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Author: Bev Appleton

David on Technical Topics – The Age of Cognac

Posted in Brandy Education, Learning about Brandy and tagged

I am not too sure that I should be writing about age as I have just had a rather significant birthday but I wanted to answer some of the questions that regularly come up about a cognac’s age. Many people ask me “what is the age of my VSOP or XO cognac” and the answer is that unless it is stated on the bottle, I simply do not know.  I can tell you what the minimum age should be – a VSOP must be at least 4 years old and an XO, a minimum of 6 years old.  However, these products are blends of cognacs of differing ages so it is impossible to quote a specific age. At Hermitage our cognacs come from single estates so we can clearly state the age on the label and our customers can be reassured about what is in the bottle.

Cognac distillation starts around the end of October when the wines are poured into the copper stills and boiled. This happens twice and after the second distillation the water clear eau de vie is put into a barrel and the ageing process commences. The distillation process must be finished before the 31st of March every year.  At this point the cognac is regarded as being nought years old; the following year on the 1st of April it becomes 1 year old. Cognacs, especially those from the top crus known as the Champagnes, may take as long as fifty or more years to fully develop their characteristics. Of course the majority is bottled when much younger so, to help hide the fiery, pale qualities of the young cognac, the big houses add sugar syrup and caramel.

So you see, I always want to know the precise age of the cognac – but as for mine, I will be keeping that under wraps!

Corporate Christmas Gifts

Posted / in News and tagged

Cognac is The King of all Spirits and Hermitage Grande Champagne Cognacs sit with the greatest of all. They are not multi-blended brandies with generic XO descriptions, they are single estate cognacs aged in oak with age statements.  Moreover, they come from the top cru, Grande Champagne, where only the very finest cognacs are made. They are the ultimate reward – is there a better way to reward your staff, valued customers or perhaps even yourself this Christmas?

These are magical cognacs that have won numerous awards.  They have individual tastes, they are easy to drink, not aggressive but smooth and welcoming and they come with different ages and styles. They are Hermitage, a range of exceptional vintage cognacs from 1999 to 1900, a range that can be found in some of the world’s finest hotels and restaurants;  Golden Nectars from a past century, quite simply, Le Siécle d’Or.

If you are still in any doubt have a look at the Hermitage 1999 Grande Champagne, smooth with an aroma of mocha, coffee and roasted walnuts, or perhaps the 10 year old Grande Champagne, sometimes called the Ladies Cognac for its soft apricot style. You might be looking for something a little more individual such as the Provenance 25, a complex 25 year old Grande Champagne or the Provenance 30, a chocolate and mocha Petite Champagne that flows so well you will be wanting more before the last has gone. The Hermitage 1975 at 47% abv is a real connoisseur’s cognac and the 1914 Borderies has been described by a famous cognac writer as the finest he had ever tasted.

Prices start at £38.62 so don’t take our word for it, try them for yourself………. you will be back for more!

Apple Cognac Crumb Cake by Martha Stewart

Posted / in Recipes and tagged

apple cognac crumb cake

For the Apple Topping

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter & 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 apples peeled, cored & cut into 1/2 ”  wedges
  • 1/4 cup Cognac

For the Crumb Topping

  • 1 3/4 cups plain flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar & 1/3 cup dark-brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon & 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Cake

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder & 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar & 1/3 cup creme fraiche
  • 1 large egg & 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon Cognac

 Directions            

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square tin and line with two pieces of parchment paper, creating a 1-inch overhang on all sides of the pan.
  2. Make the Apple Topping: Melt butter over medium-high heat. Continue cooking until butter becomes golden brown and fragrant. Reduce heat to medium and add sugar, 1/4 cup water, and apples. Cook until apples have softened slightly and liquid is thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Cognac, working carefully as alcohol may ignite. Return to heat, and cook until alcohol evaporates, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
  3. Make the Crumb Topping: Whisk together flour, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add melted butter and, using your fingers, mix together to form large crumbs; set aside.
  4. Make the Cake: Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add creme fraiche, egg, yolk, and Cognac; mix until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until well combined.
  5. Pour cake mixture into prepared baking tin. Top with apples and their liquid to cover; sprinkle evenly with crumb topping. Transfer to oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center of cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Cognac Custard

Posted / in Recipes and tagged

custard margin

A very grown up version of a classic winter pudding accompaniment by Martha Stewart:

Ingredients:

9 large egg yolks,  3/4 cup sugar,  4 1/2 tablespoons plain flour, 3 cups milk,  3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons Cognac

Method:

  1. Combine yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium high until mixture is pale yellow and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed; add flour, and beat to combine.
  2. Meanwhile, bring milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour half the milk into egg mixture; beat until smooth. Pour mixture back into saucepan; set over medium heat. Whisk until mixture comes to a boil, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in vanilla and cognac. Let cool. Cover surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and place in the refrigerator until needed or up to 3 days.

 

The Calvados Region

Posted in How to make Calvados and tagged

There are three appellations for Calvados which is governed by appellation contrôlée regulations.  These regulations require that the terroir is defined and the procedures in production, such as pressing, fermentation, distillation, and ageing are regulated.  The apples and pears are defined cider varieties and a minimum of two years aging in oak barrels is required.  Usually, single-column distillation is used.

The AOC Calvados Pays d’Auge area is limited to the east end of the département of Calvados and a few adjoining districts.  Here there is extensive quality control.  A minimum of six weeks of fermentation of the cider is required and double distillation in an alembic pot-still must be used.

AOC Calvados Domfrontais reflects the long tradition of pear orchards in the area.  The orchards must consist of at least 15% pear trees and a minimum of 30% pears must be used in the calvados.  It is distilled on a single-column still and a three-year minimum of aging in oak barrels is required.

