COGNAC FACTS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

In the USA, and soon France, it is voting seasons and many people including the candidates are continuously getting their facts checked.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to cognac and I do not want to bruise anyone but let's look at some examples.

CITY A.M. just published an article on cognac:

"...In particular, cognac can only be made using certain grape varieties, the most typical being Ugni blanc, a grape that tastes as bad as it sounds. It’s the most widely planted white grape in France and produces a fairly terrible tasting white wine that’s often blended with other grapes or turned into industrial alcohol, the kind used to make rocket fuel and hand sanitiser.

To turn this nasty-ass wine into something that won’t launch a satellite into orbit, it’s distilled twice in a copper pot before being aged in oak barrels for at least two years. This distillation increases the ABV of the drink to 40 per cent and transforms brandy from a wine into a spirit. For it to become cognac, even the barrels must be up to AOC standards: only brandy aged in barrels from Limousin or Tronçais gets to bear the cognac label..."

1. "Cognac can only be made using certain grape varieties".

This fact is true. My stats is that 95% of the grapes in Cognac are Ugni Blanc. But other grapes are also allowed: such as Folle blanche, Colombard, Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François, Sélect, and Montils.

2. "Ugni blanc, a grape that tastes as bad as it sounds".

This fact is false. Ugni Blanc is also called St-Emilion in Bordeaux (not the cru), and Trebbiano in Italy for instances. These are good wines!

3. "It’s the most widely planted white grape in France".

True fact. Even in the Loire Valley!

4. "To turn this nasty-ass wine into something that won’t launch a satellite into orbit, it’s distilled twice in a copper pot".

This fact is false. Best grapes for distillation are white grapes. That's the rule of thumbs because they have a better acidity which enhances subtle notes and balance. It is distilled twice which is not much because it is the right amount of distillation to keep the most flavors. 1 distillation keeps too many impurities, more than 2 distillation would start nutralizing the flavors.

In pot stills because it is a smaller still which makes more delicate distillates, and in copper because copper has the best characteristics for heating, sterilizing and adding to the flavor than any other metals.

5. "Only brandy aged in barrels from Limousin or Tronçais gets to bear the cognac label".

This fact is false. First a barrel is a specific size of cask of approx. 200 liters, and most cognac makers use hogshead of 400 liters. Second cognac was originally aged in all kinds of different wood even chestnut wood. Eventually, the cognac appellation set the wood to be French oak. Limousin and Tronçais oak cask are normally oak that comes from the forests in France with the same names. Nowadays this means mostly a style of oak where Limousin  is a much more dense compact wood whereas Tronçais is more open.

Anytime someone talks about cognac this is great, and the more information the better. Never was my intention was to pick on this article [sorry]. I hope you can see that cognac has many complexe elements and that it is easy to get confused.