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Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 Uses
o 2.1 Beverages
2.1.1 Drinking temperature
o 2.2 Culinary
o 2.3 Medicinal
3 History
4 Terminology and legal definitions
5 Types
o 5.1 Grape brandy
o 5.2 Fruit brandy
o 5.3 Pomace brandy
6 COGNAC (BRANDY)
7 ARMAGNAC BRANDY
Brandy
Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt
wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains
35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner
drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, while some are simply
coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and
some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and
colouring).
Brandy is also produced from fermented fruits other than grapes, but
these products are typically called eaux-de-vie.
In some countries, fruit flavouring or some other flavouring may be
added to a spirit that is called "brandy".
Uses
Beverages
Brandy may be served neat or on the rocks. It is added to other
beverages to make several popular cocktails; these include the Brandy
Alexander, the Sidecar, the Brandy Sour, and the Brandy Old Fashioned.
Drinking temperature
Brandy is traditionally drunk neat at room temperature in western
countries from a snifter or a tulip glass. In parts of Asia, it is usually
drunk on the rocks. When drunk at room temperature, it is often slightly
warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gently heating it.
However, excessive heating of brandy may cause the alcohol vapour to
become too strong, to the extent that its aroma can become
overpowering. Brandy connoisseurs will ask for the glass to be warmed
before the Brandy is added, this causes the aroma to be strong without
having to hold the glass, and the flavour to be maximised.
Brandy has a more pleasant aroma at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 °C
(61 °F). In most homes, this would imply that brandy should be cooled
rather than heated for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol
(which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin when it is
heated (and more viscous when cooled). Thus, cool brandy produces a
fuller and smoother mouthfeel and less of a "burning" sensation.
Culinary
Flavoured brandy is added to desserts, including cake and pie
toppings, to enhance their flavour.
Flavoured brandy is commonly added to apple dishes.
Brandy is a common deglazing liquid that is used in making pan sauces
for steak and other meat.
Brandy is used to create a more intense flavour in some soups, notably
onion soup.
Medicinal
Brandy was an important ingredient in many patent medicines such as
Daffy's Elixir.
History
The origins of brandy are clearly tied to the development of distillation.
Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and
Rome. Brandy, as it is known today, first began to appear in the 12th
century and became generally popular in the 14th century.
Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to
make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that
wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by
volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to
the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after
having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved
over the original distilled spirit. In addition to removing water, the
distillation process leads to the formation and decomposition of
numerous aroma compounds, fundamentally altering the composition of
the distillate from its source. Non-volatile substances such as pigments,
sugars, and salts remain behind in the still. As a result, the taste of the
distillate may be quite unlike that of the original source.
As described in the 1728 edition of Cyclopaedia, the following method
was used to distil brandy:
A cucurbit was filled half full of the liquor from which brandy was to be
drawn and then raised with a little fire until about one sixth part was
distilled, or until that which falls into the receiver was entirely
flammable. This liquor, distilled only once, was called spirit of wine or
brandy. Purified by another distillation (or several more), this was then
called spirit of wine rectified. The second distillation was made in
balneo mariae and in a glass cucurbit, and the liquor was distilled to
about one half the quantity. This was further rectified—as long as the
operator thought necessary—to produce brandy.
To shorten these several distillations, which were long and troublesome,
a chemical instrument was invented that reduced them to a single
distillation. To test the purity of the rectified spirit of wine, a portion was
ignited. If the entire contents were consumed without leaving any
impurity behind, then the liquor was good. Another, better test involved
putting a little gunpowder in the bottom of the spirit. If the gunpowder
took fire when the spirit was consumed, then the liquor was good.
