Unlocking The Secrets of Cognac

Cognac has never been as fashionable. Its recently-acquired status as the drink of choice among rap and hip hop stars has given “Yak” as it is colloquially called in the African-American community a new lease of life. A decade ago the US accounted for less than a sixth of global cognac exports; today it represents a third—more than any other country.

Yet despite its newly found popularity, few people are aware about the distinction between cognac and other brandies, especially if they like it mixed. Yet for anybody who values quality, the difference is important. Order a ‘brandy’ under the illusion you are going to be served cognac in a bar or restaurant and see if you are happy with what ends up in your glass.

The fact is all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac. Like champagne, cognac has to come from a designated area of France by law —the Charente region near Bordeaux. It is also made according to strict, legal guidelines just as bourbon is in the US. There are some good eaux-de-vie produced outside this Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, but they aren’t cognac.

So what makes cognac special? Along with a group of other drinks journalists, I was recently given the opportunity to find out, courtesy of Martell— the fourth best-selling cognac brand in the US. Stretching back almost 300 years, Martell has a proud history—it was, for example, a bottle of the company’s Cordon Bleu cognac that was drunk to celebrate the signing of the armistice that ended World War I. More recently, it has been the long-term sponsor or the British Grand National horse race.

We arrived at Bordeaux airport on a grey, wintry November morning. Not perhaps the best time of year to visit the south of France, but certainly the right weather to appreciate the warming qualities of the local tipple. The 90-minute drive to the distiller’s headquarters at Chanteloup, located a few kilometres outside the 16th century town of Cognac, speeds you past ancient picturesque villages, lonely farmhouses and of course mile after mile of misty vineyards—a feature of this flat, rural landscape for over 2,000 years.

Closer to the outskirts of Cognac town, strangely blackened warehouses, which store thousands of maturing barrels of cognac, dot the landscape. This characteristic black charring is a fungus produced by evaporating cognac, or the “angel’s share” as distillers poetically call it. Not a lot of chance for bootleggers to avoid the watchful eyes of the local Customs men, it would seem.

Later we learned nobody worries too much about this expensive wastage, which is caused by a combination of stifling summer heat and the porosity of the oak wood barrels. It claims 2% of Martell’s stock each year, the equivalent of 3m bottles—such is the high price of good quality cognac.

Arriving at Château de Chanteloup takes the breath away. Martell certainly puts guests up in style—this elegant guest house with its marble floors, pictures of long-dead Martell family members, antique furniture and sparkling chandeliers looks like the perfect set for an Agatha Christie murder mystery. The echoing cries of peacocks strutting around outside in the landscaped grounds add to the slightly spooky atmosphere.

It turns out the château was completely in a Normandy style rebuilt in 1930 by Maurice Firino-Martell to placate his homesick wife. We were told this was the extravagant gesture of a besotted husband, but it was also clearly a demonstration of the enormous wealth of the major cognac houses. Today, the big brands reside in the hands of the multi-nationals (in Martell’s case, Pernod Ricard)—a sign of Cognac’s long-term decline in France. Today, the French buy more whisky in a month than they do their own native cognac in a year.

The first Monsieur Martell was less interested in showing off than making money. Born in Jersey, Jean Martell was one of life’s movers and shakers, moving to Cognac to make his fortune and founding the company in 1715. When he died in 1753, his sons were able to inherit a thriving company with a growing overseas export business. His house at Gatebourse— the original Martell site in Cognac town— is open to visitors and provides a fascinating insight into the life of a wealthy, 18th century businessman.

Another must see at Martell’s visitor centre is the restored “gabarre”—the boat that originally transported cognac barrels down the Charente river over a century ago. Other major Cognac houses such as Hennessy and Courvoisier also have excellent visitor centres in the town and tourists passing through the region should make sure they leave enough time to visit at least one. The free samples included in the admission price should be enough of a temptation.

After a typically rich French dinner the night before, we drive a short distance to see one of Martell’s vineyards early next morning. In truth, there isn’t much to see at this time of year—the grapes were harvested the month before in October. We are, however, told to look at the chalky soil closely. It is ideal for growing the acidic, ugni blanc grape, which is used almost exclusively to make cognac.

