There is brandy, and then there is Cognac.
Brandy can be made anywhere, and is simply the distilled spirit of fermented grape juice (a.k.a. wine). Cognac (pronounced “CONE-yak”) is the twice-distilled spirit of wines from a very narrowly defined region of France, just north of the city of Bordeaux.
I love a good legend to surround stories of food and drink, and Cognac’s distillation process is born of one. It seems that a chevalier (or knight) had a vivid dream in which Satan himself revealed the furnace with which he would boil the knight’s body twice in order to extract his soul. This chevalier awoke with the revelation that he could use the devil’s idea for the angels’ liqueur by distilling twice to extract the very soul of the wine.
Cognac’s documented history is far less romantic and far more business-like. A wine-growing region since Roman times, the area around the Charantes River had always enjoyed a brisk trade because of its high quality and easy access to the Atlantic. In the 16th century, Dutch traders found it easier to transport the wine if the distilled it, something they called “Brandewijn” or “burnt wine,” the root of today’s term, brandy. Gradually double-distillation and oak aging were found to vastly improve the quality.
Louis XIV decided to boot most of the Protestants from the region, leading to a broadening of the trade base as expatriates in England, Ireland and Holland demanded a taste of home.
Oddly enough, the small town of Dennison, Texas, had a hand in bringing us the stuff we now know as Cognac, because it was there that a scientist named Thomas Munson noticed that American vines were resistant to the plague of phylloxera, which was devastating the vineyards of France in the late 1800s. By grafting American rootstock onto the remaining French vines, Cognac (and nearly all the rest of Europe’s wine) was saved. In 1988 Dennison and Cognac became sister cities is recognition of the centennial of this important discovery.
French wine labels are often confusing for some, and it is true of spirits such as Cognac as well. The various pieces of information are there primarily because there are very strict laws that govern every aspect of its production, from the field to the bottling. The most important aspect to have a handle on is the letters on the front of every bottle: VS, VSOP, and XO. Simply put, they mean (respectively) very special, very superior old pale, and extra old. Presumably the terms come from a time when the English ruled this portion of France.
They have a more specific purpose, though, and that is to designate their age. By law, a VS Cognac must be aged in oak for between two and a half and four and a half years. VSOP requires aging from four and a half to six and a half years. XOs must be older than six and a half. Most of the XO’s are much older, 20 years or more.
One other item often found on the label that can cause confusion is term “Champagne.” It has nothing to do with the bubbly stuff that comes from near Epernay, many miles to the north. Actually the word has the Latin root campus, which simply means “field,” and in the Charantes valley there are two sub-regions known as Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne (big field and little field). Only those Cognacs with at least 50% of their volume from Grande Champagne can carry the words “Fine Champagne.”
So what can a novice expect to taste in a good Cognac? Look for flavors and aromas of flowers, fresh fruits, dried fruits, nuts and spices, pepper and cinnamon, or even of coffee and cigar boxes. Whatever you find, it is sure to warm your bones on a chill January evening.
Here’s an old classic to use a little of your new bottle of Cognac in:
Two 1/2 inch-thick (6 oz. each)sirloin steaks, trimmed and flattened to 1/4 inch thick
1 T. olive oil
2 T. unsalted butter
2 1/2 T. minced shallots
2 t.fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. cornstarch
1/2 c. canned beef broth
2T. minced fresh parsley leaves
1 t. Cognac
freshly ground black pepper
In a large heavy skillet, sauté the steaks, patted dry, in the oil and 1 T. of the butter over moderately high heat, turning them once, for 1 1/2 minutes and transfer them to heated plates to keep warm. Add the remaining 1 T. butter to the skillet, and sauté the shallots in it over moderately high heat, stirring, until they are browned, and stir in the lemon juice and the Worcestershire sauce. In a bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the broth, stir the mixture and the parsley into the skillet, and cook the mixture over moderately high heat until it is thickened. Whisk in the Cognac, the pepper, and salt to taste.
Serve sauce immediately over the steaks. Serves 2.
Table Wine is a weekly feature of The Press-Citizen. Prices listed are estimated retail. Chef Kurt Michael Friese is co-owner with his wife, Kim, of the Iowa City restaurant Devotay, is Director of Healthy Food & Advocacy at the NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids, and publishes the seasonal food magazine Edible Iowa River Valley. His latest book, Chasing Chiles, was released in 2011 by Chelsea Green. He lives in rural Johnson County. Questions and comments may be posted at Press-Citizen.com.
Table Wine: There is brandy, and then there is Cognac.
Dec. 31, 2012
There is brandy, and then there is Cognac.
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