What the dish is and where it came from
Cognac is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime, in an officially designated wine-growing region divided into six districts. Production falls under the French appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), so methods and naming must meet legal requirements.
How it works, in terms someone would actually use
The base is a very dry, acidic, thin white wine, made mostly from Ugni blanc. Native wild yeast ferments the juice for two to three weeks to about 7 to 8 percent alcohol, and neither sugar nor sulphur may be added.
The wine is distilled twice in Charentais copper alembic stills, whose design and dimensions are legally controlled. The result is a colourless eau de vie of about 70 percent alcohol. It must age at least two years in French oak casks from Limousin or Tronçais. Evaporation takes about 3 percent a year, called the angels’ share. Blending follows: each house has a master taster, the maître de chai, who marries eaux de vie of different ages into a house style.
What it gets right
Blending gives a complexity that an eau de vie from one distillery or vineyard lacks, and it keeps a house’s cognac consistent from year to year. The labelling is explicit. V.S. means the youngest brandy has spent at least two years in cask, V.S.O.P. at least four, Napoléon at least six, X.O. at least ten, and X.X.O. at least fourteen. The age of a blend is that of its youngest component.
The crus, from Grande Champagne to Bois à terroirs, tie the spirit to specific soils, such as the shallow clay-limestone of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.
What it does not
The rules leave little room for variation. Cru cognac needs at least 90 percent of a short list of grapes, and the stills and barrel sources are fixed. Ageing also has a limit: oak barrels stop contributing flavour after four or five decades, so longer ageing may not help.
Single-vineyard cognacs from small producers vary from year to year, which means they lack some of the predictability of the larger houses. Hors d’âge is, in practice, a marketing term for high quality beyond the official age scale.
What it changed
The name itself is protected. In 2017 an agreement between the European Union and Armenia was signed under which Armenian producers will stop using the name, banned on the domestic Armenian market from 2032 and entirely from 2043.
The grade names are mostly English because the historical trade, particularly in the 18th century, involved the British. The spirit also turns up in the Sidecar, Sazerac and Stinger, in Grand Marnier, in the apéritif Pineau des Charentes, and as a flambé in pastry dishes with apple, raisin, prune, vanilla and chocolate.
Who it is for, and who it is not
Cognac is for drinkers who enjoy brandy sipped from a snifter, where warming the glass in the hand releases the aroma. It also suits cooks and cocktail makers.
Close to 200 producers exist, but more than 90 percent of cognac for the US market came from four houses in one 2008 estimate: Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin. A drinker who wants something different from those houses has to look at smaller producers.
Is it worth your time
Yes, if you like aged brandy or want to see how an appellation shapes a drink. Start with the grade on the label and read it as a minimum age.
