Cognac
Cognac is one of the most famous brandies. It is named after the French town of Cognac. It is made only in two French departments - Charente and Charente-Maritime. They are located in the southwest of the country.
For the Cognac to be treated as quality one it must be produced under several rules. It must be made from only certain types of grapes. Ugni blanc or Saint-Emilion grapes are used by most cognac producers. The process of making include two distillations of white wines performed in the Charentais copper equipment called "alembic".
Ugni blanc, grape, Charentais vineyard conservatory, Cherves 17
A liquid called "eaux-de-vie" ("water of life") is made. It has some 70% of alcohol per volume. It must mature for at least two years. Cognac must be kept in the oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais. During period of maturing the water in beverage slowly evaporates. The level of alcohol gets lower. When cognac is offered to customers it has about 40% of alcohol per volume.
After process of maturing the beverage is put into big special glass bottles known as the "bonbobonnes". Different cognacs from these bottles are later blended into final products. Cognac of various ages are used in blending. The youngest age is the one later mentioned as the age of blended cognac. Some producers also consider one more factor. It is the location of vineyard.
Hennessy Cognac
There are four quality categories of cognac - V.S. ("very special"), V.S.O.P. ("very superior old pale") or Reserve, XO ("extra old") or Napoleon, and Hors d'age ("beyond age"). Some of the most famous cognac brands are Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Rémy Martin.
Cognac can be used in different cocktails, but also in preparations of cakes, sauces and other delicacies.
Apart from a bottle of good cognac one also need a glass. Generally speaking there are two types of glasses suitable for drinking cognac - tulip glass and balloon glass.
Experts claim that a tulip glass is the best one. Still more popular one is a balloon glass. Some people also call it a brandy glass or snifter. Contemporary designers recently made a type of snifter without a stem. They are called wobble or wobbly glasses.
Cognac tulip glass
Now you can pour cognac in your glass. Hold your glass for couple of minutes. It is done so the beverage can reach the room temperature. Then you will be able to full enjoy the taste and smell of cognac.
While waiting for your cognac to warm up you should observe it, smell it and gently swirl it in your hand. Darker cognac has mature longer than the one of lighter colour.
First take a small sip of the beverage. Keep it in your mouth for a while to be able to fully enjoy it. Only then you swallow it.
References Cognac https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognac Cognac http://www.foodreference.com/html/a110-cognac-mv.html Cognac http://ifood.tv/french/cognac/about Cognac glasses: The two basic types and their differences http://blog.cognac-expert.com/the-two-basic-cognac-glasses-and-their-differences/ How to Taste Cognac http://blog.cognac-expert.com/how-to-taste-cognac/ Images Ugni blanc grapes (photo by Pancart, Wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ugni_blanc_raisin.jpg Cognac Hennessy XO (photo by Dmitrij Rodionov, Wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hennesy_XO_close.jpg Cognac tulip glass (photo by Chicken Falls, Wikimedia) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cognac_glass_-_tulip_shaped.JPG