In Vino Veritas XCVI: A Knack for Cognac
It’s been quite a while since we’ve reported on scoured grapes or any other form of distilled spirit from the pomace from a wine fermentation tank or any other residual grape material. Each country has a proud tradition of turning leftover lemons into boozy lemonade, but perhaps the pinnacle of these is cognac, and knowing more about this liquor will help you to sell practically any aperitif or digestif.
Much like how champagne comes exclusively from Champagne, cognac is eponymously named after the French enclave where it is made. And analogous to bourbon from Kentucky, that geographic stamp of authenticity – in France’s case, an AOC designation – must be continuously earned by strictly adhering to the rules. The varietal of region that’s used for cognac is ugni blanc, more commonly known as trebbiano in Italy, which by the word indicates that it’s a white. Then production is specified to be two distillations in copper stills followed by at least two years of aging in French Limousin or Tronçais oak.
Knowing that the English word ‘brand’ shares a root with the word ‘burn’, it’s a tad ironic that we should learn about effective marketing from this distinctive type of ‘brandy’.
Beyond the rules for production, to further promulgate cognac’s reputation and demand, the commune of Cognac is divided into several subregions, each vying to add dollars to the list price through alluring adjectives. Perhaps the two most common subregions are Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne which both allow producers to mark the final product as Fine Champagne Cognac so that the other even-more-famous French sparkling wine can be associated with this distilled spirit to help with sales.
The next big step for elevating the sticker price is the grading system based upon the aging of the final bottled product in terms of post-distillation years in the cask:
- VS (Very Special): at least two years
- VSOP (Very Special Old Pale): at least four years
- Napoleon: at least six years
- XO (Extra Old): at least a decade
For cognac and any other barrel-aged alcohol, the main selling point is that more aging imparts more flavor, but distillers also have to account for product loss. Wood casks are ever-so-slightly porous, with roughly 3% of volume evaporating each year. This can increase ABV, but the trade-off is that there’s less physical liquid to sell.
Typically, a master taster or blender will mix from several casks from different regions to create the flavor unique to that label. This results in hundreds of different products, for which the most popular are the big four of Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin.
Beyond supplying a familiar brand, you can enrich the narrative for patrons at a restaurant or hotel lobby bar by discussing the unique blend of different casks and aging processes used by distillers. The selling is typically reserved for the after-dinner experience as a digestif, dessert accompaniment or nightcap. In the old days, cognac was the beverage of choice for cigar smokers and while the tobacco has gone away, this spirit is still around as a time-honored way to finish off a meal.
And to cap off this column, let’s touch upon the crème de la crème for cognac – Louis XIII. Produced by Remy Martin, the name honors the first monarch to officially recognize cognac as its own classification distinct from Armagnac which happens to be the oldest brandy recorded to be distilled in the world.
Louis XIII is all the rage right now, accomplished largely through exceptional marketing. Made from grapes produced in Grande Champagne vineyards in the immediate southeast of the town of Cognac, the final blend comprises cask-aged distillations ranging from 40 to 100 years. But the main attraction is the opulent, and a tad garish, handmade crystal decanter, with its studded glass replica of a flask serving as a preeminent symbol of luxury, quality and stature.
Outrageously expensive for the everyday drinker, customers should anticipate paying hundreds of dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime, single-ounce taste. For you as the merchant, stocking this particular cognac, besides its sizeable carrying cost, can by itself act to elevate the restaurant’s prestige in order to attract wealthier clientele. Plus, it can ‘anchor’ the rest of the menu’s pricing in order to help sell more of the other cognacs you have stocked. Ultimately, cognac is yet one more way to round out a great beverage strategy with lots of opportunities to enhance the dining experience for your guests.
This article represents but one section from our latest book on how to enhance your wine sales entitled, “In Vino Veritas”. Buy your copy today on Amazon, or for bulk orders contact us directly.