 

David on Technical Topics – How to Taste Cognac

Posted in Brandy Education, Learning about Brandy and tagged

The brandy balloon glass is certainly an attractive and traditional way to drink cognac and it is probably the image we most associate with it. However, it is far from ideal because the surface area of the cognac in the glass is too large thereby allowing too much spirit to escape from the drink.  This spirit remains in the glass and blinds the aroma of the cognac. The best glass to use is a smallish tulip shaped one.  It should be filled to about a third full and then rotated gently so that the cognac comes into contact with the sides.  One should never swirl the cognac as this releases the spirit and blinds the aroma. The aroma is important because 50% of the enjoyment is in the smell of the drink perceived in the tasting.  Allow the cognac to stand for a while before bringing it gently to the nose. Try and recognise the different smells in the glass. They may be sweet or dry, fruity or nutty, they may be vibrantly fresh or like hay in a field, there are thousands of different aromas which can be identified on the cognac tasting wheel, a copy of which can be supplied next time you place an order with Brandyclassics.

Before tasting wash the mouth with water to clean away previous flavours, take a reasonably sized mouthful of the cognac and hold it in the mouth.  Try and identify where in the mouth you get the flavours and the effects it has in each part. Strong cognacs will often be felt on the front of the tongue whilst those at 40% are more likely to be felt all over the mouth. Compare the flavours and see if the taste matches the aroma.  Lastly, if you are comparing it with another spit it out and wash again.

The Complex Aroma of Cognac

Posted / in Learning about Brandy, News and tagged

The aroma of luxury cognac is, without doubt, part of its appeal but why is it so significant? Scientists from the Technische Universitat Munchen and the German Research Centre for Food Chemistry have found that food smells have 230 key aromas (or odourants).  The molecules that make up the odour of specific food stuffs comprise a group of between 3 and 40 odourants and it is the combination of these that mean we can instantly recognize a foodstuff by its smell before we see or taste it. The smell of butter, for instance, is created by 3 key molecules, strawberries have 12 but cognac has 36 different key odour molecules categorising it as the most complex of all foodstuffs.  This is important because the chemical codes of these odours are translated by the olfactory receptors in the nose, of which only 42 respond to food odours.  Since our senses of smell and taste are intertwined, the likelihood of us purchasing a product we can smell, which has complex aromas, is therefore greatly increased.  We can’t yet smell products advertised online but this research goes some way to explaining why aroma is so important when choosing different cognacs.

Try the theory out for yourself – our Hermitage 30 Year Old has a wonderful aroma of molasses, bitter chocolate, cardamom spice and ripe cherries whilst the Hermitage 43 Year Old has fresh straw, mangosteen, kumquats, grapefruit peel, thyme, almonds and a host of other wonderful smells  – how many can you recognise?

The Cognac Process – Part 11. 100 Years of Market Growth

Posted / in The Cognac Process and tagged

The Phylloxera outbreak in 1872 was, in hindsight, the best thing which could have happened to the growers and viniculturists in the Charente. Instead of just producing cognacs for blending, they had to start thinking about what their customers wanted.  At the turn of the 20th century the plague had left many of the growers in a desperate state.  Some of the more financially better off and larger merchants were therefore able to buy land at knock down prices; around one tenth of 19th century values.  Cheap land meant that the vineyards could be replanted with the specially imported American root stock that was Phylloxera resistant.  As a consequence, the quality of the wines produced improved.  Things started to look rosy for the growers but after the First World War, prohibition in the United States slowed everything down again. In 1922, as the decline continued, Martell and Hennessy formed a pact, taking shares in each others firms and effectively carved up the world’s major markets between them.

During the First World War, Hennessy and a well-known grower, Pierre Verneuil, worked together to form what is today cognac’s governing body, the Bureau National Interproffessionel du Cognac (BNIC).  The regulations that the BNIC now bring to the cognac industry protect the distillers and help produce quality cognac.

L’Esprit de Tiffon

Posted in Brandy Bottle Reviews, The Bottle Story and tagged

Only 150 crystal decanters of L’Esprit de Tiffon have been made using cognacs from the private cellar of Sverre Braastad (1879-1979).  He took over management of the Tiffon Cognac house after marrying the producer’s daughter, Edith Rousseau, in 1913.  L’Esprit de Tiffon is unique because it has been blended entirely from pre-phylloxera cognacs with the oldest dating back to 1805. The flavour is also unique because the grape variety used in the pre-phylloxera era was mainly Folle and Brastaad’s cognacs were from the Fins Bois cru.  L’Esprit de Tiffon was created specifically for a Polish company specialising in gifts for the wealthy.  All decanters were sold, for undisclosed sums, before the launch.  Unsurprising maybe but surely Tiffon would have benefitted from giving such a statement piece broader geographical exposure?

The Charente Scene – Autumn 2014

Posted / in News and tagged

A Flood of Cognac

It seems somewhat crazy that this time last year we were expecting cognac price increases to be as high as in previous years but, in actual fact, the price has held steady and may even drop. Suddenly we have an excess of very young, good cognac and distillers are seeking to find customers for unsold stocks.  So why has this dramatic change occurred? Well it is all to do with the big houses not needing to buy so much eaux de vie for their blends.  The vast Chinese markets have reduced considerably the quantity of top quality cognac they purchase. This is a direct result of austerity and anti-corruption measures introduced by the Chinese authorities. Luxury cognacs have always been seen as ideal gifts in China and the more expensive they are the better.  In the past, those presenting them have been more able to convince their bosses and business associates to continue with their services. It seems that the authorities seek transparency in the ways of doing business in China. Can’t argue with that!