As most brandies are distilled from grapes, the regions of the world
producing excellent brandies have roughly paralleled those areas
producing grapes for viniculture. At the end of the 19th century, the
western European market—and by extension their overseas empires—
was dominated by French and Spanish brandies, and eastern Europe was
dominated by brandies from the Black Sea region, including Bulgaria,
the Crimea, and Georgia. In 1880, David Saradjishvili founded his
Cognac Factory in Tbilisi, Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire)
which was a crossroads for Turkish, Central Asian, and Persian trade
routes. Armenian and Georgian brandies (always called cognacs in the
era) were considered some of the best in the world, often beating their
French competitors at the International Expositions in Paris and Brussels
in the early 1900s. The storehouses of the Romanov Court in St.
Petersburg were regarded as the largest collections of cognacs and wines
in the world—much of it from the Transcaucasus region of Georgia.
During the October Revolution of 1917, upon the storming of the Winter
Palace, the Bolshevik Revolution actually paused for a week or so as the
rioters engorged on the substantial stores of cognac and wines. The
Russian market was always a huge brandy-consuming region, and while
much of it was home-grown, much was imported. The patterns of bottles
follow that of western European norm. Throughout the Soviet era, the
production of brandy remained a source of pride for the communist
regime, and they continued to produce some excellent varieties—most
famously the Jubilee Brandies of 1967, 1977, and 1987. Remaining
bottles of these productions are highly sought after, not simply for their
quality, but for their historical significance.
Terminology and legal definitions
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica and general colloquial usage
of the term, brandy may also be made from pomace and from fermented
fruit other than grapes.
If a beverage comes from a particular fruit (or multiple fruits) other than
exclusively grapes, or from the must of such fruit, it may be referred to
as a "fruit brandy" or "fruit spirit" or using the name of a fruit, such as
"peach brandy", rather than just generically as "brandy". If pomace is the
raw material, the beverage may be called "pomace brandy", "marc
brandy", "grape marc", "fruit marc spirit", or "grape marc spirit". Grape
pomace brandy may be designated as "grappa" or "grappa
brandy".Apple brandy may be referred to as "applejack". There is also a
product called "grain brandy" that is made from grain spirits.
Within particular jurisdictions, there are specific regulatory requirements
regarding the labelling of products identified as brandy. For example:
In the European Union, there are regulationsthat require products
labelled as brandy (except "grain brandy") to be produced exclusively
from the distillation or redistillation of (grape-based) wine (or "wine
fortified for distillation"), and a minimum of six months of aging in oak
is required. Alcoholic beverages imported to the EU from the United
States or other non-EC states can be sold within the European Union
using labels that refer to them as "fruit brandy" or "pomace brandy",
but such a label cannot be used in the EU for products produced in an
EC member state.
In the United States, brandy that has been produced in some way
other than using grape wine must be labelled with a clarifying
description of the type of brandy production (e.g., "peach brandy",
"fruit brandy", "dried fruit brandy", or "pomace brandy"), and brandy
that has not been aged in oak for at least two years must be labelled
as "immature".
In Canada, the regulations regarding naming conventions for brandy
are basically similar to those the United States (provisions B.02.050–
061), the minimum specified aging period is six months in wood
(although not necessarily oak, provision B.02.061.2), and caramel,
fruit, other botantical substances, flavourings, and flavouring
preparations may also be included in a product called brandy
(provisions B.02.050–059).
The German term Weinbrand is equivalent to the English term "brandy",
but outside the German-speaking countries it is used only for brandy
from Austria and Germany.
In Poland, brandy is sometimes called winiak, from wino (wine).
Types
There are three main types of brandy. The term "brandy" denotes grape
brandy if the type is not otherwise specified.
Grape brandy
Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grapes.
Brandy de Jerez barrels aging
Albanian grape brandy (Raki e Rushi) is the most popular and
traditional alcholic beverage in Albania and the Albanian regions of
Eastern Montenegro.
American grape brandy is almost always from California.[4] Popular
brands include Christian Brothers and Korbel.
Armenian brandy has been produced since the 1880s and comes from
the Ararat plain in the southern part of Armenia. It was Winston
Churchill's favourite brandy. Bottles on the market are aged anywhere
from 3 to 20 years. During the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900,
the brandy received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called
'cognac', not 'brandy', following a blind degustation.
Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest
of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous
distilled in a copper still and aged in oak casks from Gascony or
Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs
have a specificity: they offer vintage qualities. Popular brands are
Darroze, Baron de Sigognac, Larressingle, Delord, Laubade, Gélas and
Janneau.
Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France,[4] and is double
distilled using pot stills. Popular brands include Hine, Martell, Camus,
Otard, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Frapin, Delamain and Courvoisier.
Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that originates from vineyards around
Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain.[11] It is used in some sherries
and is also available as a separate product. It has a Protected
Designation of Origin (PDO). The traditional production method has
three characteristics:
o Aged in European oak casks with a capacity of 500 litres,
previously having contained sherry.
o The use of the traditional aging system of Criaderas and Soleras.
o Aged exclusively within the municipal boundaries of Jerez de la
Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda
in the province of Cádiz.[12]
Pisco is a strong, colorless brandy that comes from Ica Region in Peru
made of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes. Chile produces Chilean
Piscowhich is yellowish-to-amber colored brandy.
Portugal: Lourinhã, located in western Portugal, is one of the few
brandy-making areas, besides Cognac, Armagnac and Jerez, that have
received appellation status.[citation needed]
South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in
Cognac, using a double-distillation process in copper pot stills followed
by aging in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Because of this,
South African brandies are of a very high quality.
Cyprus brandy differs from other varieties in that its alcohol
concentration is only 32% ABV.
Other countries: Grape brandy is also produced in many other
countries, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy,
Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.
The European Union and some other countries legally enforce the use of
the name Cognac as the exclusive name for brandy produced and
distilled in the Cognac area of France and the name Armagnac for
brandy from the Gascony area of France, made using traditional
techniques. Since these are considered PDO, they refer not just to styles
of brandy but brandies from a specific region, i.e. a brandy made in
California in a manner identical to the method used to make Cognac and
which tastes similar to Cognac, cannot be called Cognac in places that
restrict the use of that term to products made in the Cognac region of
France (such places include Europe, the United States and Canada).
Fruit brandy
A bottle of Calvados, a French fruit brandy made from apples
Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits other than grapes. Apples,
peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, elderberries, raspberries, and
blackberries, are the most commonly used fruits. Fruit brandy usually
contains 40% to 45% ABV. It is usually colourless and is customarily
drunk chilled or over ice.
Applejack is an American apple brandy, made from the distillation of
hard cider. It was once made by fractional freezing, which would
disqualify it as a proper brandy.
Buchu brandy is South African and flavoured with extracts from
Agathosma species.
Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower
Normandy. It is double distilled from fermented apples.
Damassine is a prune (the fruit of the Damassinier tree) brandy from
the Jura Mountains of Switzerland
Coconut brandy is a brandy made from the sap of coconut flowers.
Eau-de-vie is a general French term for fruit brandy (or even grape
brandy that is not qualified as Armagnac or Cognac, including pomace
brandy).
German Schnaps is fruit brandy produced in Germany or Austria.
Kirschwasser is a fruit brandy made from cherries.
Kukumakranka brandy is South African and flavoured with the ripe
fruit of the Kukumakranka.
Pálenka or "Pálené" or name of fruit with suffix -ica, is common
traditional expression for Slovak brandy. It only can be distilled from
fruits, forrest or domestificated from Slovakia.
Pálinka is a traditional Hungarian fruit brandy. It can only be made of
fruits from Hungary, such as plums, apricots, peaches, elderberries,
pears, apples or cherries.
Poire Williams (Williamine) is made from Bartlett pears (also known as
Williams pears).
Rakia is a type of fruit brandy produced in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia; it may be made from
plums, apples, quinces, pears, apricots, cherries, mulberries, grapes, or
walnuts.
Slivovice is a strong fruit brandy made from plums. It is produced in
Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Țuică is a clear Romanian fruit brandy made from plums, apples,
pears, apricots, mulberries, peaches, quinces, or mixtures of these.
