🥃 Cognac

Cognac is a French grape spirit with the protected designation of origin (AOC) “Cognac”. It is made from white wines of the region around the town of Cognac, distilled twice in a copper Charentais pot still and aged for at least two years in oak. It reaches the shelf at no less than 40 % vol.

The production area was mapped in 1909, Cognac became an AOC in 1936 and its crus were defined in 1938. The area covers the Charente and Charente-Maritime departments plus some communes of Dordogne and Deux-Sèvres. The specification names the crus Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires, also called Bois à Terroirs.

Ugni Blanc covers almost 98 % of the vineyard; in Italy the same variety is known as Trebbiano Toscano. Colombard, Folle Blanche, Montils and Sémillon are also principal varieties. The first distillation gives the brouillis; the second, the bonne chauffe, yields cognac spirit of no more than 73.7 % vol.

The age on the label is counted from the youngest spirit in the blend: VS at least 2 years, VSOP 4, XO 10 and XXO 14. Colour may be adjusted with E150a caramel, and taste with sweetening and an infusion of oak chips. Under EU law Cognac belongs to the wine spirit category, although in everyday speech it is called brandy.

Cognac or brandy? Brandy is the broad everyday word; in EU law, though, Cognac is registered as a wine spirit under its own protected name, while “brandy” is a separate category 5. Armagnac and Calvados are likewise separate protected names from their own regions, not styles of Cognac, and Calvados is made from apples rather than grapes. Whisky is a different family altogether, made from grain. So compare by origin and process: Cognac is double-distilled in a copper Charentais still, aged at least two years in oak, and its age code is counted from the youngest spirit in the blend.

On the label look for the word “Cognac” and an age code: VS, VSOP, XO or XXO, the minimum age of the youngest spirit in the blend (2, 4, 10 and 14 years). “Fine Champagne” means a blend of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne only, with at least half Grande Champagne; “Grande Champagne” or “Borderies” alone names a single cru. The EU protected-designation symbol and the French term AOC confirm the origin. Bottles are sold in supermarkets, wine merchants and specialist spirits shops.

Why it matters to you. The name “Cognac” is protected in the EU: a spirit from elsewhere cannot use it. When choosing a bottle, look at the age statement and the cru; they tell you more than the colour, which may be adjusted. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol, so Cognac is for adults only.