Distillation of alcohol was devised by the Arabs, or was it? It may have been as long ago as the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia, where perfume makers developed a process to extract the scented oils from plants...Some say the Moors of Spain were the first to distill spirits....some say the Chinese. The Chinese may have learned it from the Nestorians... who may have picked it up from the Turks who had settled in Iran and were growing wine....however, "alcohol" is an Arabic word...it is hypothesized, however, that Moorish authors took that word from Alexandrian authors....And thus the engaging arguments abound and circle each other.
The Evolution of Cognac:
By the thirteenth century, however, distilling spirits from wine was widely known and practiced...and so we shall turn our attention to France, and more specifically the region of Cognac, the birthplace of the most elegant spirit.
The area of Cognac is comprised of two small districts in the south of France, Charente and Charente-Maritime. For thousands of years before brandy was ever thought of, it was an important wine growing region. Roman ruins preserved at Saintes show grapes and grape leaves as carved motifs.
The region of Cognac faced centuries of conflict following the fall of the Roman Empire.
It was during the 12th century that many of Cognac's historical monuments and churches were erected.
British Influence:
From the 12th to the mid 15th century Cognac was bounced between English and French dominion; and many of the oldest and best known of the cognac houses have British roots.
The house of Martel, one of the largest today, was founded by a family who moved to Cognac from the British Isle of Jersey in 1715.
Cognac joined in brandy production much later than her neighbors. Armagnac was trading spirits with the Dutch by the start of the 1400's.
In the 1500's the Dutch designed the prototype of what would become the classic cognac pot still.
By the 16th century, distillation was widely practiced throughout Europe; Emigrants to America took distilling skills with them across the Atlantic.
Hennessy was established in 1765 by Richard Hennessy, an Irish Captain fighting in the army of Louis XV. The venerable Otard firm was started Jean Otard who fled from France in 1799; Baron Otard later bought the Chateau de Cognac, which is now not only company headquarters, but also the town hall.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Cognac established a reputation for the quality of it's brandies that it's wine had been enjoying for centuries.
The Vineyard Plague:
The Cognac region went through a tremendous crisis during the last two decades of the 19th century when virtually all of her vineyards were destroyed by a plague of the root louse, phylloxera. All of the vineyards throughout Europe were threatened by this infestation, and in 1892 the French government established a research station dedicated to eradicating the problem.
The scientific community helped farmers to defeat the pest, but the damage had been done and it took decades to replant lost vineyards.
Producers Unite:
During this "down time" cognac manufacturers sought legal protection for the name of their product, as well as official recognition of their traditional methods of production; The name "Cognac" was starting to be abused by some unscrupulous distilleries. Laws were passed formalizing and subdividing the "Cognac" district.
Other laws passed in 1936 that had a direct impact on the region were laws regarding wines. Only white grapes are used in the production of cognac.
It was further decreed that the only wines to be used should be made from Folle Blanche, Saint-Emilion and Columbard grapes. Only up to 10% of other grapes could be used.
Saint-Emilion des Charentes, also known as Ugni Blanc, emerged as the most popular variety because of it's high yield, and accounts for nearly 90% of the vines.
These wines are low in alcohol and high in acid. Although this wine is thin and rather disagreeable to drink, it produces the best cognac.
Planting is rigorously controlled, inspected, and requires permission. Irrigation is forbidden, except for newly planted vines. The soil in the Cognac region is chalky, and the more chalk, the more suitable the soil for growing wine used in cognac. (The two Champagne regions have the chalkiest soil.)
Grapes are picked before they reach maturity, keeping the sugar content low. This produces the low alcohol content preferred for distillation.
Even the presses for the wine are under strict scrutiny; The continuous press is prohibited, as it crushes the stems and skins and releases substances that might affect the spirit. For the same reason, the addition of sulfur is prohibited, although this practice is common in wine making.
Thoroughly French:
Cognac is completely French. French grapes grown on French soil, distilled in traditional pot stills manufactured in France, and aged in French Oak casks.
The bottles are manufactured in the area; Even the labels must have official sanction.
Color and a good deal of the taste comes from the wood in which cognac is aged. No law requires it but all cognac is aged in oak, and not just any oak, it's either from the region of Limousin or the national forest of Troncais.
Cognac is created not only by the firms who place their names on the bottles, but also by the many thousands of small vineyards and distillers who supply the famous cognac houses.
The entire region is subject to stringent regulations and laws governing all aspects of cognac production.
Only certain sizes and designs of pot stills are allowed. There are two separate distillations in the production of cognac; Cognac is twice distilled because it enhances the spirit, and it is twice distilled because it its required by French law.
(For an overview on the distillation process, check the "Distilling" section of this guide.)