Romania and Moldova also produce a grape brandy called vin ars
(burnt wine) or divin.
Pomace brandy
Pomace brandy (also called marc in both English and French) is
produced by fermentation and distillation of the grape skins, seeds, and
stems that remain after grapes have been pressed to extract their juice
(which is then used to make wine). Most pomace brandies are neither
aged nor coloured.
Examples of pomace brandy are:
Albanian Raki e Rushi
Bulgarian/Macedonian grozdova
Cretan tsikoudia
Cypriot zivania
French marc
Georgian chacha
Greek tsipouro
Hungarian törkölypálinka
Italian grappa
Portuguese aguardente
Romanian tescovină
Serbian/Bosnian komovica
Slovak vinovica
Slovenian tropinovec
Spanish orujo
COGNAC (BRANDY)
Cognac ( /ˈkɒn j æ k / KON-yak), named after the town of Cognac in
France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region
surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French
Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
As an Appellation d'origine contrôlée, in order to bear the name Cognac,
the production methods for the distilled brandy must meet specified
legal requirements. It must be made from certain grapes (see below); of
these, Ugni Blanc, known locally as Saint-Emilion, is the most widely
used variety today. It must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged
at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais.
Most cognacs are aged considerably longer than the minimum legal
requirement, because cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and
wine when aged in a barrel.
Producing region and legal definitions
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve
this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may
be challenged and removed. (December 2010)
Map of the Cognac region
The region authorised to produce cognac is divided into six zones,
including five crus broadly covering the department of Charente-
Maritime, a large part of the department of Charente and a few areas in
Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six zones are: Grande Champagne,
Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois
Ordinaire. A blend of Grande and Petite Champagne Cognacs, with at
least half coming from Grande Champagne, is known as Fine
Champagne.
Cognac-producing regions should not be confused with the northeastern
region of Champagne, a wine region that produces sparkling wine by
that name, although they do share a common etymology – both being
derivations of a French term for chalky soil.
Production process
Cognac is made from fruit brandy, called eau de vie in English,
produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the
growth areas.
Grapes
The wine is very dry, acidic, and thin, "virtually undrinkable", but
excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list
of grape varieties, if it is to carry the name of one of the crus then it
must be at least 90% Ugni Blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle
Blanche and Colombard, although 10% of the grapes used can be
Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé),
Sélect, Montils or Sémillon. Cognacs which are not to carry the name of
a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90%
Colombard, Folle Blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François,
Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni Blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.
Fermentation and distillation
A cognac pot still.
After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for two or three
weeks, with the region's native, wild yeasts converting the sugar into
alcohol; neither sugar nor sulfur may be added. At this point, the
resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.
Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper stills,
also known as an alembic, the design and dimensions of which are also
legally controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting
eau-de-vie is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.
Aging
Once distillation is complete, it must be aged in oak for at least two
years before it can be sold to the public. As the cognac interacts with the
oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about three percent
each year, slowly losing both alcohol and waterBecause the alcohol
dissipates faster than the water, cognac reaches the target 40% alcohol
by volume in about four or five years, though lesser grades can be
produced much sooner by diluting the cognac with water, which also
makes its flavor less concentrated. Since oak barrels stop contributing to
flavor after four or five decades, cognac is then transferred to large glass
carboys called bonbonnes, then stored for future blending.
Blending
The age of the cognac is calculated as that of the youngest eau-de-vie
used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and (in the case
of the larger and more commercial producers) from different local areas.
