Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

2 Uses

o 2.1 Beverages

2.1.1 Drinking temperature

o 2.2 Culinary

o 2.3 Medicinal

3 History

4 Terminology and legal definitions

5 Types

o 5.1 Grape brandy

o 5.2 Fruit brandy

o 5.3 Pomace brandy

6 COGNAC (BRANDY)

7 ARMAGNAC BRANDY

Brandy

Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt

wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains

35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner

drink. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks, while some are simply

coloured with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of such aging (and

some brandies are produced using a combination of both aging and

colouring).

Brandy is also produced from fermented fruits other than grapes, but

these products are typically called eaux-de-vie.

In some countries, fruit flavouring or some other flavouring may be

added to a spirit that is called "brandy".

Uses

Beverages

Brandy may be served neat or on the rocks. It is added to other

beverages to make several popular cocktails; these include the Brandy

Alexander, the Sidecar, the Brandy Sour, and the Brandy Old Fashioned.

Drinking temperature

Brandy is traditionally drunk neat at room temperature in western

countries from a snifter or a tulip glass. In parts of Asia, it is usually

drunk on the rocks. When drunk at room temperature, it is often slightly

warmed by holding the glass cupped in the palm or by gently heating it.

However, excessive heating of brandy may cause the alcohol vapour to

become too strong, to the extent that its aroma can become

overpowering. Brandy connoisseurs will ask for the glass to be warmed

before the Brandy is added, this causes the aroma to be strong without

having to hold the glass, and the flavour to be maximised.

Brandy has a more pleasant aroma at a lower temperature, e.g., 16 °C

(61 °F). In most homes, this would imply that brandy should be cooled

rather than heated for maximum enjoyment. Furthermore, alcohol

(which makes up 40% of a typical brandy) becomes thin when it is

heated (and more viscous when cooled). Thus, cool brandy produces a

fuller and smoother mouthfeel and less of a "burning" sensation.

Culinary

Flavoured brandy is added to desserts, including cake and pie

toppings, to enhance their flavour.

Flavoured brandy is commonly added to apple dishes.

Brandy is a common deglazing liquid that is used in making pan sauces

for steak and other meat.

Brandy is used to create a more intense flavour in some soups, notably

onion soup.

Medicinal

Brandy was an important ingredient in many patent medicines such as

Daffy's Elixir.

History

The origins of brandy are clearly tied to the development of distillation.

Concentrated alcoholic beverages were known in ancient Greece and

Rome. Brandy, as it is known today, first began to appear in the 12th

century and became generally popular in the 14th century.

Initially wine was distilled as a preservation method and as a way to

make the wine easier for merchants to transport. It was also thought that

wine was originally distilled to lessen the tax which was assessed by

volume. The intent was to add the water removed by distillation back to

the brandy shortly before consumption. It was discovered that after

having been stored in wooden casks, the resulting product had improved

over the original distilled spirit. In addition to removing water, the

distillation process leads to the formation and decomposition of

numerous aroma compounds, fundamentally altering the composition of

the distillate from its source. Non-volatile substances such as pigments,

sugars, and salts remain behind in the still. As a result, the taste of the

distillate may be quite unlike that of the original source.

As described in the 1728 edition of Cyclopaedia, the following method

was used to distil brandy:

A cucurbit was filled half full of the liquor from which brandy was to be

drawn and then raised with a little fire until about one sixth part was

distilled, or until that which falls into the receiver was entirely

flammable. This liquor, distilled only once, was called spirit of wine or

brandy. Purified by another distillation (or several more), this was then

called spirit of wine rectified. The second distillation was made in

balneo mariae and in a glass cucurbit, and the liquor was distilled to

about one half the quantity. This was further rectified—as long as the

operator thought necessary—to produce brandy.

To shorten these several distillations, which were long and troublesome,

a chemical instrument was invented that reduced them to a single

distillation. To test the purity of the rectified spirit of wine, a portion was

ignited. If the entire contents were consumed without leaving any

impurity behind, then the liquor was good. Another, better test involved

putting a little gunpowder in the bottom of the spirit. If the gunpowder

took fire when the spirit was consumed, then the liquor was good.

