What Does It Take To Become The World’s Finest Drink?

As most of you already know cognac is also known as “the healing drink,” and at times referred to as “the wise man’s drink.” Although it is seen as a drink reserved for the rich, cognac has increasingly found it’s way among people with lower income. Not all cognac are expensive and not all cheap cognacs are bad. Cognac has been around for 300 years and to this date much of the process remains the same. Three hundred years later cognac is still produced the same way. Lately, cognac has been seeing a slump in sales due to current global economic condition but we are sure it’ll soon pick back up. Looking at the current data it is safe to say that it’ll be much easier to help cognac sales rise in China than in US.

Let’s get to the article now. I ended up getting a little carried away . It takes only 5 steps to produce the world’s finest drink but it takes years and in some case more than 20-30 years for it to be ready for consumption. The 5 steps are listed below which we will elaborate in a bit.

1. Harvesting
2. Winemaking
3. Distillation
4. Ageing
5. Assembly

Now let’s get a little deeper into each steps.

Harvesting

It all starts in the Cognac Delimited Region which comprises of about 6,200 vineyards that produce Charentes white wine used in the production of Cognac. Usually the vines are planted 3 meters apart and pruning is permitted. Many harvesters still continue to harvest by hands and some make use of machinaries that have existed for only about 30 years or so. When the grapes are perfectly riped harvesting can begin. The harvesting usually starts in October and ends the same month towards the end.

Winemaking

After harvesting the next process is winemaking. Grapes are immediately pressed after harvesting. The juice from the grapes is left to ferment and the sugars are transformed into alcohol. Keep in mind that cognac is free of additives and as a result no sugar is added. The sugar that transforms into alcohol is natural. This process is monitored very closely. After about 5 to 7 days since the beginning of fermentation the wines contain 9% alcohol. This is when cognac making process moves to the next step which is distillation. At this point low alcohol content and high acidity makes it perfect for distillation.

Distillation

After the fermentation the next step is distillation. Cognac unlike other alcoholic drinks goes through double distillation. There is a legend surrounding the double distillation which is assumed to be the reason why double distillation is carried out. The story goes like this : Once when Knight Jacques de la Croix-Maron was sleeping he had a nightmare. The satan was trying to take his soul by boiling. The satan didn’t succeed with his first try so threatened to boil again in order to capture Knight Jacques’ soul. At this point the Knight woke up and thought of double distilling his wine for better taste,color and to distinct his product from other wines. First and second distillation is described below and what effect it has in the overall product.

First distillation

• As soon as the wine has fermented, it is poured into pot stills enclosed in brick kilns. Each still holds approximately 660 gallons, or the equivalent of 3,000 bottles. The kilns are heated to a temperature range between 173°F (78.3°C) and 212°F (100°C) until the alcohol vaporizes and separates from the rest of the liquid.
• The vapors are collected in the cowl and the swan’s neck of the still. They then pass into the serpentine-like condenser coil. The condensed liquid, called “broullis,” is reduced one-third from the original amount and measures about 30% alcohol by volume.

Second distillation

• The broullis is heated a second time in a process known as “bonnechauffe.” This is a exacting process because the distiller has to decide at what moment to isolate what is known as the “heart” of the liquid, to separate it from the “head” and “tails.” The head portion is too high in alcohol content while the tail is lacking in substance. These portions are redistilled several times and used in blending.
• The remaining liquid is the clear “eaude vie.” It has been reduced by an additional one-third and is 70% alcohol by volume. This significant reduction in volume means that the distillation of cognac is a costly operation. It takes 9 liters of wine to make one liter of cognac. The amount of spirit that is lost to vaporization (known as “the angels’ share”) can equal more than 20 million bottles annually.

Ageing

One main thing that separates cognac from many other alcohol besides double distillation process is the ageing. Distilled wine is aged from anywhere between 2 years to more than a decade. In some cases the final product (cognac) is aged for 20 or more years. Due to the ageing process sometimes the person who stores these cognac into oak casks may not even be able to see it when it comes out since the ageing process can last longer than the person’s life itself.

The distilled wine is stored in oak casks in cellars. The natural humidity level of cellars is one of the influencing factors in the ageing of the spirit. During the ageing process cognac loses 3%-4% of it’s volume every year. The evaporation of spirit is known as “the angel’s share” and it is estimated that it is equivalent to 27 million bottles per year. That is 27 million bottles of cognac is evaporated during the ageing process. Although this is a loss it is a much needed step in the making of cognac.

Assembly

The quality of cognac depends as much on assembly as in any other steps during the cognac making process. Cognac making itself is an assembly of different vines and ages. The assembly is done in several steps that are spread throughout the entire ageing process. Cellar masters are people who make decisions whether or not a cognac is ready for distribution along with other major decision related to the fineness of cognac. It is often said that the reputation of a cognac house is directly related to their cellar masters. These experienced professionals do not use any instrument or machinery to judge the quality of cognac. It is simply done by tasting and smelling the cognac and even then almost each time cellar masters decisions are almost accurate.

Quick summary :

1. Grape juice is fermented naturally and no sulfur dioxide or sugar is added.
2. Once the wine is fermented it is poured into pot still in brick kilns which are heated between between 173°F (78.3°C) and 212°F (100°C) until the alcohol vaporizes and separates from the rest of the liquid.
3. The condensed liquid is heated a second time which is known as “bonnechauffe.” The remaining liquid is the clear “eaude vie.” It has been reduced by an additional one-third and is 70% alcohol by volume.
4. The spirit is then stored in oak casks for many years depending on the taste and tanning that is desired.
5. The last step is the bottling and or assembly. During this process cellar masters analyze the taste and other aspects of cognac before it goes for bottling.

A drink that has been around for centuries and is still made using the same techniques that goes back as far as 300 years isn’t just a drink. It’s a passion and a family tradition to many. It is due to this reason each cognac whether expensive or cheap, is the finest drink in the world.

Related posts:

1. The Reason Why Cognac Is One Of The Finest Drinks (Videos)
2. A Comprehensive Guide To Cognac
3. Martell Cognac Announces L’Or de Jean Martell
4. Brandy 101 : Quick 10 Pointers On Brandy
5. Price Of Alcohol May Soon Increase by 2%

2 Responses to “What Does It Take To Become The World’s Finest Drink?”

1. David Arlette says:

   July 29, 2009 at 4:40 pm

   Tesco include an “ingredients” label on their own label Cognacs – they appear to be the only Cognac label doing so.

   Their VS/VSOP and even XO cognacs list”ingredients” of Water, Sugar and Caramnel. Is it legal to add these three things at any stage in the production of genuine Cognac??
2. Jason says:

   October 19, 2009 at 9:15 pm

   Caramel may be added,usually to make it look older , some producers like Delamain dont do this, hence the name ” Pale and Dry”
   “sugar” on the label may refer to some byproduct of the Caramel.

   I have tasted ” Tesco’s finest XO” , and its not bad, especially for the price. I think its probably rebranded Jules Gautret cognac, as they have the same distributor.