Cognac & brandy

1. 1

   The sugar

   Grapes carry their own sugar: no malting or cooking. The white wine is thin and acidic (Ugni Blanc above all), which is just what the still needs.

2. 2

   The ferment

   The wine ferments to about 9% and is distilled, often on its lees, without sulphur.

3. 3

   The still

   Twice in a copper Charentais alembic heated by a naked flame: the brouillis of about 28–30%, then the bonne chauffe. Distillation must end by 31 March after the harvest.

4. 4

   The wait

   French oak (Limousin, Tronçais), in damp cellars for a slow, gentle reduction. VS at least 2 years, VSOP 4, XO 10.

The rules

• Grapes from the Cognac region; Ugni Blanc dominates
• Double distillation in a copper Charentais still
• Spirit no stronger than 73.7% at the second distillation (raised from 72.4% in 2023)
• VS ≥ 2 years, VSOP ≥ 4, XO ≥ 10 in oak

In the glass

Dried fruit, flowers, vanilla, with age the rancio of old cellars. Other brandies follow other rules: Armagnac often uses a column alembic, Spanish brandy a solera.