What is cognac and how does it differ from other strong and fortified alcoholic drinks - the same brandy, for example? It is made by double distillation of dry wine and long exposure of the product in oak barrels. What then turns out: the best cognacs can be produced anywhere, if the vines would grow? But no! No matter how highly developed winemaking in a particular country, not all vines give a good product for this fragrant drink.
Even if the manufacturer did not depart one iota from the classical manufacturing technology, his products still cannot be called the same as those created in the French province of Charente, where the drink once originated and still flourishes.
The small town of Cognac, which gave the name to the distillate, rose exclusively in the production and marketing of products from nearby vineyards. And according to a 1909 decree adopted in France, only that drink for which raw materials were grown in the Charente department can be called cognac. There are many excellent vineyards in the world. But the best cognacs are still created in France. It is here, even only here, in the west of the country, that a real, authentic drink can be born. Therefore, cognacs made in other regions of this country are called Armagnacs, vignacs or simply brandy.
The best cognacs of France are sold in limited editions, in intricate crystal and even gold bottles. The prices for them, you know, are sky-high. By the way, the most expensive that hit the Guinness Book on this occasion was Henri IV Dudognon. The bottle sold for $ 2,000,000!
For its manufacture, century-old alcohols were used. In fairness, it should be noted that packaging also played a very, very significant role in pricing - the bottle is made of gold and platinum, moreover, it is decorated with six and a half thousand diamonds. But an ordinary consumer should know that the best cognacs of France have such abbreviations on their label: VVSOP (which
stands for Very-Very Superior Old Pale) Yu and H.O. (Extra Old). Names such as Napoleon, Hors d'Age, Vieille Reserve and Tres Vieux also mean that the distillate has been ripening in oak barrels for at least six years.
But we do not live in France, but want to try good inexpensive cognac. How to choose it? Of course, the phrase “Russian cognac” is similar to guinea pigs: these rodents have no relation to pigs or the ocean. So it is with the products of our distilleries. It can be attributed to cognac only with a big stretch. But if you still want to support the domestic manufacturer, choose the items regulated by GOST of Russia.
In accordance with this document, years of aging are drawn up with asterisks. But good Russian products do not have stars: on its label appears KV (which stands for “aged brandy” - at least eight years) or KVVK - the last two letters mean “Top Quality”. This age is nine to ten years. And the best cognac in Russia is KS and OS - old and very "ancient". This abbreviation ensures that the spirits matured in oak barrels for at least ten and twenty years, respectively.