Stateways

StateWays - November/December 2016

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/752490

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 43 of 71

StateWays | www.stateways.com | November/December 2016 44 A PRE-HARVEST VISIT TO THE HEART OF COGNAC By Melissa Dowling Editor's Note: Our colleague Melissa Dowling, editor of sister publication Cheers Magazine, recently traveled to Cognac, France. The following is an excerpt of her report: The Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) held its annual La Part des Ange (angels' share) charity auction of fi ne Cognacs in September in Cognac, France. The BNIC hosted several journalists to ex- perience the auction and tour some Cognac houses to learn more about the spirit. Cognac, which is made by distilling wine, and then aging it in wood barrels, must be produced in the Cognac geographic region of western France. The area, located 300 miles southwest of Paris and just north of Bordeaux, is divided into six regions or crus: Grand Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires. The regions result in spirits with different textures and aging capability, but the most popular areas for Cognac grapes are Grand Champagne, Petit Champagne (not to be confused with France's northeastern region of Cham- pagne known for its sparkling wine) and Borderies. The chalky soil of these regions produces acidic grapes, which is important in Cognac production. Cognac can be made from three different white grapes, ugni blanc, folle blanche and colombard, but most—about 98%—is made with ugni blanc, which is the trebbiano grape from Italy. "Ugni blanc is not really used for wine; it's very acidic and more valuable to be used for Cognac," says Damien Bertrand, commercial and marketing director for Domaine Boinaud, which produces J. Dupont & Deluze Cognac brands. It must be distilled twice, using copper pot stills, the resulting eau-de-vie must be aged in French oak barrels for a minimum of two years. V.S. Co- gnac, also known as Very Special, is aged for at least two years; V.S.O.P. (Very Special Old Pale or Reserve) ages for a minimum age of four years; and X.O. (Extra Old or Hors d'Age) is aged for a minimum age of six years. By April 2018, X.O. will indicate a minimum age of 10 years, and the Napo- leon classifi cation will be added to indicate a minimum age of six years. UNIQUE TERROIR, PRIME LOCATION "Quality starts in the vineyard," says Per Even Allaire, deputy com- mercial director for Hine, which produces the Hine Rare VSOP, Hine Vintages and Early Landed Cognacs. Founded in 1763, the Hine Estate includes 297 acres in the Grand Champagne cru; the company is known for its single vintages. "A great spirit is the product of its terroir," says Alexandre Gariel, president of Maison Ferrand, which produces the Cognac Ferrand, Pierre Ferrand Cognac and Landy Cognac, among other spirits. Cognac has three dimensions of terroir: geology, climate and expertise, given the long history of Cognac production, he notes. Cognac is 400 years old, says Benedicte Hardy of Cognac Hardy, which was founded in 1863. That's younger that the 600-year-old Ar- manac, Cognac's spirit cousin which must be from the Armagnac region in the Gascony region of southwest France. But Cognac's volume is much higher: For every six bottles of Armagnac sold around the world, 100 bottles of Cognac are sold. Location played a large part in Cognac's growth, says Hardy, who represents the 5th generation of the family and took over the business 25 years ago. The Charente river in Cognac helped the spirit grow "because it was easy to transport; Armagnac was not as lucky," she notes. Interestingly, 96% of Cognac is exported; the French don't really care for it that much. "French people like Scotch," Hardy says. MS Walker and Maison Monteru announced the launch of three ne Limited Release, rare cask brandies for Monteru: Sau- ternes Cask, Sherry Cask and Triple-Toast Cask, each with an MSRP of $58. Monteru is hand-crafted in France in copper pot stills. These 2016 releases will be followed by a series of Single Varietal Grape brandies in the coming year. Category leader Hennessy's Master Blender Yann Fillioux recently announced Master Blender's Selection No 1, the fi rst in a series of single-batch bespoke Cognacs for the Moet Hennessy USA brand. The new blend, created with eaux-de-vie aged in both young and old French oak casks and bottled at cask strength, is available exclusively in the U.S. market for $80. • Left: Alexandre Gabriel, president of Maison Ferrand, in the vineyard. Right above: The Hine chateau on the Charente River in Jarnac, Cognac. Right below: Vintage bottles in the cellar at Courvoisier. COGNAC'S CHARGE

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Stateways - StateWays - November/December 2016