Cognac is a kind of brandy brewed from grapes produced in cognac or its surrounding areas in France. Cognac can only be called cognac if it is distilled in a copper distiller and sealed in French oak barrels for 2 years.
All cognac is brandy, but not all cognac is cognac. According to the standards of French federal appraisal, cognac must be grape brandy distilled in cognac district of France, where about 250,000 mu of unique sandy chalky soil and mild climate make it the ideal environment for growing grapes.
Nine liters of white wine can only be brewed into one liter of cognac after two distillation procedures. Distillers are all made of red copper, and their basic design has not changed for 500 years. Each distillation takes up to 12 hours. After the second distillation, the French call it the water of life, but it will take a long time to cultivate and store these spicy new wines to deserve the good name of cognac.
Second, what is the difference between brandy and cognac?
1, cognac is the equivalent of top brandy. Cognac is originally a place name, and the wine produced is actually a kind of brandy. Cognac becomes another name for brandy. No matter whether you are a drinker or not, I believe you have all heard the words brandy and cognac, and many people think that they are the same thing, but two different names. In fact, cognac is a kind of brandy, just because this place is so famous and the cognac produced is so successful that cognac is equal to top-grade brandy.
2. There are other brandies besides cognac, which are distributed all over the world in large quantities. Take French as an example, there is a little-known but excellent brandy, namely Armagnac. This is a very special place. The output of Armagnac brandy produced by it is very small, and the degree of industrialization is very low, but it has the most personal character and can be brewed according to its own style preserved for many years.
3. In addition, besides producing Ungi Blanc brandy, Armagnac also has other grape varieties, such as Colombard and Folle Blanche. Among them, Folle Blanche is a very old grape, but local wine farmers still use it to brew brandy according to their own practices.
Third, what is XO?
XO is the abbreviation of eXtra Old, which means "Techen" in brandy. (It's like 5-year-old liquor and 10-year-old liquor, which belongs to vintage liquor), XO is the best brandy representing the top class, and there are also VSOP, VS and VO grades. In brandy, XO and VSOP both represent this series of wines. The aging period of its puree wine, such as XO, is12-50 years or even longer, while VSOP is 5 years to 10 years.
Extended data
According to this age, cognac can be divided into VS, VSOP and XO from low to high.
1, VS(Very Special): Is the youngest base wine aged in oak barrels at least? Two years.
2. VSOP(Very Superior Old Pale): Is the youngest base wine aged in oak barrels at least? Four years.
3. XO(Extra Old): Is the youngest base wine aged in oak barrels at least? Six years.
Generally speaking, the older the wine, the more expensive it becomes. Therefore, XO is generally expensive.
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