As most brandies are distilled from grapes, the regions of the world

producing excellent brandies have roughly paralleled those areas

producing grapes for viniculture. At the end of the 19th century, the

western European market—and by extension their overseas empires—

was dominated by French and Spanish brandies, and eastern Europe was

dominated by brandies from the Black Sea region, including Bulgaria,

the Crimea, and Georgia. In 1880, David Saradjishvili founded his

Cognac Factory in Tbilisi, Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire)

which was a crossroads for Turkish, Central Asian, and Persian trade

routes. Armenian and Georgian brandies (always called cognacs in the

era) were considered some of the best in the world, often beating their

French competitors at the International Expositions in Paris and Brussels

in the early 1900s. The storehouses of the Romanov Court in St.

Petersburg were regarded as the largest collections of cognacs and wines

in the world—much of it from the Transcaucasus region of Georgia.

During the October Revolution of 1917, upon the storming of the Winter

Palace, the Bolshevik Revolution actually paused for a week or so as the

rioters engorged on the substantial stores of cognac and wines. The

Russian market was always a huge brandy-consuming region, and while

much of it was home-grown, much was imported. The patterns of bottles

follow that of western European norm. Throughout the Soviet era, the

production of brandy remained a source of pride for the communist

regime, and they continued to produce some excellent varieties—most

famously the Jubilee Brandies of 1967, 1977, and 1987. Remaining

bottles of these productions are highly sought after, not simply for their

quality, but for their historical significance.

Terminology and legal definitions

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica and general colloquial usage

of the term, brandy may also be made from pomace and from fermented

fruit other than grapes.

If a beverage comes from a particular fruit (or multiple fruits) other than

exclusively grapes, or from the must of such fruit, it may be referred to

as a "fruit brandy" or "fruit spirit" or using the name of a fruit, such as

"peach brandy", rather than just generically as "brandy". If pomace is the

raw material, the beverage may be called "pomace brandy", "marc

brandy", "grape marc", "fruit marc spirit", or "grape marc spirit". Grape

pomace brandy may be designated as "grappa" or "grappa

brandy".Apple brandy may be referred to as "applejack". There is also a

product called "grain brandy" that is made from grain spirits.

Within particular jurisdictions, there are specific regulatory requirements

regarding the labelling of products identified as brandy. For example:

In the European Union, there are regulationsthat require products

labelled as brandy (except "grain brandy") to be produced exclusively

from the distillation or redistillation of (grape-based) wine (or "wine

fortified for distillation"), and a minimum of six months of aging in oak

is required. Alcoholic beverages imported to the EU from the United

States or other non-EC states can be sold within the European Union

using labels that refer to them as "fruit brandy" or "pomace brandy",

but such a label cannot be used in the EU for products produced in an

EC member state.

In the United States, brandy that has been produced in some way

other than using grape wine must be labelled with a clarifying

description of the type of brandy production (e.g., "peach brandy",

"fruit brandy", "dried fruit brandy", or "pomace brandy"), and brandy

that has not been aged in oak for at least two years must be labelled

as "immature".

In Canada, the regulations regarding naming conventions for brandy

are basically similar to those the United States (provisions B.02.050–

061), the minimum specified aging period is six months in wood

(although not necessarily oak, provision B.02.061.2), and caramel,

fruit, other botantical substances, flavourings, and flavouring

preparations may also be included in a product called brandy

(provisions B.02.050–059).

The German term Weinbrand is equivalent to the English term "brandy",

but outside the German-speaking countries it is used only for brandy

from Austria and Germany.

In Poland, brandy is sometimes called winiak, from wino (wine).

Types

There are three main types of brandy. The term "brandy" denotes grape

brandy if the type is not otherwise specified.

Grape brandy

Grape brandy is produced by the distillation of fermented grapes.

Brandy de Jerez barrels aging

Albanian grape brandy (Raki e Rushi) is the most popular and

traditional alcholic beverage in Albania and the Albanian regions of

Eastern Montenegro.

American grape brandy is almost always from California.[4] Popular

brands include Christian Brothers and Korbel.

