home > articles

We probably have Busta Rhymes to thank for ensuring that one famous Cognac brand – the difficult-to-pronounce “Courvoisier” – will forever be on the lips of hip-hop fans. (Certainly, Courvoisier owes him some sort of lifetime supply.) In fact, the overwhelming majority of Cognac sold in the United States is now purchased by African-Americans…a change that’s happened in less than a decade, and an interesting new frontier for a rural French spirit heretofore sipped almost exclusively by “gentlemen.”

So what the heck is Cognac, anyway? It’s brandy that comes from a specific geographical region, subject to restrictive laws regarding its production and priced rather extravagantly versus other brandies…which probably has a lot to do with its popularity in the showy world of hip-hop.

OK, then…what’s brandy? Technically, brandy is a spirit distilled from any fruit, but in both historical and modern parlance, and in European law, brandy not otherwise designated with the name of that fruit is made from grapes. (One major exception: Calvados, an apple brandy from Normandy.) This includes everything from the most wretched bargain-basement rotgut to lavishly-packaged trophies that can cost a year’s salary. Brandies can be further divided into two categories: those made from grapes, and those made from the solids left over from winemaking (grape skins, seeds, stems, dead yeast cells). The latter are properly called “pomace brandy.” But more on those later.

Brandies are made all over the world, but the most famous are from two sites in Southwestern France: Cognac and Armagnac (which includes Bas-Armagnac). Cognac is itself subdivided into smaller geographies, carrying names such as Fins Bois, Borderies, and the allegedly superior Petite Champagne and Grande Champagne…neither of which have anything to do with the sparkling wine of the same name. (Confused yet?) Oak aging is mandated, as are a certain number of years before release. Sugar, caramel color and flavor-enhancing oak chips are frequently added. The designations VS and VSOP have significance…the latter is slightly older…while other terms such as XO or Napoleon can be somewhat less meaningful. The most important factor is, as ever, the producer.

In Cognac, the sad fact is that the big names – Courvoisier, Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Martell, Hine – are, in general, responsible for the least interesting French brandies, except at the very high end. Much better, both qualitatively and in terms of value, are smaller-production Cognacs like Pierre Ferrand and Gabriel & Andreu. Perhaps Mr. Rhymes can work them into his next lyric. “My G&A gets me T&…” Um, never mind.

(An important health warning about ultra-high-end brandies that come packaged in lead crystal containers: the alcohol leaches lead from the crystal at an astonishing rate, reaching six times the EPA-recommended limit in as little as four days, and as much as 300 times that limit in four months.)

Armagnac and Bas-Armagnac don’t have the international cachet of Cognac, which means that they’re slightly more affordable but also harder to acquire on these shores; Larressingle, Laubade and Darroze are the most commonly seen. Vintage-dating is common for Bas-Armagnac.

After France, the country most closely associated with quality brandy is Spain. Brandy de Jerez, which is mostly what you’ll see here, is not usually (as the name implies) from Jerez, where Sherry is produced, but simply made there from grapes grown elsewhere in Spain. Its quality, rivals – and according to some, surpasses – the finest French products. Good producers you’ll see here include Osborne and Domecq.

Brandy doesn’t have to be caramel-colored, however. Pisco, the ubiquitous firewater of Chile and Peru, is a brandy. And aforementioned pomace brandies are rarely anything other than clear.

Clear and deadly, that is. For if there’s a more polarizing grape-based beverage than grappa, a pomace brandy from anywhere in Italy, I’m not aware of it. The quality and character of the grapes inform the resultant spirit, and acidity is crucial (which is why most quality grappa is made in Northern Italy, where cooler temperatures preserve grape acidity), but the result is still somewhat violent until one has acquired the taste. As a gross generalization, delicate blown glass-packaged grappas are for (pricey) show, while the most interesting ones come in plain glass bottles…though there are plenty of exceptions to both rules. Here are two (of many) that I like: Bertagnolli Grappa di Teroldego and Fontafredda Nebbiolo d’Alba Grappa.

In France, pomace brandy is called marc, and carries the name of either an appellation (marc de Bourgogne) or a grape (marc de gewurztraminer). These are very rarely seen in the States. A fine is a standard (non-pomace) brandy from a similar source, and even more rarely seen.

Finally, mention must be made of two hybrid beverages made from the addition of a specific brandy to its parent wine. Pineau des Charentes is a sweet apéritif from Cognac in which the fermentation has been stopped by the addition of the eponymous spirit, Floc de Gascogne is its counterpart in Armagnac.

And hey, “Floc” sort of rhymes with “Glock.” Hey Busta, you out there? I have an idea…

(First published in stuff@night, 2007.)