Cognac Tasting Tour in Cognac, France

During the Easter vacation in the Charente-Maritime office of France, we frequented the town of Cognac, France and did a cognac tasting tour. Cognac producers, for example, Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pernod Ricard), and Rémy Martin have their cognac manufacturing base in this town.

The historic household of Rémy Martin is a tourist web-site in the city. But unfortunately, the house was below renovation and preparing for the forthcoming 300 year’s celebration. Discontented with the problem, we went to its shop next door to purchase cognac as planned.

There, we bought a prospect to be part of a cognac tasting tour. The one-tour was not free of charge, but it was the only English tour of the week all through the off-time. Before we determined what to get, we would like to know the top secret of this quality spirit and therefore joined the tour.

To get a in-depth insight into the cognac sector, you can join the Cognac masterclass & tasting tour, whose content is unbiased of any makes and producers. It also will take for a longer time, and of course, you will be in a position to flavor distinctive styles of cognac.

Record of Rémy Martin

Our tour information was a youthful French woman who spoke ideal English. She gave us a brief introduction to cognac background. The identify Rémy Martin arrived from the corporation founder, but his grandson, also referred to as Rémy, produced the logo and introduced the spirit renowned all over the world. Rémy Martin has a typical identify in China, réntóumă (人头马), basically translated as

a gentleman-headed horse. The Rémy Martin emblem brings together a creature from Greek mythology, which has the higher system of a human and the lower physique and legs of a horse, and the zodiac indicator of Rémy Martin. So, the Chinese translation is very near to what the logo is.

Cognac generation

Cognac manufacturing follows a demanding system. Grape harvest time, the length of the fermentation course of action, distillation strategies, and the condition-of-artwork mixing strategy are one of a kind to cognac manufacturing. Through the entire production course of action, more than 70 parameters will affect the flavor and the top quality good quality of cognac.

Grapes

Only grape types from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne cognac areas are used for the cognac. The cognac area has all the aspects to mature the ideal grapes, chalky soil, a microclimate indirectly affected by the ocean. The chalk layer is deeper in the Grande Champagne area than in the Petite Champagne location. The sample chalk levels in the introduction home display us the variation.  

Fermentation

Right after the grapes are pressed, yeasts are additional to the juice. This method converts the fruit sugar into alcoholic beverages, and no other additive is included. The consequence of the fermentation is a white wine with about 7 to 8% alcoholic beverages and higher acidity. 

Distillation

Cognac distillation is executed in a two-stage course of action. We saw a traditionally formed Charentais copper pot with its swan’s neck, cooler, and condensing coil. The wine is transformed into vapour and subsequently condensed again to the liquid variety, called eaux-de-vie.

Immediately after the initially distillation, only the initially and the past section of eaux-de-vie will go by the next distillation procedure. The final result of the 2nd distillation is called eaux-de-vie, a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.

Aging

We entered a big cellar wherever quite a few oak casks are stored. Guests are not allowed to take any shots in this place due to the alcohol content in the air. The cognac interacts with the oak casks and evaporates about 3% each yr. The volume of liquid is composed on each individual barrel and varies from barrel to barrel. 

Blending

Cognac is the consequence of blending different ages of eaux-de-vie. The blender, also called the cellar grasp, is the one particular who normally takes the most important treatment of the blending. In Remy Martin, it takes at the very least 7 years to learn by accomplishing to come to be a cellar learn. The cellar master blends different eaux de vie so that each and every product or service, for case in point, the X.O model, has often had the exact same aromas and flavours about the decades. Since eaux-de-vie is also made from numerous vineyards, blending eaux-de-vie is a highly proficient craft equivalent to the Grasp Nose of a fragrance manufacturing unit. 

The blending method has been taking put slowly around the many years. And, eaux-de-vie is moved from cask to cask and mixed. I started off to imagine if there was any way to re-deliver this process working with contemporary engineering, and the reply would be no. The whole production procedure makes certain that the sensitive wine spirit is generally at the high quality amount.

Tasting

In a sample area, tables were set up for the cognac tasting. Our French tour guide released a cocktail designed of X.O cognac. It was a amazing way to eat the cognac. 

Now, it is the highlight of the tour, Rémy Martin VSOP tasting. Subsequent the instruction, I carefully rotated the glass and observed the clarity of this spirit. Then, I lifted the glass to my nose and tried to expose floral notes as instructed. Ultimately, I savoured the cognac and felt its flavours encourage my style buds. To blend the ripe fruit and refined notes of cognac, I ate quite a few pure black candies with fatty and bitter flavours positioned on a tiny plate.

What we purchased just after the Cognac Tasting Tour

Our tour information launched us the Remy Martin Club, a new manufacturer of Rémy Martin sold to the Asian marketplaces only. It has a toasted almond note and flavours of, for example, dried fig and apricot. It is perfect for pairing with flavourful foods.

We bought Rémy Martin Tercet and Remy Martin Club given that it is only offered in Asian markets. And, of class, the quality X.O variation as perfectly. The store only sells pure cognac solutions and quite a few constrained editions. 

Ideas for Cognac Tasting Tour

If you program to do a cognac tasting tour, I counsel you book online to steer clear of disappointment and have a English-talking tour tutorial.  

You will not be able to drive right after tasting numerous cognacs due to the fact the alcoholic beverages handle is restricted in France. In addition to that, the city of Cognac is very scenic and has various fascinating web pages to provide. So it’s much better to stay in Cognac for a night or two.

Resorts these kinds of as Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa and Château Pellisson are just in the town centre and within just strolling length to the Remy Martin home.