Charentais distillation

Distillation is the step that turns white wine into eau-de-vie. In the Charente region it follows precise rules set out in the specifications of the Cognac appellation.

The Charentais still

The Charentais still is made entirely of copper, a metal that retains some of the sulphur compounds and favours finer aromas. Its boiler is heated by direct flame and its capacity is limited by regulation: a maximum of 30 hectolitres per heating, with no more than 25 hectolitres of wine in the first distillation.

Two successive distillations

The first distillation produces the “brouillis”, a cloudy liquid of about 28 to 32% alcohol. It is distilled again in the second heating, the “bonne chauffe”, during which the distiller separates the heads, the heart, the seconds and the tails. Only the heart, at about 70% alcohol, is kept to become Cognac.

With or without lees

The wine can be distilled with its fine lees, the yeast deposits that give richer, fuller eaux-de-vie, or without them for a more floral and fruity style. Each house chooses according to the style it is looking for.

A regulated calendar

Distillation must be completed by 31 March following the harvest. The eau-de-vie is then put into casks: read our page on how Cognac is made to see all the stages, then discover the ageing of Cognac.