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Cognac: From Feet of Clay to a Place in Heaven


Front Steps of Otard Castle. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.Rooted in clay and made from the "water of life" (eau-de-vie), cognac is such a prized heavenly spirit that even the angels claim their share.

 

Until my first trip to cognac country in southwestern France last fall, little did I know how much love, labor and history I was sipping out of those pricey bottles of liquid amber. I didn't know that the Dutch first brought brandywine to France in the 16th century, accidentally creating the first cognac by leaving it in the barrels too long. (Aficionados of the new beverage named it cognac, after the main port from which it was shipped.) I had no idea that the equivalent of some two million bottles a year evaporates in the distilling process. And I wasn't aware that mixing the stuff with tonic or soda was "way cool".

Barrels in cellar of Otard Chateau. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.One glorious September day, we docked our houseboat in the town of Cognac on the Charente river, and clambered up to the Otard Château de Cognac for an education. One of France's major cognac houses, the medieval castle (birthplace of François I) was bought in 1785 for £1,620 by Baron Otard. It was ideally situated for the cognac trade, since the river flows into the castle's cellar. This meant the producer could load his products easily onto flat-bottomed barges and float them out to the Atlantic, where trade ships awaited to sail the treasure off to faraway ports.

GE-Cognac in demijohns. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.Underground riches

A faint, boozy aroma greeted us as we descended into the dank bowels of the castle, where hundreds of handmade oak barrels dozed in neat rows. A fuzzy black substance coated the stone walls. This was the "angels' share" – the three per cent that evaporates over the years as the various vintages of white wine (eau-de-vie) age in porous Limousin oak casks. The angels' share was even thicker in a locked room off one of the corridors, where cognac dating back to 1820 was imprisoned, waiting expectantly in large, glass wicker-wrapped bottles (demijohns) for an historic occasion, or perhaps a royal buyer.

Distilling eau-de-vie Castle. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.But before cognac is transferred to glass containers to preserve its perfect moment in time, it must be blended, distilled and aged up to 60 years. In time, the various cognacs gain color, flavor and definition from their barrels, and condense through evaporation. Coddling each batch to perfection are the cellarmasters, who have 22 years of training, and often start their education with their fathers. Their job includes choosing the proper barrels (each of which is signed by its cooper), the right cellars for each batch and the correct time for maturation.

 

see also: "Earth to Ash: The Cuban Cigar Tradition Lives On."

Roots of clay and the patience of Job

 

"The great thing about making cognac is that it teaches you above everything else to wait – man proposes, but time and God and the seasons have got to be on your side."
Jean Monnet, cognac distiller and statesman

The quality of cognac is determined by two major factors: the area in which the grapes were grown and the number of years the brandy was aged. Like Cuban cigars, which are rendered "the world's best" by the climate and soil in which the tobacco is grown, cognac ("the world's best brandy") is made in only one region of the world – southwestern France. Divided into six growth areas (crus), the region covers mostly the Charente and Charente Maritime departments, characterized by chalky soil, wet winters and sunny summers. The greater the amount of chalk in the soil, the higher the grape quality. About 90 percent of the grapes used for cognac are St. Emillion (Ugni Blanc); the rest are Folle Blanche and Colombard. The eau-de-vie from these grapes is distilled within timeframes set by law, with the distillation period ending at midnight on March 31 every year.

Copyright: E. Lisa Moses."Grand Champagne" cognacs are considered the finest, coming from communes where the clay is white and the climate is protected from maritime and Atlantic influences. "Petite Champagne" cognacs are slightly less subtle than the Grande Champagnes, while the "Borderies" have a less delicate flavor. The lowest quality cognacs are the "Bons Bois", "Fins Bois" and "Bois Ordinaire".

Reading the label

 

Cognac is usually older than the label indicates, because only the years it spends in the barrel are counted.

  • VS (very special) indicates that the cognac has a legal minimum age of three years, but lacks distinction.
  • VSOP (very superior old pale) must be aged eight years, and shows finesse, smoothness, depth and a full bouquet.
  • Napoleon cognacs are aged 15 years on average, exhibiting a distinguished elegance, mellowness and marked aroma of the wood casks in which they aged.
  • XO (extra old) are mainly champagne cognacs, aged 35 to 40 years. Their lightness, elegance and subtlety are unquestioned. The French drink lots of this instead of wine. (Otard's unique 110-proof XO-55 cognac is aged 55 to 60 years.)
  • Extra denotes cognac that is 50 years old.

Do's and don'ts for sipping and storing cognac

A bottle of Pineau des Charentes. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.Don't store bottles of cognac on their side – the brandy will react with the cork. Don't use plastic or rubber corkers: they deplete the aromatic esters.

  • While keeping cognac out of direct sunlight is a good idea, you don't have to store it in a wine cellar. Once it's bottled, cognac stops aging.
  • Rather than drinking cognac out of balloon snifters, use small, bell-shaped wine glasses. These are designed to concentrate the bouquet.
  • Serve cognac at room temperature. If it's too cold, warm it by cupping the glass in the palm of your hand for a few minutes. Don't heat it with a flame or other device, since doing that will burn off the esters that contribute to its taste.
  • Yes, it's okay to mix cognac with tonic, lemonade, fruit juices or soda on ice and serve it as a tall apéritif.

For more information about cognac country and other regions of France, visit Maison de la France at www.franceguide.com.