Armenian brandy has been produced since the 1880s and comes from

the Ararat plain in the southern part of Armenia. It was Winston

Churchill's favourite brandy. Bottles on the market are aged anywhere

from 3 to 20 years. During the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900,

the brandy received the Grand-Prix and the legal right to be called

'cognac', not 'brandy', following a blind degustation.

Armagnac is made from grapes of the Armagnac region in Southwest

of France (Gers, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne). It is single-continuous

distilled in a copper still and aged in oak casks from Gascony or

Limousin. Armagnac was the first distilled spirit in France. Armagnacs

have a specificity: they offer vintage qualities. Popular brands are

Darroze, Baron de Sigognac, Larressingle, Delord, Laubade, Gélas and

Janneau.

Cognac comes from the Cognac region in France,[4] and is double

distilled using pot stills. Popular brands include Hine, Martell, Camus,

Otard, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Frapin, Delamain and Courvoisier.

Brandy de Jerez is a brandy that originates from vineyards around

Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain.[11] It is used in some sherries

and is also available as a separate product. It has a Protected

Designation of Origin (PDO). The traditional production method has

three characteristics:

o Aged in European oak casks with a capacity of 500 litres,

previously having contained sherry.

o The use of the traditional aging system of Criaderas and Soleras.

o Aged exclusively within the municipal boundaries of Jerez de la

Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda

in the province of Cádiz.[12]

Pisco is a strong, colorless brandy that comes from Ica Region in Peru

made of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes. Chile produces Chilean

Piscowhich is yellowish-to-amber colored brandy.

Portugal: Lourinhã, located in western Portugal, is one of the few

brandy-making areas, besides Cognac, Armagnac and Jerez, that have

received appellation status.[citation needed]

South African grape brandies are, by law, made almost exactly as in

Cognac, using a double-distillation process in copper pot stills followed

by aging in oak barrels for a minimum of three years. Because of this,

South African brandies are of a very high quality.

Cyprus brandy differs from other varieties in that its alcohol

concentration is only 32% ABV.

Other countries: Grape brandy is also produced in many other

countries, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy,

Macedonia, Mexico, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine.

The European Union and some other countries legally enforce the use of

the name Cognac as the exclusive name for brandy produced and

distilled in the Cognac area of France and the name Armagnac for

brandy from the Gascony area of France, made using traditional

techniques. Since these are considered PDO, they refer not just to styles

of brandy but brandies from a specific region, i.e. a brandy made in

California in a manner identical to the method used to make Cognac and

which tastes similar to Cognac, cannot be called Cognac in places that

restrict the use of that term to products made in the Cognac region of

France (such places include Europe, the United States and Canada).

Fruit brandy

A bottle of Calvados, a French fruit brandy made from apples

Fruit brandies are distilled from fruits other than grapes. Apples,

peaches, apricots, plums, cherries, elderberries, raspberries, and

blackberries, are the most commonly used fruits. Fruit brandy usually

contains 40% to 45% ABV. It is usually colourless and is customarily

drunk chilled or over ice.

Applejack is an American apple brandy, made from the distillation of

hard cider. It was once made by fractional freezing, which would

disqualify it as a proper brandy.

Buchu brandy is South African and flavoured with extracts from

Agathosma species.

Calvados is an apple brandy from the French region of Lower

Normandy. It is double distilled from fermented apples.

Damassine is a prune (the fruit of the Damassinier tree) brandy from

the Jura Mountains of Switzerland

Coconut brandy is a brandy made from the sap of coconut flowers.

Eau-de-vie is a general French term for fruit brandy (or even grape

brandy that is not qualified as Armagnac or Cognac, including pomace

brandy).

German Schnaps is fruit brandy produced in Germany or Austria.

Kirschwasser is a fruit brandy made from cherries.

Kukumakranka brandy is South African and flavoured with the ripe

fruit of the Kukumakranka.

Pálenka or "Pálené" or name of fruit with suffix -ica, is common

traditional expression for Slovak brandy. It only can be distilled from

fruits, forrest or domestificated from Slovakia.

Pálinka is a traditional Hungarian fruit brandy. It can only be made of

fruits from Hungary, such as plums, apricots, peaches, elderberries,

pears, apples or cherries.