Cognac is divided into six vineyard districts, or crus. The four finest are widely considered to be Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies and Fins Bois. The other two crus are Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires. Martell’s cognacs are blended from wines from the top four areas, with a high proportion of floral Borderies.

Martell is unusual in owning a large number of vineyards; most of the other large cognac houses buy the bulk of their grapes from small vineyard owners. There are over 7,000 operating in the comparatively small 195,000-hectare area, which is officially designated for cognac production. The distinctive properties of each vineyard combine to make subtly different eaux de vie—the secret of a good cognac lies in the master distiller’s ability to blend as many as 250 together to create a rich, complex and balanced taste.

Cognac is of course as French as champagne, but brandy was actually invented by Dutch wine merchants. During the 15th century they found transporting the light Charente wines overseas difficult—they were often unstable. Their solution was drastic—to burn the wine to reduce its volume, producing a “brandewijn” or “burnt wine”. This crude form of distillation resulted not only in easier transportation, but a richer and better-flavoured wine. As much of it was headed for England, “brandewijn” was quickly anglicised to “brandy”.

Wine growers in Cognac were quick to take the Dutch discovery a step further, inventing a process of double distillation, which is still used today. In contrast, most brandies are only distilled once.

Inside Martell’s eerily quiet Gallienne distillery— one of the largest in the region and capable of producing 53,000 bottles per day—we are shown this traditional Charentais pot-still method at first hand. Although computers now control each stage in the process, the basic method of distillation has changed little.

The first distillation removes the alcohol from the wine by heating it. The vapour of the spirit rises and travels through the still’s familiar swan’s neck and condenses into a liquid called “brouillis”. The brouillis is then distilled a second time. Martell keeps the “heart” (or best part) of this second distillation, but uniquely among cognac houses, returns the “heads” and “tails” to wine that is ready for it first distillation. Martell believes this makes a superior eaux-de-vie.
< br />By law, distillation in Cognac must take place between November and March. Scotch whisky manufacturers can have their distilleries running at full tilt for 365 days a year if they wish; cognac houses have a relatively short production period, however, which partly explains why cognac’s is invariably priced at a premium to Scotch.

Once blended, cognac has to be matured in oak barrels for a minimum of two years. The spirit’s quality is measured by the average age of maturation—VS is usually aged 2 years and is perfect for mixing with soda, ginger ale or as part of a cocktail. VSOP (Very Special Old Pale) is aged around 4 years and can be enjoyed mixed or neat. The highest grade, XO (Extra Old), is aged a minimum of about 10 years and should be savoured on its own.

Martell’s cognac is aged in Tronçais oak casks that are handmade at its cooperage. Our visit to see the coopers at work is one of the highlights of the trip. Coopers are paid piecemeal so their skill and stamina are considerable considering most of the work is still done by hand. Dripping with sweat, they maintain an amazing work rate, finishing a barrel in stifling heat in less than 30 minutes. Journalism never seemed such easy work.

Another high point was a tour of Martell’s Paradis, a legendary cellar at the heart of Martell’s Gatebourse site, which houses rare cognacs dating back to 1830. These eaux-de-vie are used in some of the company’s oldest and most exclusive brands, which can cost anything up to $1,000 a bottle.

After 50 or 60 years in barrels, the best eaux-de-vie are transferred into glass demijohns and kept in the dark, and cool atmosphere of Paradis under lock and key. With an almost religious solemnity, Martell’s master blender allowed us to sample a couple of eaux-de-vie from the 19th Century. Holding the glasses, my hands shook—to spill any would probably have resulted in the screech of police sirens and the approach of burly gendarmes.

Were they any good? Well, the French novelist Victor Hugo once called cognac the “elixir of the gods”. As a long-standing supporter of single malt whisky, I always thought that a typical piece of French overstatement. But having tasted the powerful, complex and multi-textured flavour of these rare cognacs, I have to say I know what he means. Cognac is something very special.