This blending, or marriage, of different eaux-de-vie is important to
obtain a complexity of flavours absent from an eau-de-vie from a single
distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (maître de
chai), who is responsible for creating this delicate blend of spirits, so
that the cognac produced by a company today will taste almost exactly
the same as a cognac produced by that same company 50 years ago, or in
50 years' time.[citation needed] In this respect it is similar to the process of
blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent
brand flavor. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon
Painturaud and Moyet, do not blend their final product from different
ages of eaux-de-vie to produce a 'purer' flavour (a practice roughly
equivalent to the production of a single-cask Scotch whisky). Hundreds
of vineyards in the Cognac AOC region sell their own cognac. These are
likewise blended from the eaux-de-vie of different years, but they are
single-vineyard cognacs, varying slightly from year to year and
according to the taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the
predictability of the better-known commercial products. Depending on
their success in marketing, small producers may sell a larger or smaller
proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers, bars and
restaurants, the remainder being acquired by larger cognac houses for
blending. The success of artisanal cognacs has encouraged some larger
industrial-scale producers to produce single-vineyard cognacs.
Grades
Martell VS (Very Special) cognac.
Boutrand Fine Champagne cognac.
According to the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac),
the official quality grades of cognac are the following:
V.S. ("very special"),Very Special, or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a
blend in which the youngest brandy has been stored for at least two
years in cask.
V.S.O.P. ("very superior old pale")designates a blend in which the
youngest brandy is stored for at least four years in a cask, but the
average wood age is much older.
XO ("extra old") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is
stored for at least six years but on average for upwards of 20 years. On
1 April 2016, the minimum storage age of the youngest brandy used in
an XO blend will be set to ten years.
The names of the grades are in English because the British market was
long the primary market for cognac or, as explained in the FAQ of the
BNIC website, because most of the main initial trading posts were
created by people from Britain.
In addition the following can be mentioned:
Napoleon is, according to the BNIC, a grade equal to XO in terms of
minimum age, but it is generally marketed in-between VSOP and XO in
the product range offered by the producers.
Extra designates a minimum of 6 years of age, this grade is usually
older than a Napoleon or an XO.
Vieux is another grade between the official grades of VSOP and XO.
Vieille Réserve is, like the Hors d´Âge, a grade beyond XO.
Hors d'âge ("beyond age") is a designation which BNIC states is equal
to XO, but in practice the term is used by producers to market a high
quality product beyond the official age scale.
The crus where the grapes were grown can also be used to define the
cognac, and give a guide to some of the flavour characteristics of the
cognac:
Grande Champagne (13,766 hectares (34,020 acres)) Grande
Champagne eaux de vie are long in the mouth and powerful,
dominated by floral notes. The most prestigious of the crus.
"Champagne" derives from the Roman "Campania" meaning Plain, but
is often explained with similarity in soil with the Champagne area at
Rheims.
Petite Champagne (16,171 hectares (39,960 acres)) Petite Champagne
eaux de vie have similar characteristics to those from Grande
Champagne but are in general shorter on the palate. Cognacs made
from a mixture of Grande and Petite Champagne eaux de vie (with at
least 50% Grande Champagne) may be marketed as Fine Champagne.
Borderies (4,160 hectares (10,300 acres)) The smallest cru, eaux de vie
from the Borderies are the most distinctive, with nutty aromas and
flavour, as well as a distinct violet or iris characteristic. Cognacs made
with a high percentage of these eaux de vie, for example, "Cordon
Bleu" by Martell, are dominated by these very sought-after flavours.
Fins Bois (34,265 hectares (84,670 acres)) Heavier and faster ageing
eaux de vie ideal for establishing the base of some blended cognacs.
Fins Bois is rounded and fruity, with an agreeable oiliness.
Bons Bois
Bois Ordinaires (19,979 hectares (49,370 acres) together with Bons
Bois). Further out from the four central growth areas are the Bons Bois
and the Bois Ordinaires grown regions. With a poorer soil and very
much influenced by the maritime climate, this area of 20,000 hectares
produces eaux de vie that are less demonstrative and age more
quickly. These less prestigious crus are excluded from blends by some
smaller boutique manufacturers and are generally used for high-
volume production.