Poire Williams (Williamine) is made from Bartlett pears (also known as

Williams pears).

Rakia is a type of fruit brandy produced in Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria,

Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia; it may be made from

plums, apples, quinces, pears, apricots, cherries, mulberries, grapes, or

walnuts.

Slivovice is a strong fruit brandy made from plums. It is produced in

Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Țuică is a clear Romanian fruit brandy made from plums, apples,

pears, apricots, mulberries, peaches, quinces, or mixtures of these.

Romania and Moldova also produce a grape brandy called vin ars

(burnt wine) or divin.

Pomace brandy

Pomace brandy (also called marc in both English and French) is

produced by fermentation and distillation of the grape skins, seeds, and

stems that remain after grapes have been pressed to extract their juice

(which is then used to make wine). Most pomace brandies are neither

aged nor coloured.

Examples of pomace brandy are:

Albanian Raki e Rushi

Bulgarian/Macedonian grozdova

Cretan tsikoudia

Cypriot zivania

French marc

Georgian chacha

Greek tsipouro

Hungarian törkölypálinka

Italian grappa

Portuguese aguardente

Romanian tescovină

Serbian/Bosnian komovica

Slovak vinovica

Slovenian tropinovec

Spanish orujo

COGNAC (BRANDY)

Cognac (  /ˈkɒn j æ k / KON-yak), named after the town of Cognac in

France, is a variety of brandy. It is produced in the wine-growing region

surrounding the town from which it takes its name, in the French

Departements of Charente and Charente-Maritime.

As an Appellation d'origine contrôlée, in order to bear the name Cognac,

the production methods for the distilled brandy must meet specified

legal requirements. It must be made from certain grapes (see below); of

these, Ugni Blanc, known locally as Saint-Emilion, is the most widely

used variety today. It must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged

at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or Tronçais.

Most cognacs are aged considerably longer than the minimum legal

requirement, because cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and

wine when aged in a barrel.

Producing region and legal definitions

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve

this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may

be challenged and removed. (December 2010)

Map of the Cognac region

The region authorised to produce cognac is divided into six zones,

including five crus broadly covering the department of Charente-

Maritime, a large part of the department of Charente and a few areas in

Deux-Sèvres and the Dordogne. The six zones are: Grande Champagne,

Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bon Bois and finally Bois

Ordinaire. A blend of Grande and Petite Champagne Cognacs, with at

least half coming from Grande Champagne, is known as Fine

Champagne.

Cognac-producing regions should not be confused with the northeastern

region of Champagne, a wine region that produces sparkling wine by

that name, although they do share a common etymology – both being

derivations of a French term for chalky soil.

Production process

Cognac is made from fruit brandy, called eau de vie in English,

produced by doubly distilling the white wines produced in any of the

growth areas.

Grapes

The wine is very dry, acidic, and thin, "virtually undrinkable", but

excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list

of grape varieties, if it is to carry the name of one of the crus then it

must be at least 90% Ugni Blanc (known in Italy as Trebbiano), Folle

Blanche and Colombard, although 10% of the grapes used can be

Folignan, Jurançon blanc, Meslier St-François (also called Blanc Ramé),

Sélect, Montils or Sémillon. Cognacs which are not to carry the name of

a cru are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90%

Colombard, Folle Blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François,

Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni Blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.

Fermentation and distillation

A cognac pot still.

After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for two or three

weeks, with the region's native, wild yeasts converting the sugar into

alcohol; neither sugar nor sulfur may be added. At this point, the

resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.

Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper stills,

also known as an alembic, the design and dimensions of which are also

legally controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting

eau-de-vie is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.

Aging

Once distillation is complete, it must be aged in oak for at least two

years before it can be sold to the public. As the cognac interacts with the

oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about three percent

each year, slowly losing both alcohol and waterBecause the alcohol

dissipates faster than the water, cognac reaches the target 40% alcohol

by volume in about four or five years, though lesser grades can be

produced much sooner by diluting the cognac with water, which also

makes its flavor less concentrated. Since oak barrels stop contributing to

flavor after four or five decades, cognac is then transferred to large glass

carboys called bonbonnes, then stored for future blending.

