Just as only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region can be called champagne, so can only brandy obtained in the certified zone of the same name, through strictly regulated operations, can be cognac.
Any cognac is brandy, but not any brandy is cognac
Brandy is usually distilled grape alcohol, but sometimes brandy is also distilled from fruits such as apples, pears, cherries, etc. For a brandy to become a cognac, it should be obtained not just from grapes, but from certain varieties - Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc or Colombard. Cognac is a drink protected by the AOC mark, which means that its name is controlled by the place of origin. Unlike appellations protected by place of origin - AOP - it must not only be manufactured in a certain area, but also from products obtained strictly from the same locality. The "habitat" of cognac is the wine-making departments of Charente and Primorskaya Charente. The only exceptions are barrels in which distilled grape alcohol is aged; they are made from oak grown in the provinces of Tronsier and Limousin.
The land of the vineyards of both Charentes is considered so valuable that workers must carefully remove it from their shoes before leaving work.
The cognac production process consists of several main stages. First, the grapes are pressed and distilled twice in copper cubes, then they are kept in huge oak barrels for at least two years.
During the aging period, some part of the cognac evaporates from the barrel, the “missing” drink is called the “share of angels”.
Assemblage and "age"
Since the taste of the drink depends largely on what the grape harvest was, in order to get a drink with stable quality, manufacturers leave a certain proportion of cognac from different years of production. Mixing cognac spirits of "new" and "old" vintages is called assemblage or assemblage. If the grapes have had a particularly “good year”, a small proportion of the drink is released “pure,” from the distillate of that harvest only. Such cognac, like wine, is called vintner, it is especially appreciated and the date of collection must be indicated on the drink label.
The age of the drink begins to be calculated from the moment it is sealed in barrels. Harvesting ends in October, distillation of alcohol by March. Officially, it is believed that on March 31 all the cognac "this year" is already in oak tanks and on April 1 next year it "turns" a year old. Cognac with such a small exposure is prohibited for sale and you have to wait another year for the drink to be bottled. The labels on these bottles will be marked with the letters V. S., a year later, Superior will be readable on the bottles, followed by V. S. O. P and V. V. S. O. P., with an exposure time of 5 and 6 years, respectively. Cognacs that have been in barrels for more than 6 years will be marked as X. O. When blending cognac, the age of the drink is determined by the “youngest” brandy in the bouquet.
