In 1152 Henry II married Eleanor of Aquitaine thus commencing 300 years of English rule in the region and, with the odd interruption of a war or two, a trading tradition that holds true to this day.

Salt was an established industry in the region by the 13th century, which brought Dutch shippers, who, as a result discovered the wines of the Borderies and Champagne. These wines, however, proved unstable on long journeys and the Dutch soon began distilling them to create brandewijn (burnt wine), whence the name brandy. It was not long before the Dutch decided to affect distillation in Cognac as this was more cost effective and in time produced better brandy.

The brandy was then transported in oak barrels, sometimes as ship’s ballast, and it soon became apparent that the brandy improved in contact with the oak. By the 19th century the cognac industry had evolved into three distinct sectors: growers, distillers and traders. The traders became famous with the invention of the bottle, as they were able to convey their name to markets hitherto accustomed to anonymous barrels. Subsequently, these traders put age statements on their labels, then once defined, sub-regions, and as a result, the big brands are now well and truly entrenched.

THE COGNAC REGION: Based on the official decree of 1st May 1909, the region was divided into geographical crus:

• Grande Champagne (17.8 %) Rich in Campanien chalk; resulting in brandies of delicacy, elegance and finesse.

• Petite Champagne (20.7 %) Santonian chalk prevails here, which is earthier resulting in fruitier brandies, though still very elegant.

• Borderies (5.4 %) High clay content with flint giving fatter, fuller-bodied brandies with dried fruit characteristics, very useful for blending.

• Fins Bois (42 %) Chalk, sand and clay are all evident giving fuller brandies that are quicker to mature. The best vineyards offer floral, fragrant brandies with notes of sweet spice.

• Bons Bois (12.6 %) and Bois Ordinaires/Bois Communs (1.5 %) for blending.
  

WHAT IS COGNAC MADE FROM? Nine grape varieties are permitted but the main ones are:

• Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano): Prevalent since phylloxera and now accounts for in excess of 90 % of all vines in the region; it yields excellent acidity levels and a well-balanced character to the distillate.

• Folle Blanche: It was the variety of the region until 1870 but does not graft well and is susceptible to grey rot. However, it has excellent levels of acidity and aromatics that are perfect for distillation.

• Colombard: Grown in small quantities; it gives fragrance and aroma to a distillate.

• Semillon: Only tiny parcels planted; it gives fruity, floral notes to a blend.

WHAT CAN BE ON THE LABEL?:
Geographical Cru (e.g. Grande Champagne) N.B. Fine Champagne cognac is a blend of Grande and Petite Champagne cognacs of which at least 50 % must come from the former.

AGE DESIGNATIONS:

VS/3 Star/Réserve Minimum 2 years

VSOP Minimum 4 years

Napoleon/XO/Extra Minimum 6 years
Single vintage year/age statement
All brandies are registered by age with the region’s governing body—BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac)—and given compte numbers as they grow up:
Compte 00 Harvest–31st March following

Compte 0 1st April following the harvest

Compte 2 Compte 0 plus 2 years; entitled to the designation VS

Compte 4 Compte 0 plus 4 years; entitled to the designation VSOP

Compte 6 Compte 0 plus 6 years; entitled to the designation XO

These are minimum ages and it is important to note that many houses, though not all, choose to age their cognacs for much longer. Thus, it is possible for the VSOP of one house to be older and superior to an XO from another.

HOW IS IT MADE?
The grapes are gently pressed and the must is fermented naturally for one to three weeks at approximately 20 ˚C. The resulting wines are very acidic and relatively low in alcohol (approximately 9 % abv.) Distillation must take place before 31st March following the harvest as this ensures that only fresh wines, protected from oxidation naturally by their high acidity, are distilled. The wines may either be racked off their lees—siphoned off the decomposed yeast cells—or distilled sur lie.

Distilling on the lees will result in a distillate higher in congeners—the elements in alcohol that give a spirit its aromas and flavours. However, more lees mean the integration of the congeners takes longer and prolonged ageing is required in barrel, making the end product more expensive.

