Cognac Tasting Tour in Cognac, France

All through the Easter holiday break in the Charente-Maritime office of France, we visited the town of Cognac, France and did a cognac tasting tour. Cognac producers, for instance, Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pernod Ricard), and Rémy Martin have their cognac creation base in this town.

The historic property of Rémy Martin is a tourist site in the town. But unfortunately, the house was beneath renovation and getting ready for the future 300 year’s celebration. Discontented with the situation, we went to its shop next doorway to get cognac as prepared.

There, we bought a prospect to sign up for a cognac tasting tour. The just one-tour was not no cost, but it was the only English tour of the week all through the off-season. Prior to we decided what to invest in, we would like to know the mystery of this top quality spirit and for that reason joined the tour.

To get a in depth insight into the cognac field, you can join the Cognac masterclass & tasting tour, whose information is unbiased of any models and producers. It also can take extended, and of training course, you will be ready to style different varieties of cognac.

Record of Rémy Martin

Our tour guide was a youthful French lady who spoke excellent English. She gave us a brief introduction to cognac record. The title Rémy Martin came from the enterprise founder, but his grandson, also named Rémy, made the brand and introduced the spirit famous around the globe. Rémy Martin has a popular title in China, réntóumă (人头马), pretty much translated as

a person-headed horse. The Rémy Martin logo brings together a creature from Greek mythology, which has the higher human body of a human and the decreased entire body and legs of a horse, and the zodiac signal of Rémy Martin. So, the Chinese translation is rather near to what the symbol is.

Cognac generation

Cognac generation follows a demanding procedure. Grape harvest time, the length of the fermentation method, distillation strategies, and the condition-of-artwork mixing procedure are distinctive to cognac production. During the entire manufacturing approach, more than 70 parameters will affect the taste and the quality quality of cognac.

Grapes

Only grape types from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne cognac locations are applied for the cognac. The cognac location has all the factors to grow the greatest grapes, chalky soil, a microclimate indirectly influenced by the ocean. The chalk layer is deeper in the Grande Champagne area than in the Petite Champagne location. The sample chalk layers in the introduction room clearly show us the variation.  

Fermentation

Soon after the grapes are pressed, yeasts are extra to the juice. This method converts the fruit sugar into alcohol, and no other additive is additional. The final result of the fermentation is a white wine with about 7 to 8% alcoholic beverages and significant acidity. 

Distillation

Cognac distillation is executed in a two-stage procedure. We saw a usually shaped Charentais copper pot with its swan’s neck, cooler, and condensing coil. The wine is transformed into vapour and subsequently condensed back to the liquid type, called eaux-de-vie.

Immediately after the 1st distillation, only the very first and the last component of eaux-de-vie will go by means of the next distillation process. The end result of the second distillation is called eaux-de-vie, a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.

Ageing

We entered a massive cellar exactly where a lot of oak casks are saved. Readers are not authorized to take any pics in this region owing to the alcohol content in the air. The cognac interacts with the oak casks and evaporates about 3% each individual 12 months. The volume of liquid is created on every single barrel and may differ from barrel to barrel. 

Mixing

Cognac is the final result of blending distinctive ages of eaux-de-vie. The blender, also known as the cellar master, is the just one who can take the most considerable care of the mixing. In Remy Martin, it will take at the very least seven yrs to learn by carrying out to come to be a cellar grasp. The cellar learn blends different eaux de vie so that each product or service, for case in point, the X.O variation, has often experienced the exact same aromas and flavours more than the years. Since eaux-de-vie is also generated from different vineyards, blending eaux-de-vie is a very competent craft similar to the Master Nose of a perfume manufacturing unit. 

The blending course of action has been using area gradually in excess of the a long time. And, eaux-de-vie is moved from cask to cask and put together. I begun to imagine if there was any way to re-make this system applying modern technological know-how, and the remedy would be no. The complete generation method guarantees that the fragile wine spirit is constantly at the high quality stage.

Tasting

In a sample area, tables were established up for the cognac tasting. Our French tour guidebook released a cocktail manufactured of X.O cognac. It was a fantastic way to take in the cognac. 

Now, it is the emphasize of the tour, Rémy Martin VSOP tasting. Subsequent the instruction, I gently rotated the glass and noticed the clarity of this spirit. Then, I lifted the glass to my nose and tried to expose floral notes as instructed. Last but not least, I savoured the cognac and felt its flavours promote my taste buds. To combine the ripe fruit and subtle notes of cognac, I ate various pure black sweets with fatty and bitter flavours put on a tiny plate.

What we acquired just after the Cognac Tasting Tour

Our tour guidebook introduced us the Remy Martin Club, a new model of Rémy Martin bought to the Asian markets only. It has a toasted almond note and flavours of, for instance, dried fig and apricot. It is excellent for pairing with flavourful foods.

We acquired Rémy Martin Tercet and Remy Martin Club given that it is only obtainable in Asian markets. And, of program, the quality X.O version as properly. The store only sells pure cognac items and a number of restricted editions. 

Tips for Cognac Tasting Tour

If you strategy to do a cognac tasting tour, I recommend you reserve on-line to avoid disappointment and have a English-talking tour tutorial.  

You won’t be in a position to push right after tasting many cognacs given that the alcoholic beverages regulate is limited in France. In addition to that, the town of Cognac is quite scenic and has various exciting web pages to give. So it’s greater to continue to be in Cognac for a evening or two.

Accommodations this sort of as Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa and Château Pellisson are just in the town centre and inside of going for walks length to the Remy Martin household.