Cracking Cognac

Cognac is to brandy what Bentley is to upper crust cars. But the French want their cut of this expensive brew. They have mandated that not only must Cognac be made in a certain 300-year-old way, but it should be made only from grapes grown in the Cognac region of north-eastern France. Ironically, Cognac was actually a way of using up the wasted grapes from wine-making, and was considered, initially, a drink for the lower-classes.

After being distilled in copper stills, the distillate is called eau-de-vie (literally 'waters of life') and is then aged in French oak barrels for at least two years. Most Cognacs are blends of several eauxde-vie. There are three basic types of Cognac VS (Very Special) in which the youngest Cognac is two years old. The VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) called because in 1817, the future British King George IV asked Hennessy, still the most famous Cognac House, to produce a superior, old and pale Cognac.

XO (Extra Old) in which the youngest eau-de-vie is at least six years old. Most large Cognac Houses also produce finer blends, some with eaux-de-vie aged over 100 years, which costs over $3,500 per bottle. Drink of the lower-classes, indeed!