Category: How to make Cognac

Cognac must be distilled between the range of 67–72 degrees and many producers will try and get it to the higher end of the range to maximise on the purity of the distillate. Whatever the strength of the vapours, the temperature is quite likely to be very hot and the vapour will rise quickly from the boiler to the chapiteau, the onion shaped pot on top of the boiler. The smaller the chapiteau, the more efficiently the wine vapours are carried on up to the col de cygnet (swans neck). The shorter the col de cygnet, the less spirit will… Read more

The vast majority of distillers in the cognac region are bouilleurs de cru, distillers who grow their own grapes, rather than the bouilleurs de profession, distillers whose sole purpose is to distil the wines for growers and merchants. There are probably nearly a thousand of the former group who sell their brandies under their own name, and it is these whose reputations have developed over the centuries from their family skills.  Of course many of these bouillers de cru also sell their cognacs to a blender, who may keep the cognacs for a few years in casks before selling them… Read more

To visit the Charente in October is one of the most exciting periods of the whole of the Cognac season. There is a huge sense of anticipation – vats and stills are being cleaned, machinery is being serviced and viticulturists are checking the acidity and sugar levels in the grapes. They are also making final checks on the quality and cleanliness of the grapes, ensuring that no mildew or rot exists in the clusters of Ugni Blanc, Colombard or Folle Blanche before they are picked. On the chosen day, usually at the end of October, and depending on acidity and… Read more

Legally the Cognaçais can use a number of grape varieties, although the choice is largely theoretical. The Ugni Blanc accounts for over 90% of the total area, with the rest being Folle Blanche and Colombard. Cognacs rise to fame was based on two varieties – the Folle (later known as the Folle Blanche), and the Balzac, both of which were despised by local wine makers. In the 18th Century the Colombard, which made sweet wines from the Borderies cru, also rose to prominence. Today the Colombard’s inclusion in modern cognacs is limited, as it finishes very short and fails to… Read more

Finding a more suitable position to make cognac is impossible, since the combination of climate, soil and position creates that lovely French Term, “Terroir”, to which we have no singular description that encompasses such a wide term. The cognac region is in the northern end of the Langue d’Oc, midway between the Bay of Biscay and the Massif Central, a part of France which, when entering from the region just south of Poitier, it is said that the temperature rises 5 degrees. Winters are usually warmer than more northerly regions and the summer temperatures tend to be less aggressive, providing… Read more

At Brandyclassics we believe very much in education – without it the industry will fail to pass on the benefits of knowledge about potentially most important area of the end customer service. Brandy is important because it creates an opportunity to extend our knowledge of wines. Those who have read our previous notes will understand that brandies are a reduced wine. This series will cover every key aspect of cognac production. Cognac is after all, the “King of all Brandies” and as Samuel Johnson said, “Claret is the liquor for boys, Port for men, but he who aspires to be… Read more

One of the truly great names in cognac died in May 2005. Jacques Hardy of A. Hardy Cognacs died in hospital after a short illness, he was 83. The firm of Hardy was one of the last totally independent cognac houses of stature recognised throughout the industry and his collection of early vintage and pre-phylloxera cognacs is probably the best known and highest quality still available. The Hardy’s, like many of the old cognac houses are of English decent and started life as local distillers. Antoine Hardy was a broker and founded his own firm in 1863 after working with… Read more

From around 1600 many Irish traders and settlers became interested in the brandy business. These were settlers and the potential to condense wines by boiling them had a number of attractions, not least their greatly improved longevity, ease of handling and of course, their greater strength. This last benefit was a useful motivator and anaesthetic in times of war, and barrels of brandy which were in plentiful supply during the wars were kept on ships for this very purpose. During the next century The Dutch, who had been distilling their own gins and selling them in France, imported the wines… Read more