Alcoholic distillation works on the basis that alcohol, with a boiling point of 78.3 ˚C, is more volatile than water and thus, when an alcoholic wash is heated, the alcohol vaporises first. All the congeners contained have different boiling points and as the vapours rise they are condensed and collected at different moments. Hence, an even heat is critical: too hot and everything piles over together preventing proper selection, but too low and a dilute, somewhat bitter distillate can emerge.

The stills must be made from copper as it has a catalytical rather than a creative input, it is an excellent even conductor of heat, does not corrode with exposure to acid, and it neutralises any negative acidic effects from the wine and any naturally occurring sulphurous elements in the vapours. A naked flame must heat these stills and gas is generally used as it offers control.

The ultimate character of the cognac is created during the first distillation. During this stage, the still, which may not be filled above 130hl, does all the hard work, providing components for selection at the next stage.

The heart of the alcohol condensed here is known as brouillis, or low wines, and is collected at approximately 28 % abv. The still may only be charged with a maximum of 25hl for the second distillation. Nothing is really created during this distillation but rather elements are selected and discarded accordingly. The first vapours to appear are known as the heads (tête) and are generally discarded. The bonne chauffe comes next and may be made of both the heart (coeur) and secondes. This is followed finally by the tails or queue. Although where collection commences is important, it is the final cut that is most critical. An early finish will result in a light, delicate, elegant spirit with citric hints, whereas a late one will obtain a richer, fuller style more reminiscent of fruit cake.

There are numerous permutations available to the distiller. For example he may prefer to take the heads and tails and add them to the wine prior to distillation. This would increase the alcoholic content from about 9 % to approximately 12–13 %, yielding a more neutral spirit. The legal maximum for spirit to be collected is 72 % abv; if this is derived from ferment at 9 % then the distillate represents an eightfold concentration whereas ferment at 12 % could only be concentrated six times. Thus, a less complex spirit emerges when the alcoholic level of the ferment is raised.

Conversely, another may prefer to add the heads and the tails to the brouillis, which would result in a distillate with a fruitier character. Others may prefer to put half into the ferment and half into the brouillis, or perhaps a quarter and three quarters and so on. Whilst the house style governs decisions made in this regard the acidity/alcohol levels of each vintage will frequently determine the course of action.

THE AGEING OF COGNAC
Traditional casks are either 350 litre fûts or 540 litre tierçons and are made of oak. Old oak plays a considerable part in cognac maturation as 72% abv spirit could leach excessive character from a new barrel.

The spirit is affected in a number of ways during cask ageing; it slowly, but positively oxidises, extracts colour and character from the oak, and evaporates slowly through the pores in the wood giving further concentration. Old, quality cognacs will obtain their colour and complexity of character from these interactions and after approximately a generation, especially with brandies that have been distilled sur lie, one detects notes of rancio charentais, a certain oily richness discernible only in great, old cognacs. Younger cognacs can boost both their colour and character by the addition of spirit caramel and boisé—a concentrated cognac solution; the results tend to be less balanced, less complex and less integrated.

An important part of the maturation process is the amount of cognac that evaporates each year through the wood. The region’s climate and the humidity in the chais (cellar), itself dictate the differences; a cask in a cooler, damper chais will result in a greater loss of alcohol whilst one in a warmer, drier chais would see a greater loss of volume. The evaporation concentrates the spirit by reducing it, imparting a creamy velvety, rich character. During the ageing process the spirit extracts and makes soluble the colour, lignins, vanillins, tannins and sugars from the barrel. The spirit then breaks them down whilst interacting with oxygen and gaining colour. Ultimately, the brandy mellows and its colour and character emerges.

High-strength spirit can potentially extract too much from a cask. In order to lessen the impact, the cellar master may reduce the brandy to approximately 56 % abv immediately after distillation. Alternatively, he may put the high strength alcohol into new oak for a very short period of time, as little as one to three months, and then transfer it to old oak effecting a reduction between the two and then allowing for a second, more gradual reduction, in the years running up to bottling.