How is cognac made?

1. The harvest

The grape harvest, mainly Ugni Blanc, generally takes place in October. Unlike many vineyards, chaptalisation (adding sugar) is forbidden: the resulting wine must remain naturally low in alcohol and acidic, qualities that are essential for distillation.

2. Winemaking

The grapes are pressed and the must ferments quickly, without added sulphur, to give a dry white wine of around 8 to 9% alcohol. This wine, known as "distillation wine", is not meant to be drunk as it is: it is the raw material of the eau-de-vie.

3. The Charente double distillation

The wine is heated twice in a copper still. The first heating produces the "brouillis", a cloudy liquid of about 28 to 32% alcohol. The brouillis is then returned to the still for a second time (the "bonne chauffe"): the distiller separates the heads and tails to keep only the heart, a clear eau-de-vie of around 70% alcohol.

4. Ageing

The eau-de-vie then rests in oak casks, most often from the forests of Limousin or Tronçais. It is in contact with the wood that it takes on its amber colour and develops its aromas, for a legal minimum of two years, and very often much longer.

5. Blending

The final stage, and not the least: the cellar master blends eaux-de-vie from different crus, plots and ages to create a cognac true to the style of the house. It is this blend that gives cognac its consistency and its signature, year after year.

See also: Charentais distillation, Ageing of Cognac and The six crus of Cognac.