The majority of high quality fruit spirits are made by
pot stills
Three major subregions in Cognac
- Borderies
- Grande Champagne
- Petite Champagne
What is fine champagne?
If a Cognac is a blend of Grande Champagne (min 50%) and Petite Champagne, it can be labelled fine champagne
Major grape variety in Cognac
Ugni Blanc
Strict distillation of Cognac
- Grapes harvested in March and the distillation must take place before March the following year
- Must be directly heated with flames during distillation ( gas burners are used nowadays)
- Must use an older style condenser called “ worm tub”
- Must be double distilled in copper pot stills
Ageing regulation of Cognac
- Must be matured in oak barrels for a min. of 2 years
- It’s common to start their maturation in new oak barrels and to finish in old oak barrels.
- It’s common for very aged spirits to be decanted to demijohns when the distillers think there’s no further benefit to be gained from oak or oxygen.
Cognac Labels
- VS (Very Special) - 2 yrs
- VSOP (Very Superior Old pale) -4 yrs
- XO (Extra Old)/Hors d’age- 10 yrs
*The years signify the minimum age of the youngest spirit in the blend
Major grapes for Armagnac
- Ugni Blanc
- Baco Blanc (prunes)
- Folle Blanche (floral aromas)
Distillation of Armagnac
Usually use a unique continuous column still. It is required to be very short with relatively few plates and therefore produces characterful low-strength spirits.
Vintage Armagnac
A spirit made from grapes harvested from the same year. Common in Armagnac, rare in Cognac.
Blanche Armagnac
A spirit that has not been aged in oak. No equivalent in Cognac.
Armagnac labels
- Blanche- 3 months in stainless steel
- VS (Very Special)- 1 yr
- VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale)- 4 yrs
- Hors d’age, Vintage,XO (Extra Old)-10 yrs
Subregions of Armagnac
- Bas-Armagnac
- Armagnac-Tenareze
About Calvados
- Apple spirits from Normandy
- Pot & column stills are both used
- Typically matured in large old oak vessels
Pisco
- Chile & Peru
- Made from aromatic grapes
- Mostly unaged (in Peru it’s a legal requirement)
- Some wood-matured version in Chile but the time is short
Grappa
- Italy
- Pomace brandy
- Typically not matured in oak
- Pronounced herbaceous notes from pomace with a sharp texture
- Best examples in 3 ways:
a) Seek to express varietal characteristics (Moscato)
b) matured in inert vessels for a year or more to create a fuller, smoother texture
c) some matured in oak for aromatic complexity and textural balance
