In this article we "taste" the real cognac from Armenia - "Charents". This drink is produced at the Proshyan plant, which allows us to judge its authenticity.
Many critics claim that not all Armenian brandies are good. Say, there are ordinary options. But the raw materials for the Charents alcohols are grapes harvested in the Ararat Valley. This alone speaks in his favor.
But how is this cognac produced, by what technology? How long are alcohols aged? Is the bottle nicely decorated so that it can be presented as a gift? How to distinguish a real drink from a fake? How much is the Armenian Charents brandy? We will try to answer all these questions below.
In addition, we will “sort through” all the taste and aromatic notes of this drink. The information base was not only descriptions of sommeliers, but also reviews of ordinary consumers.
A few words about the brand
The manufacturer of this brandy is Proshyan Brandy Factory (Armenia). He occupies a leading position in the country. Its products are popular not only in Armenia, but also abroad, in particular in Russia, Israel, Greece, USA, South Korea, Germany.
The beginning of cognac production in Transcaucasia dates to the end of the 18th century. Armenian winemakers felt the "gold mine" when they began to apply French technology for the manufacture of spirits to local raw materials. The drinks were special, with a masculine character and Caucasian temperament. At the same time, they played with subtle taste notes, not inferior in complexity to those cognacs that were born in the province of France of the same name.
The Proshyan plant dates back to 1885. The descendant of an old Armenian family Abgar Proshyan, having been educated in Germany, returned to his homeland and founded his own production of distillates and wines, having bought successful sites on the slopes of the Ararat Valley.
During the Soviet era, the plant was part of the trust, and bottling was carried out in Yerevan. After Armenia gained independence, the entire production process takes place in the Ararat Valley. Since 2008, the Proshyan plant has a representative office in Moscow.
Cognacs of the low, middle and high-end price segments such as Charents, Mane, Tsar Pap, Armenum, and Hunt are presented to the Russian consumer’s court. In addition, the plant also produces wines, including fruit (quince, pomegranate, etc.), as well as liqueurs.
Raw materials
The uniqueness of the Proshyan plant is that it is a completely self-sufficient enterprise. The producer does not purchase grapes, but grows it himself. The plant grounds are located in the Ararat Valley.
Some vineyards lie at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level. Moreover, only local, Armenian varieties serve as raw materials for cognacs and wines. The entire production process is controlled by specialists who create amazing blends.
This line of cognac is dedicated to the Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents. This great man was not only a talented translator of national works in Russian, but also an advocate of the brotherhood of nations. A portrait of Yeghishe Charents adorns each bottle of the collection of the same name.
Production process. Types of "Charents"
As we mentioned above, the drink crop is grown on the slopes of the Ararat Valley from local varieties of vines. Grapes are picked and carefully sorted by hand. Only the largest and ripe, intact berries are used in the further production of Charents cognac. After pressing, the juice is carefully filtered, special yeast provides a complete fermentation process. Then the wort is distilled.
The drink is collected dropwise and enclosed in small barrels with thin oak walls. This is necessary so that alcohols can interact with the air.
The best blending specialists monitor the maturation of drinks. Cognac line "Charents" aged in barrels from ten to thirty years. Thus, there are three varieties of this distillate. The 10-year-old Charents is equated with the XO category. The oldest cognacs belong to the Extra class.
Tasting notes about the 10-year-old Charents
All drinks in this collection amaze consumers with overflows of taste and aroma. At first, cognac may seem sharp, brutal, too temperamental. But after a moment he will play in heaven and language with a thousand semitones and nuances.
Pour this dark amber drink into a glass and gently hold in your palms to keep it warm. Enjoy the sensation of how the smell of wet oak wood gives way to the scent of leather, vanilla, ripe fruit and, finally, flowers.
Taste 10-year-old cognac "Charents" conquers fullness, oiliness, light astringency. Forty-degree drink gently warms, giving a feeling of peace and complete comfort.
Sommeliers advise serving this cognac at room temperature as a digestif. Consumers in the reviews mention not only the good gastronomic qualities of the drink, but also its beautiful design. A clear bottle in the shape of a flask is corked with a golden cork. In this category there is a gift option - "on a swing."
20 year old cognac
This drink is darker than its young brother. It resembles dark gold. The aroma of the 20-year-old Charents cognac resembles a luxurious symphony woven from oak, leather, fruit and floral notes.
The taste is full-bodied, masculine, yet complex. Shades of tart spices and dried fruits are heard in it. The cognac has a surprisingly long and pleasant aftertaste. Sommeliers also recommend using this drink as a digestif.
Ordinary consumers notice that cognac seems to be created for drinking in a purely male company, possibly with cigars. A gift version of this drink is also available - in a box made of alligator leather.
30 year old Charents
This brandy category "Extra" has a deep color of buckwheat honey. It is a real work of art, a brilliant result of the work of the masters of the blend of the Proshyan plant.
Cognac "Charents" 30-year-old has a complex bouquet in which notes of oak, oriental spices and vanilla are softly replaced by fresh dried fruit chords. Generous, strong taste conquers any taster. It merges in perfect harmony sweet vanilla and tart woody notes.
After a sip comes a long and heady finish. This cognac is best enjoyed solo, without any accompaniment. So you will feel all the facets and overflows of taste. It is also available in a crocodile leather gift box.
How much is the Armenian Charents cognac
The price of the most expensive specimen of this line is 11 thousand rubles. This is a 30-year-old cognac in a gift box made of crocodile skin. It should be noted that the lion's share in pricing is an expensive design.
But even without it, the cost of “Charents” will be slightly higher than that of other Armenian cognacs. On average, prices for drinks of this line range from 250 rubles to eight thousand (depending on the volume and duration of exposure).
How to distinguish a fake
Real cognac is bottled in complex shapes. The label is not glued on them, and the name is applied by spraying with gold letters on glass. In addition, the original has a metal cork, which is very difficult to fake.
Counterfeiters have even less chances in the case of elite cognacs of the line. Cognac with an exposure of 20 and 30 years is decorated with a cork in the form of a bust of Yeghishe Charents. A bottle with a younger drink is decorated with a portrait of an Armenian poet. A little below the golden neck, the glass is corrugated in the form of waves.
The counter-label (on the back of the bottle) indicates the gastronomic properties of the drink, storage conditions, as well as a bar code by which it can be determined that the cognac is made in Armenia.
Cognac "Charents": reviews of ordinary consumers
People liked the drink. It costs a little more than other cognacs from Armenia, but its quality fully justifies the investment. Consumers especially liked all kinds of gift wrapping options - from simple but stylish bags to wooden folios wrapped in alligator leather.
Such Charents cognac is suitable as a rich presentation. Ordinary users say about the drink that it is strong, dense, created for the men's company.
But the next morning his head does not hurt, and everything is normal with the stomach. You need to drink it with caution, since intoxication occurs unexpectedly.