When I was a child, we watched Hong Kong movies. Rich people often drank XO wine, but only a little, and the wine was only a sip.
At that time, I was impressed that drinking XO wine was a symbol of the status and noble status of the rich.
XO wines, such as remy martin XO, Martell XO and Hennessy XO, always make people feel mysterious.
Until now, for most people in China, XO wine is still the same. I have heard its name and seen its appearance, but I have never tasted it.
Excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, in China, only Cantonese and Fujian people drink XO wine, remy martin XO and Martell XO at the banquet table, which is estimated to be close to Hong Kong and influenced by Hong Kong culture.
In other parts of China, XO wine appears in night bars as a gift.
Remy martin XO, Martell XO and Hennessy XO are the three XO wine giants in various bars and towns. In nightclubs, it often appears as a set meal, such as 6 bottles of Martell XO, 10 bottles of mineral water, a fruit bowl and so on.
In a word, the appearance of XO wine is inseparable from the luxurious taste.
Now, let's unveil it.
Remy martin XO, Martell XO and Hennessy XO are all brandy, which is what we often call foreign wine.
To be precise, they are cognac, because they are all produced in the cognac region of France.
Maybe you are a stranger to cognac, but Zheng Xiaota, I will give you another place name, and I guess you will know it soon. Bordeaux, France, cognac is above Bordeaux (north).
Remy martin XO and Martell XO, like French Lafite, are almost the distance between the two sides of a river.
Red and black whisky uses barley as raw material, but brandy is different, using grapes as raw material, which is more like an upgraded version of white wine.
The base wine of brandy is mainly brewed by the grape variety Baiyuni, and then it is distilled twice by a copper distiller, then put into the oak barrels of Chen Fang for many years, and then blended.
So, the next time you have dinner with Cantonese and Fujian people, you can comment on XO wine like this.
"In remy martin XO and Martell XO wines, you can smell a little floral and fruity, as well as spices and smoky smells brought by the aging of oak barrels."
So the comments are in place.
Usually, when friends eat together and occasionally talk about brandy, most people will be curious.
"Zheng Xiaota, XO exactly mean? Remy martin XO and Martell XO, how can they all have XO? "
I looked at him and asked, "What do you think?"
The friend shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be a brand, and it won't be the name of the place of origin. Is XO a brewing material? Or a way to make wine? Or a product line? "
Neither!
In fact, XO is a grade, which is stipulated by the French brandy law.
XO stands for the number of years brandy has been aged in oak barrels.
XO is the abbreviation of "Extra Old", which means that the liquor used in this bottle of XO has been stored in oak barrels for at least ten years. The original rule before 20 18 was at least six years.
(See "Fujian people who love brandy, tell you about" VS, VSOP, XO ").
For example, remy martin XO wine is a mixture of hundreds of brandy, but the aging time of each wine in oak barrels is at least 10 years, otherwise it cannot be labeled as "XO".
In other words, every drop of remy martin XO wine you drink has been aged in oak barrels for at least 65,438+00 years, so it is not unreasonable that XO wine is expensive.
Of course, in actual production, XO wine of these top brandies will use longer liquor years, some even reaching 60 or 70 years.
Really, as China Liquor advertised, it is made of decades-old alcohol.
Here, I want to say a few words quietly. Many so-called 30-year-old and 50-year-old liquors in China are just a drop or two of the real 30-year-old and 50-year-old liquors, and then they are transformed into mellow old liquors for decades.
You said it was not authentic. People come up with the rules in black and white, saying that this is legal, it is indeed legal, and industry protectionism!
Brandy, including scotch whisky, is different from distilled liquor of the same height. All their wines must reach this age, which is also stipulated by French law.
Even if a drop of wine doesn't reach 10 years, it can't be marked XO, otherwise it will be sued!
Under such harsh requirements (there are more requirements), XO has become the highest level cognac in France, while remy martin XO, Martell XO and Hennessy XO are the top brands.
Therefore, it is not surprising that they are sought after by the rich in Hong Kong. They affectionately call them "XO" or "cross holes".
