2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Cognac is valued for its delicate floral-fruity aroma and pleasant aftertaste. However, not all connoisseurs of this alcoholic drink know where, how and from what it is produced. No less important is the question of how the composition of cognacs of different quality and brands differs, how to make a choice and not fall for a fake.
What can be called cognac
In the past, for the convenience of transporting grape wine by sea to other countries, enterprising winemakers began to use a distillation apparatus. In the process of such distillation, a strong drink was obtained, which was subsequently planned to be diluted with water. Unexpectedly, the distillate stored in oak barrels turned out to be better than the grape wine from which it was obtained. This is how brandy was born.
Cognac is a type of brandy. It is also obtained by distilling grape wine, but then aged in oak barrels. In doing so, important conditions must be met. Firstly, grapes from several specific varieties can serve as raw materials for the production of a drink.
Secondly, cognac has a strictly regulated production process, the slightest deviation from which does not give the manufacturer the right toname your product. The third, and probably the most important condition is that the place of production of the drink must be the French city of Cognac.
Not every brandy is cognac
Today, cognac is called brandy, made not only in France. At the same time, in different countries, in order to give such a name to an alcoholic drink, there are different requirements, which is why the composition of cognacs may differ. For example, its exposure or how close the technological process of its production to the original can be taken into account.
However, it is undeniable that the composition of this cognac should include only distillate created from the crop harvested from vineyards in the French city of Cognac. Therefore, if the drink is made in another part of the world, it is brandy. At the same time, the alcoholic drink can be of high quality, not much inferior to the original French drink.
Differences of real cognac
Ugni blanc is the main grape variety for cognac production. Colombard, Montil and Folle blanche are also sometimes used - they make a richer drink, but they are more difficult to grow. The harvest period for Cognac plantations is between November 15 and March 31.
After double distillation of fermented grape juice, a drink is obtained that, after 30 months in oak barrels, will become a real cognac. What is included in cognac, except for grape distillate? Nothing. Unlike brandy, the French drink has no moreabsolutely no additives.
Chemical ingredients and unique aroma
Those or other aromatic and flavor notes give cognac chemical components formed in the process of fermentation and distillation of grape juice, settling in oak barrels. What should be the composition of cognac - a true French drink - is strictly regulated by law. To determine the quality of a drink, the ratio of all its chemical components is measured.
Aroma and taste of cognac depend on components such as alcohols, acids, aldehydes, esters, tannins. With the help of chemical analysis, it is determined whether the cognacs contain compounds that should not be there, and whether the balance of the remaining components is disturbed. It is the different percentages of alcohols, acids, aldehydes and esters that give rise to different versions of this elite drink.
The more tannins are in cognacs, the higher they are valued. And this factor is completely dependent on aging in oak barrels. Cognacs aged up to 5 years are called ordinary. The age of such cognacs is reflected in the form of stars on the label. If several cognac spirits were mixed for its preparation, then the number of stars assigned to it reflects the exposure of the youngest of them.
Classification of cognac products
Special designations can also be used to indicate the age of cognac. Thus, the marking Very Special (V. S.) indicates two years of exposure, Superior - three years, Very Superior Old Pale (V. S. O. P.) -four years, Very Very Superior Old Pale (V. V. S. O.) - five years and Extra Old (X. O.) - six years or more.
Cognacs that have aged in oak barrels for 6 or more years are called vintage. These are the most expensive and valuable grape spirits that have their own names. Classification for cognacs older than 6.5 years is usually not applied. A separate category is made up of collectible cognacs, the age of which can be tens of years.
How to determine the quality of cognac
The quality of cognac can be determined by its consistency, color and aroma. A good drink should have a slight thickness and oiliness, flowing down, it leaves a clear mark. Depending on the amount of tannins that make up French cognac, the latter may have different shades. However, it must always be perfectly transparent. In order to check this, you need to leave a fingerprint on the glass, and then try to see it through the drink on the other side. If you can't see it, the quality of the cognac is doubtful.
The aroma of a high-quality elite drink should change when exposed to air. After rocking cognac in a glass, the oak notes inherent in it at the beginning are replaced by fruity or floral ones. If the aroma of the drink is too pronounced, this may indicate its low quality. Unfortunately, the average consumer is most often unable to distinguish high-quality, and therefore more expensive cognac from its cheap fake.
Defining qualitycognac in a bottle
Before buying, turn the bottle of cognac upside down: if large bubbles first appear, this indicates the correct consistency of the drink. Check that there is no sediment. Remember this feature: good cognac is not bottled in a simple shape. Manufacturers of a quality product with the help of an unusual design of a cognac bottle are trying not only to attract a buyer, but also to prevent the appearance of fakes.
The label on a bottle of high quality cognac is always glued evenly and looks decent. The text placed on it must contain all the necessary information: composition, aging, strength, manufacturer, etc. The composition of cognacs should not include anything other than cognac spirits enriched with tannins.
The most popular cognac brands
The most popular brands of cognac are: "Hennessy", "Courvoisier", "Martel", "Remy Martin". The alcohol composition of cognac "Hennessy" depends on the level it occupies in the standard classification. For example, for the class V. S. more than 40 brandy spirits are typical, for V. S. O. P. - more than 60, and for X. O. - more than 100.
Company "Courvoisier" produces about a dozen varieties of cognac, not counting exclusive ones. However, it does not have its own vineyards. Cognac brand "Martel" is characterized by a special softness and fruity aroma. Cognac house "Remy Martin" todayis the owner of the largest stock of cognac spirit.
How to enjoy cognac the right way
To assess the taste of a good cognac, it is important to create the right atmosphere. Comfort and nobility, restraint and sophistication should be felt. In a word, cognac is not suitable for every event. Before serving, the drink should not be cooled - at room temperature, its exquisite aroma will best manifest itself.
Traditionally, wide glasses with a short stem and a narrowed top are used to drink cognac. It is believed that such a container allows you to fully experience the aroma due to its heating from the heat of the hand and the preservation of evaporation inside the glass. Recently, it is not considered bad manners to serve cognac in glasses with a high stem and without walls narrowed upwards. In such a container, the aroma of the substances that make up a good cognac will be fully revealed due to rapid evaporation when interacting with oxygen.
The whole bouquet of aromas of high-quality cognac is evaluated by real gourmets in three stages: at a distance of 15-20 cm, at the edges of the glass and inside the glass. Drink it in small sips, slowly moving the liquid over the tongue. After each sip, enjoy the aftertaste, which differs in the same way as the composition of cognacs.
Cognac is usually drunk after a meal, combined with products that do not have too pronounced taste and smell. For example, hard cheese, seafood, meat, sweets and coffee will help emphasize its unique aroma.
Bigthe amount of alcoholic beverages today is illegally passed off as cognac. Whereas this drink must be produced only in France, aged for at least three years in an oak barrel and not have any impurities. To get true aesthetic pleasure, be attentive to the choice of cognac.
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