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Cognac (IPA: [k*n'jæk] where * is ɒ, oʊ, ɑ:, or ɔ:), named after the city in France, is a kind of brandy, which must be produced in the region around the town of Cognac and aged in oak barrels in order to be called "cognac". The International Phonetic Alphabet is a phonetic alphabet used by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the wide variety of sounds (phones or phonemes) the human vocal apparatus can produce. ...
The near-open front unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The open back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
In phonetics, a diphthong ( Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds) is a vowel combination usually involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ...
The open back unrounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
The open-mid back rounded vowel is a type of vowel sound, used in some spoken languages. ...
This article is about the city in France. ...
Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa For the singer and actress, see Brandy Norwood. ...
A related drink produced in another region is Armagnac. The hilly Armagnac region in the foothills of the Pyrenées, between the Adour and Garonne rivers is a historic comté of the Duchy of Gascony (Gascogne), established in 601 CE in the southwest of Aquitaine (now France). ...
Producing region and legal mentions
The region of Cognac, divided up into six growth areas, or crus (singular cru), covers the department of Charente-Maritime, a large part of the Charente and a few areas in Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six crus are, in order of appreciation of the Cognacs coming from them: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, and Bois Ordinaires. Charente-Maritime is a département on the west coast of France named after the Charente River. ...
Charente is a département in central France named after the Charente River. ...
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. ...
Dordogne is a département in central France named after the Dordogne River. ...
A cognac made from just the first two of these crus (with at least 50 percent from Grande Champagne) is called "Fine Champagne" cognac, although no cognac has anything to do with the sparkling wine Champagne. The word Champagne can have one of several meanings when stated alone. ...
If a brandy is produced that fails to meet any of the strict criteria set down by the "governing body" of cognac, the BNIC – Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac – may not be called cognac, nor sold as such.
- It must be produced within the delimited region, from wine using certain grape varieties;
- It must be obtained through double distillation, in typical Charentais stills;
- It must age in oak barrels, which give it its color and part of its taste.
Many of the cognac producers in the town allow visitors to taste their product; the bigger companies have guided tours. This is a list of varieties of cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a Table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). ...
Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points. ...
Whiskey barrels at the Jack Daniels distillery Barrels for aging wine in Napa Valley An aging barrel is a barrel used to age wine or distilled spirits such as whiskey, brandy, or rum. ...
This article is about oaks (Quercus desert-oak is unrelated, and instead belongs to the genus Allocasuarina. ...
A barrel is a hollow cylindrical container, usually made of wood staves and bound with iron bands. ...
Process of fabrication Cognac is made from eaux-de-vie (literally, "water of life") produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the growth areas. The wine is a very dry, thin wine, not really suitable for drinking, but excellent for distillation. It may only be made from a strict list of grape varieties. Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper stills, the design and dimensions of which are also controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting eau-de-vie is a colourless spirit of about 70 percent alcohol. Categories: Food and drink stubs ...
Cognac may not be sold to the public until it has been aged for at least two years, counting from the end of the period of distillation (1st April following the year the grapes were harvested).
During the aging, a large percentage of the alcohol in the eaux-de-vie evaporates through the porous oak barrels. This is termed locally the "part des anges", or angels' share. A black fungus, Torula compniacensis richon, thrives on the alcoholic vapours and normally grows on the walls of the aging cellars. Divisions Microsporidia Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Fungi (singular: fungus) are a major group of living things, originally considered plants but now treated as the separate kingdom Fungi. ...
The final product is diluted to 40 percent alcohol content (80 proof). Alcoholic proof is a measure of how much ethanol, or grain alcohol, is in an alcoholic beverage. ...
The age of the cognac is shown as that of the youngest eau-de-vie used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and from different local areas. This blending, or marriage, of different eaux-de-vie is important to obtain a complexity of taste absent from a eau-de-vie from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (maître de chais) who is responsible for creating this delicate blend of spirits, so that the cognac produced by a company today will taste exactly the same as a cognac produced by that same company 50 years ago, or in 50 years' time.
Grades include - VS (Very Special) or *** (three stars), where the youngest brandy is stored at least two years in cask.
- VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), Réserve, where the youngest brandy is stored at least four years in cask.
- XO (Extra Old), Napoléon, Hors d'Age, where the youngest brandy is stored at least seven years in cask.
VS or vs may stand for: Valais, a canton of Switzerland versus Voluntary simplicity Vs. ...
Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa For the singer and actress, see Brandy Norwood. ...
VSOP can be: Very Superior Old Pale (a grade of cognac (drink)) Very Small Outline Package (a type of surface-mount integrated circuit package) V.S.O.P. is a 1977 Herbie Hancock album. ...
Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa For the singer and actress, see Brandy Norwood. ...
XO may refer to: Executive officer (military) XO grade of cognac, where the youngest brandy is at least 7 years old. ...
Brandy pot stills at the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar near Stellenbosch, South Africa For the singer and actress, see Brandy Norwood. ...
Brands include Braastad is known as a cognac brand, also known as Tiffon. ...
Courvoisier is a type of cognac. ...
Hennessy is a leading manufacturer of cognac. ...
Martell is a leading manufacturer of Cognac. ...
PASSION AND PATIENCE Rémy Martin makes great cognacs and a great story. ...
Companies Cognac is mainly sold by trading houses. Some of them were founded centuries ago, and still rule the market today. - Allied Domecq
- LVMH
- Hennessy (http://www.hennessy.com)
- Martell (http://www.martell.com)
- Courvoisier (http://www.courvoisier.com)
- Rémy Martin (http://www.remy-martin.com)
- Otard (http://www.otard.com)
- Camus (http://www.camus.fr)
- Hine (http://www.hinecognac.com)
- Delamain (http://www.delamain-cognac.com)
Allied Domecq plc is a company that operates spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. ...
Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (usually shortened to LVMH) is the worlds largest luxury goods company. ...
Literature Lists of cognac literature can be found on the following pages - cognac.net-books-Page (http://www.cognacnet.com/books/default.htm)
- cognacguide.com-Literature page (http://www.cognacguide.com/html/literatur.htm) detailed list with cover pictures (in German; translation by Yahoo (http://tools.search.yahoo.com/language/translation/translatedPage2.php?lp=de_en&urltext=http://www.cognacguide.com/html/literatur.htm))
Weblinks - cognacnet.com (http://www.cognacnet.com) Page by the American cognac-lover Mac A. Andrew, who died in 2001. Adopted by le-cognac.com, but not updated anymore. Regarding the content hardly surpassed by another page. Old layout, partly outdated.
- le-cognac.com (http://www.le-cognac.com) Page by Amélie and Chantal Firino-Martell with links to many cognac manufacturers and very informative. Also a shop with cognac.
- cognac-world.com (http://www.cognac-world.com) Page by Jean-Louis Née. Informative page with constantly updated news about everything related to cognac.
- cognacguide.com English page (http://www.cognacguide.com/html/english.php) Page by Ralph Wagner with information and forum for buying decision, purchase sources, literature and evaluation of Cognac and everthing related. Database of cognac prices and sources. (Home page in German; translation by Yahoo (http://tools.search.yahoo.com/language/translation/translatedPage2.php?lp=de_en&urltext=http://www.cognacguide.com/))
- BNIC (http://www.bnic.fr/web_bnic_en/asp/accueil3.asp) Page of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac, the authority guarding the manufacturing of all cognac. Here you can find a list of all cognac producers.
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