Blending

The age of the cognac is calculated as that of the youngest eau-de-vie

used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and (in the case

of the larger and more commercial producers) from different local areas.

This blending, or marriage, of different eaux-de-vie is important to

obtain a complexity of flavours absent from an eau-de-vie from a single

distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (maître de

chai), who is responsible for creating this delicate blend of spirits, so

that the cognac produced by a company today will taste almost exactly

the same as a cognac produced by that same company 50 years ago, or in

50 years' time.[citation needed] In this respect it is similar to the process of

blending whisky or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent

brand flavor. A very small number of producers, such as Guillon

Painturaud and Moyet, do not blend their final product from different

ages of eaux-de-vie to produce a 'purer' flavour (a practice roughly

equivalent to the production of a single-cask Scotch whisky). Hundreds

of vineyards in the Cognac AOC region sell their own cognac. These are

likewise blended from the eaux-de-vie of different years, but they are

single-vineyard cognacs, varying slightly from year to year and

according to the taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the

predictability of the better-known commercial products. Depending on

their success in marketing, small producers may sell a larger or smaller

proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers, bars and

restaurants, the remainder being acquired by larger cognac houses for

blending. The success of artisanal cognacs has encouraged some larger

industrial-scale producers to produce single-vineyard cognacs.

Grades

Martell VS (Very Special) cognac.

Boutrand Fine Champagne cognac.

According to the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac),

the official quality grades of cognac are the following:

V.S. ("very special"),Very Special, or ✯✯✯ (three stars) designates a

blend in which the youngest brandy has been stored for at least two

years in cask.

V.S.O.P. ("very superior old pale")designates a blend in which the

youngest brandy is stored for at least four years in a cask, but the

average wood age is much older.

XO ("extra old") designates a blend in which the youngest brandy is

stored for at least six years but on average for upwards of 20 years. On

1 April 2016, the minimum storage age of the youngest brandy used in

an XO blend will be set to ten years.

The names of the grades are in English because the British market was

long the primary market for cognac or, as explained in the FAQ of the

BNIC website, because most of the main initial trading posts were

created by people from Britain.

In addition the following can be mentioned:

Napoleon is, according to the BNIC, a grade equal to XO in terms of

minimum age, but it is generally marketed in-between VSOP and XO in

the product range offered by the producers.

Extra designates a minimum of 6 years of age, this grade is usually

older than a Napoleon or an XO.

Vieux is another grade between the official grades of VSOP and XO.

Vieille Réserve is, like the Hors d´Âge, a grade beyond XO.

Hors d'âge ("beyond age") is a designation which BNIC states is equal

to XO, but in practice the term is used by producers to market a high

quality product beyond the official age scale.

The crus where the grapes were grown can also be used to define the

cognac, and give a guide to some of the flavour characteristics of the

cognac:

Grande Champagne (13,766 hectares (34,020 acres)) Grande

Champagne eaux de vie are long in the mouth and powerful,

dominated by floral notes. The most prestigious of the crus.

"Champagne" derives from the Roman "Campania" meaning Plain, but

is often explained with similarity in soil with the Champagne area at

Rheims.

Petite Champagne (16,171 hectares (39,960 acres)) Petite Champagne

eaux de vie have similar characteristics to those from Grande

Champagne but are in general shorter on the palate. Cognacs made

from a mixture of Grande and Petite Champagne eaux de vie (with at

least 50% Grande Champagne) may be marketed as Fine Champagne.

Borderies (4,160 hectares (10,300 acres)) The smallest cru, eaux de vie

from the Borderies are the most distinctive, with nutty aromas and

flavour, as well as a distinct violet or iris characteristic. Cognacs made

with a high percentage of these eaux de vie, for example, "Cordon

Bleu" by Martell, are dominated by these very sought-after flavours.

Fins Bois (34,265 hectares (84,670 acres)) Heavier and faster ageing

eaux de vie ideal for establishing the base of some blended cognacs.

Fins Bois is rounded and fruity, with an agreeable oiliness.

