Cognac rightfully holds the honorary title of royal among other alcoholic drinks. Its exquisite taste and perfect strength will not leave anyone indifferent. With this drink, many express appreciation or gratitude. He, in fact, is a universal barter coin, which will always be welcome.
Good cognac is a frequent guest at feasts and feasts. But all the positive qualities of this noble drink directly affect its value. The price for one bottle can vary from 500 rubles and end somewhere at around $ 1,000. Here, his endurance, family tree and elitism play a special role. Therefore, many consumers are asking a perfectly logical question: "Which cognac is the best of the cheapest?" and in general whether such a price concept is combined with this drink in principle.
To begin, consider the features of cognac as such in order to narrow the range and cut off all kinds of legal "fakes" of powder and other impurities that some unscrupulous manufacturers do not disdain.
Drink features
Cognac is obtained through the secondary distillation of grape must. Then, the distillate obtained is thoroughly cleaned and sent to special barrels (usually from oak). Each type or subspecies of the drink is made from certain grape varieties. Moreover, the latter should have high acidity.
In order to determine which brandy is the best, and from inexpensive ones as well, you need to carefully read the markings on the label. The specific quality, as well as the age of the drink is indicated by specific abbreviations.
Cognac extract (symbol on the label):
- VS (Special) - 2 years.
- S (Excellent) - 3 years.
- VO (Very Old) - 4 years.
- VSOP (Special Old) - 5 years.
- VVSOP (Extra Exposure) - 6 years.
- XO (Very Old) - More than 6 years.
The longer the drink is in the barrel, the brighter and richer it will taste. Naturally, the prices of two-year and six-year cognac vary greatly.
On the shelves of shops you can see a fairly large assortment of this drink. The cost of some brands is sometimes unbearable for the domestic consumer, only varieties from Martell, Rémy Martin and Hennessy stand as flagship smartphones of famous brands.
As an alternative, people more often choose inexpensive brands of cognac of local or lesser-known manufacturers, being afraid to run into a fake. In our realities, poisoning with ordinary colored ethanol is simple and easy, therefore, it is better to give preference to large stores and specialized points of sale, where the seller cares about his reputation and appreciates customers.
So, let's try to make a small rating of inexpensive cognacs (in Russia), where each drink has repeatedly received awards at some exhibitions and has a lot of positive feedback from consumers. In general, the concept of "inexpensive" for each individual person has its own financial equivalent, so we take the average value - up to 1000 rubles.
Rating of good inexpensive cognacs (names):
- "Arcadia".
- Tetroni.
- "Blades".
- "Lezginka."
- "Ararat."
- "White stork".
- Jatone XO Extra.
Consider each participant in more detail.
Jatone xo extra
This inexpensive brandy is produced on the territory of Ukraine on the premises of the Tavria brand enterprise. The cost per unit (250 ml) does not exceed the mark of 200 rubles. The drink is aged for about six years, which is felt by the specific amber color and velvety aftertaste.
It is also worth noting that the presence in the gamut of taste of milk and vanilla notes makes the drink especially desirable in the circles of the beautiful half of humanity. In the color of recent political events, this inexpensive cognac is rarely found on Russian territory, but large retail chains sell it.
"White stork"
The drink of Moldavian origin was distinguished by lightness of taste and a specific color. The aging period of this inexpensive and high-quality cognac varies within five years. For a half-liter bottle of the famous drink will have to pay about 500 rubles.
Such spending more than pays for itself at any feast, because you get a really high-quality product that for years confirms its worth. A special production technology, which uses unique varieties of light grapes, made this inexpensive cognac the pride of Moldovan winemakers.
"Ararat"
Excellent Armenian and inexpensive cognac worth 400 rubles per 250 ml. This drink has been drunk by CIS countries for decades, and it can easily compete with Hennessy in quality due to the excellent combination of heady aromas of blackcurrant and selected grapes.
Many ladies prefer to add this exquisite drink to coffee, where it begins to play with other flavors, revealing new tastes and emphasizing their individuality. So it is not at all necessary to spend tens of thousands of rubles to touch elite cognacs with high exposure.
Lezginka
This drink of the Kizlyar enterprise has a distinct flavor of chocolate, so the ladies especially like it. The container has several degrees of protection, and reliable, which eliminates fakes and falsification. The last moment is especially in the hands of sellers, so this brandy is very common in the assortment of domestic stores.
The cost of a half-liter bottle ranges from 600 rubles, which is quite acceptable for a domestic consumer and a drink of this level. Cognac is perfect for dessert or as a digestif.
"Blades"
This is an elite cognac with a five-year exposure and one of the best among other representatives of this segment. The price for a half-liter bottle starts at 900 rubles and ends in the region of one and a half thousand, and the difference depends on the taste chosen.
The drink has a clear dark amber color and a chic taste that will not leave any man indifferent, and a bright and soft aroma will easily attract beautiful ladies to the table.
Tetroni
Tetroni is an excellent five-year-old beverage. The cost of one bottle with a capacity of 0.5 liters does not exceed 1000 rubles. The tart taste of cognac and a rich aroma stimulate appetite and make the body invigorate, therefore, as a digestif, it has no equal in its segment.
Most often, he serves it as an aperitif and his admirers, he holds the refined smack of nutmeg and smoked plum. If you look at the statistics of sales of large supermarkets and specialized stores, then Tetroni looks like a clear leader.
"Arcadia"
This is the best cognac among inexpensive ones that can be bought for 1000 rubles (250 ml). The drink is bottled at Odessa production facilities. Distinctive features of Arcadia and its main feature are unique bouquets of tastes mixed in special proportions.
The drink is produced from 10 types of alcohol, where each gram undergoes high-quality processing. “Arcadia” is especially popular among women, because it feels great in company with dark chocolate and desserts.
Summarizing
The production of such a noble drink takes a lot of time and labor, and also requires a lot of skills. Its value simply by definition cannot be low. Yes, you can meet a really high-quality and inexpensive brandy, but the price of 100 rubles per bottle should definitely alert you.
It will also be useful to carefully examine not only the label, but also the container itself. The latter, as a rule, is specific for each manufacturer, so it is rather difficult to fake it. Well, the rest - buy cognac only in trusted stores and outlets.