcohol. It is then aged for a minimum period of 24 months in Oak barrels. It is then diluted with pure and distilled water and many manufacturers add a small proportion of caramel to colour the cognacs. Expensive cognac need not have this addition for colour.

Like blended whiskey the age of cognac is calculated as that of the youngest eaude-vie used in the blend – the blending is done to get complexity of flavours as it is absent in eau-d-vie from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house would have a master taster who is responsible for the

delicate blend of spirits to ensure that the cognac produced by a company would remain unchanged.

Reality of Producers

There are hundreds of vineyards in the Cognac region selling their own Cognac. They would be blended from eau-de-vie of different years but they are single vineyard cognacs, varying ever so slightly from year to year and according to the taste preference of the producer, and are hence prized for lack of predictability. Some of the small producers may simply sell a larger or smaller proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers and sometimes to bigger cognac houses for blending purposes.

Bespoke and upmarket product, as in the case of single malt whisky some larger producers have begun to market singlevineyard cognacs from vineyards owned by them. A recent example of this could be cited in favour of the well known Cognac House Hennessy who released Izambard, Le Peu and Camp Romain in 1999 from their three distilleries.

Grades of Cognac

Officially it is BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac) that has declared the grades of cognac. No single producer of Cognac produces all the grades of cognac available in the market. The alphabets that are proudly and prominently displayed on the Cognac label are not just for show, they mean to indicate the grade of liquid in the bottle: • VS or Very Special indicates that the youngest brandy has been stored in the cask for a minimum of two years. • VSOP or Very Superior Old Pale indicates that the youngest brandy has been stored in the cask for a minimum of four years, but the average wood age is much longer. • XO or Extra Old indicates that they youngest brandy is stored for at least six years but the average age is upwards of 20 years. • Napoleon is the grade equal to XO according to BNIC but is generally accepted to be between VSOP and XO, as offered by producers. • Extra is the grade usually older than a Napoleon or an XO. • Vieux is a grade between the official grade of VSOP and XO. • Vielle Reserve is a grade beyond XO. • Hord d’age is also stated by BNIC to be equal to XO, but is essentially used by producers to market a high quality product beyond the official age scale.

Crus of Cognac

Throughout France great emphasis is laid on ‘terroir’ or individuality of any defined region in terms of soil and microclimate. Hence the cru where the grapes were originally grown can be used to define the cognac and gives a guide to some of the characteristic flavours of the Cognac.

Grande Champagne is a total of 13,766 hectares where the eau-de-vie is long and powerful, dominated by floral notes. The area is around Reims hence the name.

Petite Champagne is a little more region at 16,171 hectares and the eau-de-vie have similar characteristics to those from Grande Champagne but a wee bit shorter on the palate.

Borderies is the smallest cru region with a bare 4,160 hectares. The aromas are distinctive, nutty and flavoursome with notes of violets or iris. Cordon Bleu by Martell is an example of this and is much sought after. Other recognized crus are Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires.

Cognac Houses

Top of the Range comes from the top cognac houses that also produce premium level cognacs, recognized world over for its exclusivity. These include:

Martell’s blend Extra by Martell has a blend with part from its cellars known as ‘Le Paradis’.

Martell’s L’Or which is cognac in a decanted with gold plated shoulders with eau-de-vie of over five or six decades. Some date back to 1830.

Camus’s Extra which is their premium product containing their oldest cognacs from the recognized Borderies, Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions in a distinctive decanter style bottle. Remy Martin’s Louis XIII presented in Baccarat crystal decanter, individually numbered and owner registered.

Hennessy’s Richard Hennessy, sold in a Baccarat crystal and named after the founder of the company.

Courvoisier’s L’Esprit de Courvoisier presented in a hand cut Lalique decanter, individually numbered.

Moyet’s Moyet Antiques, blended from some barrels over 150 years old and once again individually numbered and signed by the blender or cellar master.

