Some wine producers still harvest by
hand but most have adopted machine harvesters.
The winemaking
The pressing of the grapes is done immediately after harvest.
Nowadays, wine producers use horizontal flat presses or pneumatic
presses. The juice is left to ferment straight away. The sugars are
transformed into alcohol. The addition of sugar (chaptalisation) is
not permitted. The wines are then stored with their residue
These two steps (pressing and
fermentation) are closely monitored for they will have an important
influence on the final quality of the spirit. The wines that are
produced after roughly 3 weeks of fermentation (from the end of
October till the last days in November) have an alcohol content of
around 8%vol. They are just perfect for distillation.
The distillation
The Cognac region has a limestony soil and a maritime and temperate
climate that is humid, hot and sunny enough to ripen the grapes.
Despite all these assets, the wines that are produced would not
deserve their reputation if it were not for the alchemy that takes
place in the pot still and that produces the cognac. The alcohol is
produced during fermentation from the sugars that are naturally
present in the fruit. It is found associated with many other
components ; it has to be separated from these complex mixes,
process which is achieved by distillation. The process of separation
which takes place during distillation is based on the difference in
volatility between all components. The only volatile substances that
make it into the spirit become the main elements of the bouquet.
The pot-still
The Pot still is entirely made of copper because
copper has a catalysing effect and it does not affect the taste of
the spirits. The bottom of the main cauldron - where the liquid to
be distilled is placed - is in permanent contact with the bare flame
of the furnace. The wine is uniformily heated with its dregs over a
large surface. The Alcohols and ethers evaporate. The onion shaped
top canalises the vapours into the swan neck, through the "chauffe-vin"
cooling them slightly before they reach the cooling tank known as
"the pipe". The vapours travel through a long coil, condense and are
collected in liquid form in an oak cask.
Double distillation
Distillation is carried out in two steps : two
heating cylcles called "chauffes". The first "chauffe" which lasts
between 8 and 10 hours produces a cloudy liquide called "brouillis"
with an alcohol content of 24 to 30 %vol. The "brouillis" is then
redistilled. This second heating is called "la bonne chauffe" and
lasts about 12 hours. This time, only the best, that is "the heart"
of the distillation, is kept. The distiller separates the "heart"
from the "heads" and the "tails" through a process called "cutting".
The heads and the tails are mixed with the next batch of wine or
brouillis in order to be redistilled. Thus only the heart, a clear
spirit averaging between 68 and 72% vol., is kept for ageing to
become Cognac.
Cognac was born of a dream...
As for every famous product, Cognac has its legend.
It is said that the secret of double distillation was discovered in
the 16th century by the Knight Jacques de la Croix-Maron. It is
thanks to a nightmare that Cognac saw the light of day : Satan,
wanting to have his soul, tried to boil it but did not succeed. It
is when the devil threatened to reboil it that the knight awoke
suddenly and became convinced that by distilling his wine a second
time, he would allow his wine to express itself in a new brouillis.
The ageing
The distilled wine must age before becoming Cognac. This ageing
takes place in 270 to 450 litre oak casks. The natural level of
humidity in the cellars is one of the main influencing factors on
the ageing of the spirits due to its effect on evaporation. The
charentais coopers have traditionally used wood from the Limousin
and the Tronçais forests. The Tronçais forest, in the Allier
department of France, provides soft, finely grained wood which is
particularly porous to alcohol. The Limousin forest produces medium
grained wood, harder and even more porous. Today, the Cooperage
industries of the Cognac region, with their ancestral know-how,
export all over the world
The angels'
share
In order to develop all its qualities and also to
reduce its alcohol content, Cognac must mature for many years in
oaks casks.
During this ageing, Cognac loses
between 3 and 4 % of its volume every year. This evaporation
represents 27 million bottles per year for the Cognac region !
Although it is a loss, it is a necessity for the maturing process
and is poetically known as "the angels' share".
The evolution
of Cognac in casks
A Cognac's age is determined solely by the
numberof years that it has matured in wooden casks. The fundamental
principle behind this fact is that in a glass bottle Cognac stops
ageing. A Cognac that has come straight from the pot still has an
alcohol content of about 70%. As it ages, Cognac concentrates the
aromas and the colours as it darkens to a warm shade of ambre.
During the first few years (from 0 to 5 years), the bouquet mellows
and becomes less agressive. The spirit turns to a shade of yellow
that darkens more and more. The odour of oakwood develops. Next, the
taste becomes more pleasant and smoother. The oakwood fragrance
introduces scents of flowers and vanilla...
Beyond 10 years of age, Cognac
reaches maturity and has a much darker colour. The bouquet is at its
best and the famous "rancio" appears.
The assembly
From beginning to end, the making of cognac (or 'elaboration') is
the subject of a complex alchemy. The quality of each and every
cognac depends as much on the "assemblies"as on the care given to
the vine, the grape harvest, the wine making, the distillation and
the ageing in casks. The cognac that you drink is in fact the fruit
of "assemblies" of different vintages and different ages. It is
these assemblies that produce the harmony in the taste.
The "assemblies" are the result of unwritten
ancestral know-how. They are the secret of the "maîtres de chai" or
"cellar masters", persons of exception who watch over the cognac
from its exit from the still to the bottling. It is the cellar
masters who, after years of patient training by the elders, decide
to decant casks or to change cellars in order to best develop the
quality of the spirit. They also decide when and how to assemble the
spirits. It is often said of the cellar masters that they alone
represent the true value of Cognac houses.
The assembly is done in several steps that are spread throughout the
entire ageing process. The cellar masters do not use any instruments
of measure, they rely entirely on their judgement of taste and
smell. Their senses are so accurate that they are always right.
Vines are planted about 3 meters appart. Harvest can begin as soon
as the grape has reached perfect ripeness. This is usually about the
begining of October and lasts until the end of the month.