 

RECIPE:

Cerises à l'Eau-de-vie

1 kg / 2 lb cherries
1 cinnamon stick
a pinch of ground mace
2 cloves
200 g / 7 oz sugar
300 ml / 10 fl oz eau-de-vie

Wash the cherries and dry them in a tea-cloth. Trim the stems, leaving only a short length. Place the cherries in a large jar. Add the spices and the sugar. Gradually pour in the eau-de-vie until it covers the fruit. Seal the jar tightly. The following day, shake the jar to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Leave for at least 2 months in a cool dark room before serving.

Source: Brigitte Tilleray, Recipes from the French Kitchen Garden, Cassell Publishers Ltd., 1995, London (UK).

Cognac and cigars have always gone hand in hand. And there's nothing
like cognac and Habanos. For the lowdown on Cuban cigars,
see "Earth to Ash: The Cuban Cigar Tradition Lives On."

Distilling eau-de-vie Castle. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.But before cognac is transferred to glass containers to preserve its perfect moment in time, it must be blended, distilled and aged up to 60 years. In time, the various cognacs gain color, flavor and definition from their barrels, and condense through evaporation. Coddling each batch to perfection are the cellarmasters, who have 22 years of training, and often start their education with their fathers. Their job includes choosing the proper barrels (each of which is signed by its cooper), the right cellars for each batch and the correct time for maturation.

see also: "Earth to Ash: The Cuban Cigar Tradition Lives On."

Roots of clay and the patience of Job

"The great thing about making cognac is that it teaches you above everything else to wait – man proposes, but time and God and the seasons have got to be on your side."
Jean Monnet, cognac distiller and statesman

The quality of cognac is determined by two major factors: the area in which the grapes were grown and the number of years the brandy was aged. Like Cuban cigars, which are rendered "the world's best" by the climate and soil in which the tobacco is grown, cognac ("the world's best brandy") is made in only one region of the world – southwestern France. Divided into six growth areas (crus), the region covers mostly the Charente and Charente Maritime departments, characterized by chalky soil, wet winters and sunny summers. The greater the amount of chalk in the soil, the higher the grape quality. About 90 percent of the grapes used for cognac are St. Emillion (Ugni Blanc); the rest are Folle Blanche and Colombard. The eau-de-vie from these grapes is distilled within timeframes set by law, with the distillation period ending at midnight on March 31 every year.

Copyright: E. Lisa Moses."Grand Champagne" cognacs are considered the finest, coming from communes where the clay is white and the climate is protected from maritime and Atlantic influences. "Petite Champagne" cognacs are slightly less subtle than the Grande Champagnes, while the "Borderies" have a less delicate flavor. The lowest quality cognacs are the "Bons Bois", "Fins Bois" and "Bois Ordinaire".

Reading the label

Cognac is usually older than the label indicates, because only the years it spends in the barrel are counted.

  • VS (very special) indicates that the cognac has a legal minimum age of three years, but lacks distinction.
  • VSOP (very superior old pale) must be aged eight years, and shows finesse, smoothness, depth and a full bouquet.
  • Napoleon cognacs are aged 15 years on average, exhibiting a distinguished elegance, mellowness and marked aroma of the wood casks in which they aged.
  • XO (extra old) are mainly champagne cognacs, aged 35 to 40 years. Their lightness, elegance and subtlety are unquestioned. The French drink lots of this instead of wine. (Otard's unique 110-proof XO-55 cognac is aged 55 to 60 years.)
  • Extra denotes cognac that is 50 years old.

Do's and don'ts for sipping and storing cognac

A bottle of Pineau des Charentes. Copyright: E. Lisa Moses.Don't store bottles of cognac on their side – the brandy will react with the cork. Don't use plastic or rubber corkers: they deplete the aromatic esters.

  • While keeping cognac out of direct sunlight is a good idea, you don't have to store it in a wine cellar. Once it's bottled, cognac stops aging.
  • Rather than drinking cognac out of balloon snifters, use small, bell-shaped wine glasses. These are designed to concentrate the bouquet.
  • Serve cognac at room temperature. If it's too cold, warm it by cupping the glass in the palm of your hand for a few minutes. Don't heat it with a flame or other device, since doing that will burn off the esters that contribute to its taste.
  • Yes, it's okay to mix cognac with tonic, lemonade, fruit juices or soda on ice and serve it as a tall apéritif.

For more information about cognac country and other regions of France, visit Maison de la France at www.franceguide.com.

RECIPE: Cerises à l'Eau-de-vie

1 kg / 2 lb cherries
1 cinnamon stick
a pinch of ground mace
2 cloves
200 g / 7 oz sugar
300 ml / 10 fl oz eau-de-vie

Wash the cherries and dry them in a tea-cloth. Trim the stems, leaving only a short length. Place the cherries in a large jar. Add the spices and the sugar. Gradually pour in the eau-de-vie until it covers the fruit. Seal the jar tightly. The following day, shake the jar to make sure all the sugar has dissolved. Leave for at least 2 months in a cool dark room before serving.

Source: Brigitte Tilleray, Recipes from the French Kitchen Garden, Cassell Publishers Ltd., 1995, London (UK).

Cognac and cigars have always gone hand in hand. And there's nothing
like cognac and Habanos. For the lowdown on Cuban cigars,
see "Earth to Ash: The Cuban Cigar Tradition Lives On."