The growth areas are tightly defined; there exist pockets with soils
atypical of the area producing eaux de vie that may have characteristics
particular to their location. Hennessy usually uses the unofficial brandy
grades for its cognac offerings, but has also produced three single
distillery cognacs, each with very distinctive flavours arising from the
different soils and, to a lesser extent, climate. Other cognac houses, such
as Moyet, exclusively use the crus to describe their different cognacs.
Companies and brands
While there are close to 200 cognac producers, a large percentage of
cognac—90% according to one 2008 estimate—is produced by only four
companies: Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell, and Rémy Martin.[3][10]
Other brands include: Bache-Gabrielsen/Dupuy, Braastad, Camus,
Chateau Fontpinot, Delamain, Pierre Ferrand, Frapin, Gaston de
Casteljac, Hine, Marcel Ragnaud, Moyet, Otard and Cognac Croizet.
Armagnac (BRANDY)
Armagnac (French pronunciation: [aʁmaˈɲak]) is a distinctive kind of
brandy or eau de vie produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony,
southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of
Armagnac grapes, including Baco 22A, Colombard, and Ugni Blanc,
using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of
Cognac. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release.
Production is overseen by INAO and the Bureau National
Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).
Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits,
but the brandies produced have a lower profile than those from Cognac
and the overall volume of production is far smaller. In addition they are
for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas in Cognac
production is dominated by big-name brands.
History
Armagnac is the oldest brandy distilled in France, and in the past was
consumed for its therapeutic benefits. In the 14th century, Prior Vital Du
Four, a Cardinal, claimed it had 40 virtues.
"It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them
from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures
gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralysed member
by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the
spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men
joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the
mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid
from time to time himself permits."
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the
markets of Saint-Sever, Mont-de-Marsan, and Aire-sur-l'Adour.
Subsequently, Dutch merchants began promoting the trade more widely.
Geography
Vineyards in the Armagnac region near Landes and Gers.
The Armagnac region lies between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the
foothills of the Pyrenees. The region was granted AOC status in 1936.
The official production area is divided into three districts that lie in the
departements of Gers, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne. The region contains
40,000 acres (160 km²) of grape-producing vines.[citation needed] The May 25,
1909 Falliere’s decree describes the three districts:
Bas-Armagnac
Armagnac-Ténarèze
Haut-Armagnac
Each of these areas is controlled by separate appellation regulations.
More recently, a new appellation—"Blanche d'Armagnac"—was
established to allow the production and export of clear, white brandies
that are unaged.
Production
Armagnac is traditionally distilled once, which results initially in a less
polished spirit than Cognac, where double distillation usually takes
place. However, long aging in oak barrels softens the taste and causes
the development of more complex flavours and a brown colour. Aging
in the barrel removes a part of the alcohol and water by evaporation
(known as part des anges—"angels' tribute" or "angels' share") and
allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation,
which further improves the flavour. When the alcohol reaches 40%, the
Armagnac can be transferred to large glass bottles (called "Dame
Jeanne") for storage. From then on, the Armagnac does not age or
develop further and can be bottled for sale from the next year on.
Armagnac is sold under several different classifications, mostly referring
to the age of the constituent brandies. When brandies of different ages
have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest
component. A three star, or "VS," Armagnac is a mix of several
Armagnacs that have seen at least two years of aging in wood. For the
VSOP, the aging is at least five years; and for XO, at least six. Hors
d'âge means the youngest component in the blend is at least ten years
old. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the
bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on
the bottle.
As with any "eau de vie," Armagnac should be stored vertically to avoid
damaging the stopper with alcohol. Once opened, a bottle should stay
drinkable for years.
Grapes
Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the
production of Armagnac. Of these, four form the principal part:
Armagnac Grapes:
Baco 22A
Colombard
Folle Blanche
Ugni Blanc
Armagnac can also be added to other ingredients to produce liquors that
are sold as another drink - the German company Vom Fass produces
fruit liquors with Armagnac (they are about 16% alcohol).