Hennessy usually uses the unofficial brandy grades for its cognac, but has produced single distillery cognacs with distinctive flavours due to different soils and microclimate as discussed earlier. Other houses such as Moyet exclusively use the crus to describe their different products.

Known Names & Cognac Variations

Despite limited availability in India we have quite a strong presence of Cognac options in India, probably due to our inherent liking for distilled alcohol beverages. Internationally known names are mainly trading houses though some of them are centuries old and their domination over the market recognized; names like Remy Martin, Moyet, Hennessy, Courvoisier, Martell, Camus, instantly recognizable. Guerbe, Domaine du Terrier, Delamain, Hine, Larsen, Maxime Trijol, Otard, Pierre Ferrand, Renault and a few others are international names known for quality of their product.

Internationally, the transformation in cultural reference of Cognac has been undergoing a change due to astute marketing and affluent younger culture. The African American comprises almost 60 to 80 percent of the American cognac market.

Cognac based drinks are Grand Marnier, a liqueur created in 1880 by Alexander Marnier-Lapostolle. It is a kind of triple sec, from the blend of true cognacs and distilled essence of bitter orange. In France it is widely used in making of the dessert, Crepes Suzette. Second drink is Pineau de Charentes which is a sweet aperitif composed of eau-de-vie and grape must, made in Charente region.

The original Grand Marnier called Cordon Rouge has won many awards in competitions and Cordon Jaune or Yellow Ribbon is sold in European countries and considered lower quality used in mixing drinks and cooking purposes.

Cognac and India

It is easy for hotels and standalone restaurants to have a fairly extensive selection as even an opened bottle has a fairly long shelf life, much like any other alcoholic beverage barring wines. Although nowadays more and more hotel staff is trained to offer you a pairing of wine with your food, very few will come and suggest a cognac postprandial.

As a result unless a diner is very aware and sure of what they want to enjoy after a meal, rarely would Cognac do rounds of a table. However, nothing warms up a winter evening as a cognac glass with a measure of cognac to be swirled, sniffed, enjoyed and gulped.

Although brandy snifters are meant for brandies and a good cognac deserves that shape for release of aromas and for ideal enjoyment it is best to have it without any additives. However, some people would add a cube or two of ice to it for a more palatable temperature, especially during summer.

Cognac Cocktails

As a brandy to be enjoyed on its own Cognac might have limited takers but as an ingredient for a smart cocktail it is well received by all age groups and is equally popular with men and women. Some well known international concoctions are:

‘Sidecar’ served in a cocktail glass has ¾ oz triple sec, ½ oz cognac and ¾ oz lemon juice to be shaken with ice and strained. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel is visually appealing.

‘Connoisseur’s Treat’ to be served in a Brandy Snifter with alcohol content of 39% has 1 ½ oz cognac, ½ oz Galliano herbal liqueur and ½ oz Grand Marnier. Just to be stirred and strained into a brandy snifter it can warm up any cold evening.

Another popular cocktail is ‘Cognac Mint Frappe’ and is best served in a Champagne saucer glass. With alcohol composition of 35% it uses 1 ½ oz Cognac and ¾ oz white crème de menthe to be mixed and poured in the champagne saucer filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint for visual appeal.

A cocktail called ‘The Incredible Hulk’ has lower alcohol content at 28% and is best served in a highball glass. With 2 oz each of Hpnotiq and Cognac it is combined over ice and the transformation is enjoyable visually and on taste. A small trick is to chill both ingredients for best results.

‘French Connection’ has the interesting flavour of almonds as it uses 1 ½ oz Cognac and ¾ oz Amaretto almond liqueur. It is best served in an old fashioned glass over ice, stirred to be served.

List of cocktails can go on and on and a good bartender will mix you a bespoke one with a stronger kick or a lighter punch. As far as you know the basics of mixology Cognac is a wonderful ingredient to light up your imagination and titillate your taste buds, go ahead give it a try. n