Bons Bois

Bois Ordinaires (19,979 hectares (49,370 acres) together with Bons

Bois). Further out from the four central growth areas are the Bons Bois

and the Bois Ordinaires grown regions. With a poorer soil and very

much influenced by the maritime climate, this area of 20,000 hectares

produces eaux de vie that are less demonstrative and age more

quickly. These less prestigious crus are excluded from blends by some

smaller boutique manufacturers and are generally used for high-

volume production.

The growth areas are tightly defined; there exist pockets with soils

atypical of the area producing eaux de vie that may have characteristics

particular to their location. Hennessy usually uses the unofficial brandy

grades for its cognac offerings, but has also produced three single

distillery cognacs, each with very distinctive flavours arising from the

different soils and, to a lesser extent, climate. Other cognac houses, such

as Moyet, exclusively use the crus to describe their different cognacs.

Companies and brands

While there are close to 200 cognac producers, a large percentage of

cognac—90% according to one 2008 estimate—is produced by only four

companies: Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell, and Rémy Martin.[3][10]

Other brands include: Bache-Gabrielsen/Dupuy, Braastad, Camus,

Chateau Fontpinot, Delamain, Pierre Ferrand, Frapin, Gaston de

Casteljac, Hine, Marcel Ragnaud, Moyet, Otard and Cognac Croizet.

Armagnac (BRANDY)

Armagnac (French pronunciation: [aʁmaˈɲak]) is a distinctive kind of

brandy or eau de vie produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony,

southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of

Armagnac grapes, including Baco 22A, Colombard, and Ugni Blanc,

using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of

Cognac. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels before release.

Production is overseen by INAO and the Bureau National

Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).

Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits,

but the brandies produced have a lower profile than those from Cognac

and the overall volume of production is far smaller. In addition they are

for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas in Cognac

production is dominated by big-name brands.

History

Armagnac is the oldest brandy distilled in France, and in the past was

consumed for its therapeutic benefits. In the 14th century, Prior Vital Du

Four, a Cardinal, claimed it had 40 virtues.

"It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them

from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures

gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralysed member

by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the

spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men

joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the

mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid

from time to time himself permits."

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the

markets of Saint-Sever, Mont-de-Marsan, and Aire-sur-l'Adour.

Subsequently, Dutch merchants began promoting the trade more widely.

Geography

Vineyards in the Armagnac region near Landes and Gers.

The Armagnac region lies between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the

foothills of the Pyrenees. The region was granted AOC status in 1936.

The official production area is divided into three districts that lie in the

departements of Gers, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne. The region contains

40,000 acres (160 km²) of grape-producing vines.[citation needed] The May 25,

1909 Falliere’s decree describes the three districts:

Bas-Armagnac

Armagnac-Ténarèze

Haut-Armagnac

Each of these areas is controlled by separate appellation regulations.

More recently, a new appellation—"Blanche d'Armagnac"—was

established to allow the production and export of clear, white brandies

that are unaged.

Production

Armagnac is traditionally distilled once, which results initially in a less

polished spirit than Cognac, where double distillation usually takes

place. However, long aging in oak barrels softens the taste and causes

the development of more complex flavours and a brown colour. Aging

in the barrel removes a part of the alcohol and water by evaporation

(known as part des anges—"angels' tribute" or "angels' share") and

allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation,

which further improves the flavour. When the alcohol reaches 40%, the

Armagnac can be transferred to large glass bottles (called "Dame

Jeanne") for storage. From then on, the Armagnac does not age or

develop further and can be bottled for sale from the next year on.

Armagnac is sold under several different classifications, mostly referring

to the age of the constituent brandies. When brandies of different ages

have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest

component. A three star, or "VS," Armagnac is a mix of several

Armagnacs that have seen at least two years of aging in wood. For the

VSOP, the aging is at least five years; and for XO, at least six. Hors

d'âge means the youngest component in the blend is at least ten years

old. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the

bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on

the bottle.

As with any "eau de vie," Armagnac should be stored vertically to avoid

damaging the stopper with alcohol. Once opened, a bottle should stay

drinkable for years.

Grapes

Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the

production of Armagnac. Of these, four form the principal part:

Armagnac Grapes:

Baco 22A

Colombard

Folle Blanche

Ugni Blanc

Armagnac can also be added to other ingredients to produce liquors that

are sold as another drink - the German company Vom Fass produces

fruit liquors with Armagnac (they are about 16% alcohol).