In Hong Kong in the 1980 s, there was also a high-grade sauce called XO sauce, which means high-grade and does not contain any XO wine.
There are three common XO wines in China, namely remy martin XO, Martell XO and Hennessy XO.
In Europe, America and the West, there is also a Napoleon brandy Courvoisier, but it is not very popular in China.
Remy martin XO
Among the three giants, remy martin XO is the most famous.
Remy martin was founded in 1724, using the mythical image of centaur as its brand symbol. Classic crystal bottle modeling is the most familiar advertising language. When remy martin is open, good things will come naturally!
Remy martin XO is made of more than 400 kinds of brandy, generally aged over 20 years.
Wine grapes come from the most central high-quality grapes in cognac region and are aged in Limousin oak barrels with a century-old tree.
(See this article "remy martin XO, sexy in the eyes of middle-aged rich people! 》)
Martell XO Martell XO
Born in 17 15, Martell always appeared in Hollywood movies, royal weddings and other noble occasions, spreading French life art and culture, and adopting the image of Yan Fei as the brand symbol.
The elegant arched artistic bottle is a typical symbol of Martell XO, which is blended with at least 35 years of original wine.
Hennessy XO Hennessy XO
Hennessy was founded in 1765, and now owns luxury brand LVMH and wine giant Diageo.
It has the largest cognac production plant in the world and sells more than 40% cognac worldwide.
Hennessy invented "XO" in 1870, which was later popularized by the French government and established as the official grade standard of brandy.
Hennessy XO wine is made from 100 kinds of brandy stock solution, and the history of stock solution is more than 30 years.
The price of XO wine is similar to that of Hennessy XO, Martell XO and remy martin XO, about 1600 yuan and 1700 yuan.
In the bar night, the price of these French brandy XO is almost around 4000 yuan.
Speaking of the taste of these three XO wines, it can be said that they are completely different.
Zheng Xiaota When I often eat with Cantonese and Fujian people, we often compare and evaluate them.
The flavor of old wine pursued by remy Martin XO.
The selling point is long-term cellaring, which you can clearly see in the publicity of XO in remy martin.
It tastes like oak barrels, just like red wine for the elderly, with the taste of old wines such as cedar, preserved fruit, hazelnut and cinnamon.
In some bars and clubs, many people also like to smoke cigars while drinking remy martin XO.
Because the aging taste of oak barrels matches the tobacco taste of cigars, it is "seamless".
Martell XO is just the opposite, pursuing a fresh and elegant style.
Some flowers pay attention to the "dry" taste, and you can feel the delicate and "pure" feeling of the wine body under the fine taste.
Therefore, people who pay attention to food enjoyment prefer to use Martell XO to match when eating.
Martell XO will not steal the limelight of food, and will not affect and cover up the original flavor of food.
On the other hand, Hennessy XO has richer taste and stronger layering.
You can feel too many flavors and flavors when you take a sip of wine.
The mellow taste reveals strong strength and movement.
Therefore, among the three, the taste is different, and there is no distinction between good and bad.
XO wines like remy martin XO and Martell XO have no shelf life, because they have high alcohol content and can be stored and drunk for a long time.
Even after opening, you just need to screw on the cover and save it. You don't need to drink it in a week like red wine.
Speaking of which, I know you have a question you really want to ask, "XO wine, how to drink it is the best?"
In fact, I really want to answer "drink whatever you like!"
But forget it, let's talk about it!
If you can't drink well, don't drink pure (without any liquid) like my friend Miss Z.
You can add some mineral water or ice cubes to XO wine like me.
Although the taste of XO will be a little different, it is not very big.
However, if you drink XO in a bar at night, you'd better mix it with iced black tea and green tea, which can speed up the elimination of alcohol.
However, you can't mix coke with sprite. The carbon dioxide in it will accelerate the absorption of alcohol in the stomach and make it easier to get drunk quickly, especially for beautiful girls with good figure.
As for, you say, do XO wine need to sober up?
You think XO is red wine? China Liquor needs to wake up!
Drink it.