Health benefits
Research conducted by scientists at Bordeaux University in 2007
suggested that Armagnac has health benefits, finding that moderate
consumption can help protect against heart disease and obesity. The
research seemed to indicate that the benefits derived from its unique
distillation process and aging rather than from its alcoholic content. The
southwestern area of France, where Armagnac is produced, has some of
the lowest cardiovascular disease rates in the world.
Its share in international market
Brandy is an extremely diverse category and incorporates a broad range
of products ranging from ultrapremium Cognacs or Armagnacs, some
priced at thousands of dollars per bottle, to local unbranded products
selling for a dollar or less. Although Cognac sales are dwarfed by non-
Cognac brandy in volume terms, the former is much more important
from a value standpoint, and thus is the chief focus of this report.
In 2008, global Cognac sales fell for the first time in over 10 years,
declining by 2.76% to 11.57m ninelitre cases. This follows a record year
in 2007 when sales hit 11.9m cases.
Today the Cognac industry derives roughly one-third each of its sales
from Western Europe, the US and Asia. Bureau National
Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) CEO Jerome Durand says: “This
leaves the Cognac industry very well-balanced to manage the risk, even
though it is a global crisis.” Camus la Grande Marque CEO Cyril Camus
says: “Cognac is one of the few truly global products. It has a very high
image and appeals to consumers everywhere... there is a very strong
stable international base to Cognac consumption. That is a very
reassuring factor in times like this.” The Cognac industry has counter-
attacked Scotch's rise in many markets with a number of initiatives
aimed at providing a point of differentiation and product story, and is
ultimately taking the initiative back from the single malt producers.
With over 27,000 words and 70 tables, this report provides the definitive
review of the global Cognac and brandy markets, its brands and their
strategies and distribution. Use this report to discover where the
opportunities lie in the global marketplace.
Report overview:
This chapter sets the scene and provides a backdrop to the report's
findings, analysing the major trends and issues affecting the global
Cognac/brandy market. This chaper contains the report's forecast data
with world brandy and Cognac/Armagnac sales, years 2004-2014 are
provided and the main region performances are commented upon.
Extract: - Asia-Pacific was the best-performing market overall in 2008,
up 3.9%. Six of the top growth markets are located there, and it is an
important region for travel retail, the third fastest-growing market.
The impact of the downturn is analysed and where there are bright spots
to comment on (such as Asia- Pacific), the report provides commentary
and analysis, ensuring you know exactly where to focus shortterm
brand strategies on.
Whether we're seeing a consumer trade-down
Industry structure
Supply and demand
Regulatory changes
Marketing developments
New product activity
Mixability
Cognac-based liqueurs
Comparisons with single malt
Gifting
Extreme pricing
The relationship between Cognac and non-Cognac brandy
Subsidies
This chapter analyses each key market worldwide and provides total
sales volume for both brandy and Cognac by top brands and brand
owners. Each market section contains commentary, analysis and
exclusive interviews that provide a backdrop to the latest available data
(actual 2003-2008 numbers).
Travel retail is also quantified and discussed here.
Extract:
Cognac was the only relevant imported spirits category to show sales
growth (as opposed to shipments) in China in 2008, driven mainly by the
Martell brand. Cognac sales rose by 6.6% to 1.56m cases,
according to The IWSR. Cognac in China continues to perform strongly
in its traditional Chinese entertainment channel, which Scotch finds hard
to penetrate. The Cognac category is also more profitable than Scotch,
with VSOP retailing at a 50% premium to 12-year-old Scotch brands.
Moreover, the ultra-premium segment in Cognac (XO and over) is much
larger than its Scotch equivalents, such as Royal Salute or Johnnie
Walker Blue. All this makes the category more attractive than Scotch at
importer, wholesaler and retailer levels.
Pernod Ricard CEO Pierre Pringuet confirms: “Martell in China is
booming. Consumption for Cognac is very well-established in China, so
it means that when people are less keen to buy foreign products, they
will probably re-focus on their traditions and Cognac is much more in a
position [to serve that] than Scotch whisky.”