Health benefits

Research conducted by scientists at Bordeaux University in 2007

suggested that Armagnac has health benefits, finding that moderate

consumption can help protect against heart disease and obesity. The

research seemed to indicate that the benefits derived from its unique

distillation process and aging rather than from its alcoholic content. The

southwestern area of France, where Armagnac is produced, has some of

the lowest cardiovascular disease rates in the world.

Its share in international market

Brandy is an extremely diverse category and incorporates a broad range

of products ranging from ultrapremium Cognacs or Armagnacs, some

priced at thousands of dollars per bottle, to local unbranded products

selling for a dollar or less. Although Cognac sales are dwarfed by non-

Cognac brandy in volume terms, the former is much more important

from a value standpoint, and thus is the chief focus of this report.

In 2008, global Cognac sales fell for the first time in over 10 years,

declining by 2.76% to 11.57m ninelitre cases. This follows a record year

in 2007 when sales hit 11.9m cases.

Today the Cognac industry derives roughly one-third each of its sales

from Western Europe, the US and Asia. Bureau National

Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) CEO Jerome Durand says: “This

leaves the Cognac industry very well-balanced to manage the risk, even

though it is a global crisis.” Camus la Grande Marque CEO Cyril Camus

says: “Cognac is one of the few truly global products. It has a very high

image and appeals to consumers everywhere... there is a very strong

stable international base to Cognac consumption. That is a very

reassuring factor in times like this.” The Cognac industry has counter-

attacked Scotch's rise in many markets with a number of initiatives

aimed at providing a point of differentiation and product story, and is

ultimately taking the initiative back from the single malt producers.

With over 27,000 words and 70 tables, this report provides the definitive

review of the global Cognac and brandy markets, its brands and their

strategies and distribution. Use this report to discover where the

opportunities lie in the global marketplace.

Report overview:

This chapter sets the scene and provides a backdrop to the report's

findings, analysing the major trends and issues affecting the global

Cognac/brandy market. This chaper contains the report's forecast data

with world brandy and Cognac/Armagnac sales, years 2004-2014 are

provided and the main region performances are commented upon.

Extract: - Asia-Pacific was the best-performing market overall in 2008,

up 3.9%. Six of the top growth markets are located there, and it is an

important region for travel retail, the third fastest-growing market.

The impact of the downturn is analysed and where there are bright spots

to comment on (such as Asia- Pacific), the report provides commentary

and analysis, ensuring you know exactly where to focus shortterm

brand strategies on.

Whether we're seeing a consumer trade-down

Industry structure

Supply and demand

Regulatory changes

Marketing developments

New product activity

Mixability

Cognac-based liqueurs

Comparisons with single malt

Gifting

Extreme pricing

The relationship between Cognac and non-Cognac brandy

Subsidies

This chapter analyses each key market worldwide and provides total

sales volume for both brandy and Cognac by top brands and brand

owners. Each market section contains commentary, analysis and

exclusive interviews that provide a backdrop to the latest available data

(actual 2003-2008 numbers).

Travel retail is also quantified and discussed here.

Extract:

Cognac was the only relevant imported spirits category to show sales

growth (as opposed to shipments) in China in 2008, driven mainly by the

Martell brand. Cognac sales rose by 6.6% to 1.56m cases,

according to The IWSR. Cognac in China continues to perform strongly

in its traditional Chinese entertainment channel, which Scotch finds hard

to penetrate. The Cognac category is also more profitable than Scotch,

with VSOP retailing at a 50% premium to 12-year-old Scotch brands.

Moreover, the ultra-premium segment in Cognac (XO and over) is much

larger than its Scotch equivalents, such as Royal Salute or Johnnie

Walker Blue. All this makes the category more attractive than Scotch at

importer, wholesaler and retailer levels.

Pernod Ricard CEO Pierre Pringuet confirms: “Martell in China is

booming. Consumption for Cognac is very well-established in China, so

it means that when people are less keen to buy foreign products, they

will probably re-focus on their traditions and Cognac is much more in a

position [to serve that] than Scotch whisky.”