According to the technology, cognac production itself is recognized by specialists all over the world as one of the most complex and most ordered. Aging cognac in oak barrels is the most important stage of this process. The saturation of taste and the delicate aroma of the resulting product depend on it. Old cognacs are very expensive alcohol. Their cost may exceed seven to eight thousand dollars per bottle. In France, for example, old cognacs are drinks 6.5 years old and above. And the most expensive hundred-year-old cognac “Henry the Fourth Dudognon” was sold in 2009 for two million dollars, about which it was officially listed in the book of records. To match the drink - design containers. The bottle was trimmed with diamonds and other precious stones and made of an alloy of platinum and gold (total weight - four kilograms).
Cognac extract
The great revolutionary significance of the process itself was discovered in the eighteenth century, during the war between France and England. Then the British fleet blocked the ports of the French. It became impossible to export cognac and other drinks. For a fairly long time, cognacs were poured into oak barrels for preservation. After the expiration of the term, wine merchants noticed that the drink itself became much tastier, its taste and aroma brighter. Then the winemakers began to withstand special double distillation cognac spirits in special barrels, and then create a blend by mixing them together.
Oak barrels
Old cognacs are aged exclusively in oak barrels. It is believed that high-quality drinks contain up to 500 different components. Not all trees can be used to make these barrels. The age of oaks suitable for these purposes is from 80 years and above. Traditionally (in France), oaks are taken from the forests of Tronse and Limousin, medium and coarse-grained, with a high level of tannin. And the oldest cognac winemakers stand in barrels of bicentennial oaks. The container itself is made without nails, it is carefully burned from the inside. The burnt surface is capable of releasing glucose, which gives the future drink a delicate sweetish flavor.
The process itself
With a double distillation of wine, fresh cognac alcohol with a strength of up to 70 degrees is obtained. It is colorless, sharp in taste, it has little aroma. But with prolonged aging in oak barrels, it acquires a golden color, softens, acquiring a taste and specific aroma. Alcohol is poured into barrels not to the eyeballs, leaving a certain emptiness. This is necessary in order to create conditions for the oxidation of the drink. The containers are clogged with dowels, waxed outside and installed in several tiers.
The first years of exposure
There is a transition of tannins to alcohols from the barrel material. In this case, the alcohols acquire a vanilla flavor and amber color. Over time, the drink darkens even more, acquires a softened taste with aromas of flowers and fruits, sometimes even with hints of spices.
Cellar master
The main specialist monitors the process and determines whether it is necessary to transfer the spirits into older barrels with characteristic “old” notes, whether to rearrange the barrels of cognac from the upper compartment of the cellar to the lower or vice versa (there is different humidity). So alcohols become structural and soft.
Fortress Weakening
Grape alcohol, placed in barrels, initially has a strength of up to 70 degrees. Then the natural process of its weakening occurs. But it, as a rule, exceeds the prescribed 40-45. Then cognac is diluted with water (distilled). The resulting mixture is additionally kept in barrels for a month or more. After that, the cognac is ready and sent to the blend. Then - bottled.
Cognac Gradation
Alcohol gains the right to be called a skate after spending at least two years in the oak barrel under the correct storage conditions. The maximum age of this drink, in principle, is not limited, but winemakers are inclined to argue that keeping it for more than 70 years in barrels in the cellar does not make sense.
According to the international scale (French):
- two-year - VS;
- three year old - Superior;
- four year old - VSOP;
- five year old - VVSOP;
- six year old - XO
According to the European tradition, cognac over the age of 6.5 years is no longer subject to classification and is considered a collection of products.
Soviet scale
The aging years of ordinary cognacs are indicated by asterisks, respectively: one year - one star and so on. For more expensive vintage cognacs, the following, already alphabetic, designations are accepted. HF - six years or more. KVVK - eight or more years of aging. COP - more than ten. Cognac 20 years of exposure - OS. What do these letters mean? Everything is simple here. “K” is cognac. "VVK" - high quality extract. "KS" - old cognac. "OS" is very old. Cognac 25 years of aging and above is considered a collection. So, seeing the letters on the bottle, you can find out about his age. According to tradition, the so-called “golden aging” cognac - 4 years is considered optimal in terms of ordinary life. In Stavropol, they even called cognac made from Spanish cognac spirits and possessing a delicate sweetish flavor of honey and flowers.
Cognac
By the way, it will be mentioned that only French and from a certain province Cognac is recognized as international cognac. Thus, when exporting, for example, Russian cognac, this word should not be mentioned on the label. Another thing is for internal use, and then only in Russian. In Armenia, this issue was more easily resolved: the French company “crushed” the production of the drink for itself, importing imported alcohol blend. So the Armenian actually turned into French brandy “Perrier”. This gives the right internationally to be called this proud name - Cognac.
French cognac brand "Hennessey"
One of the oldest and most famous cognac houses is considered to be Hennessey. The volume of production is more than fifty million bottles per year. The first place to sell skates in the world. Did the Irish officer Richard Hennessy think of such a success when he retired in 1745 and settled in the province of Cognac, where he began his own production of the drink? The story is silent about this. It is only known that his company cognacs really liked the court of King Louis, and after decades, all of Europe already knew about the Hennessy brand.
Myths about centennial cognac
The whole problem is that cognac, according to experts, can live in an oak barrel for no more than 70 or 80 years. That is, the oldest drink, in theory, should be only this exposure. How to explain this?
Over time, cognac undergoes evaporation, lowering its degree. Winemakers love to say that it is the angels who take away their share of the drink of the gods. This process also has a critical point. And the brandy fortress, by the way, is regulated in France by law - at least forty degrees (with rare exceptions for some houses, also stipulated by law). So, the achievement of a minimum strength occurs after a maximum of 80 years. Having passed this point of no return, the drink can no longer be considered cognac by the rules (that is, it is already less than forty degrees).
But what about the notorious, centennial? The thing is that after aging in barrels, cognac is poured into special containers of large volumes of glass - bonbons, where they are stored, reaching such an advanced age. But this process has nothing to do with aging in barrels. In the bonbon, the lowering of the degree of the drink is suspended, but also the aging process! Therefore, speaking of a hundred-year-old cognac, they mean a drink of a younger aging, but the remaining time was stored in a glass dish braided with straw.
Another option is to dilute young cognac with a higher degree to get the cherished magpies. With this method, they take a really old drink and strengthen it with a young one. As a result, buyers get really old blends mixed with newer ones. But the manufacturer is not allowed to indicate the centenary on the label.
Experienced sommeliers are advised to take, if you really want to try a really old collection cognac, 50 years of aging. If more - it will be impossible to compare the taste of collection drinks even to a taster with experience. Do not forget to use the noblest drink according to the rules of etiquette: large rounded glasses on a short leg, small doses, the right snack. All this, combined with a successful table setting, will only emphasize the mysterious essence and sophistication of the old cognac. Chocolate and cigar accompany the drink, as well as a leisurely conversation with good friends about something pleasant and sublime.