Cognac Tasting Tour in Cognac, France

Throughout the Easter holiday break in the Charente-Maritime division 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 generation base in this town.

The historic home of Rémy Martin is a vacationer site in the city. But sad to say, the household was under renovation and making ready for the upcoming 300 year’s celebration. Discontented with the scenario, we went to its store future doorway to purchase cognac as prepared.

There, we obtained a opportunity to be part of a cognac tasting tour. The one-tour was not cost-free, but it was the only English tour of the week through the off-time. Right before we resolved what to purchase, we would like to know the mystery of this quality spirit and thus joined the tour.

To get a specific insight into the cognac market, you can be a part of the Cognac masterclass & tasting tour, whose content is impartial of any models and producers. It also takes longer, and of system, you will be able to style different kinds of cognac.

Heritage of Rémy Martin

Our tour guide was a young French lady who spoke ideal English. She gave us a transient introduction to cognac heritage. The identify Rémy Martin arrived from the corporation founder, but his grandson, also referred to as Rémy, developed the brand and introduced the spirit famous all over the world. Rémy Martin has a widespread identify in China, réntóumă (人头马), actually translated as

a guy-headed horse. The Rémy Martin emblem combines a creature from Greek mythology, which has the higher entire body of a human and the reduce system and legs of a horse, and the zodiac indication of Rémy Martin. So, the Chinese translation is quite shut to what the logo is.

Cognac generation

Cognac creation follows a stringent approach. Grape harvest time, the duration of the fermentation course of action, distillation approaches, and the point out-of-artwork mixing approach are unique to cognac creation. For the duration of the whole production course of action, more than 70 parameters will impact the taste and the premium high-quality of cognac.

Grapes

Only grape kinds from the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne cognac regions are employed for the cognac. The cognac area has all the factors to grow the best grapes, chalky soil, a microclimate indirectly motivated by the ocean. The chalk layer is deeper in the Grande Champagne location than in the Petite Champagne location. The sample chalk layers in the introduction area exhibit us the variation.  

Fermentation

Just after the grapes are pressed, yeasts are additional to the juice. This course of action converts the fruit sugar into alcoholic beverages, and no other additive is added. The end result of the fermentation is a white wine with about 7 to 8% alcoholic beverages and higher acidity. 

Distillation

Cognac distillation is done in a two-phase course of action. We observed a usually formed 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 form, called eaux-de-vie.

Just after the 1st distillation, only the to start with and the very last component of eaux-de-vie will go by way of the 2nd distillation approach. The consequence of the next distillation is called eaux-de-vie, a colourless spirit of about 70% alcoholic beverages.

Growing older

We entered a significant cellar wherever a lot of oak casks are saved. People are not allowed to just take any photographs in this area due to the liquor content material in the air. The cognac interacts with the oak casks and evaporates about 3% each and every yr. The volume of liquid is penned on each individual barrel and differs from barrel to barrel. 

Blending

Cognac is the final result of blending distinct ages of eaux-de-vie. The blender, also called the cellar grasp, is the a single who usually takes the most significant care of the blending. In Remy Martin, it usually takes at the very least seven several years to learn by performing to become a cellar learn. The cellar learn blends different eaux de vie so that just about every products, for instance, the X.O edition, has always experienced the similar aromas and flavours over the many years. Since eaux-de-vie is also made from several vineyards, blending eaux-de-vie is a remarkably experienced craft equivalent to the Learn Nose of a fragrance manufacturing unit. 

The blending system has been taking place little by little more than the a long time. And, eaux-de-vie is moved from cask to cask and merged. I started out to believe if there was any way to re-generate this procedure working with present day engineering, and the response would be no. The full production approach guarantees that the fragile wine spirit is usually at the high quality level.

Tasting

In a sample room, tables were being set up for the cognac tasting. Our French tour tutorial launched a cocktail created of X.O cognac. It was a good way to take in the cognac. 

Now, it is the emphasize of the tour, Rémy Martin VSOP tasting. Following the instruction, I gently 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. Finally, I savoured the cognac and felt its flavours promote my taste buds. To mix the ripe fruit and delicate notes of cognac, I ate a number of pure black sweets with fatty and bitter flavours put on a tiny plate.

What we acquired right after the Cognac Tasting Tour

Our tour guideline released us the Remy Martin Club, a new manufacturer of Rémy Martin bought to the Asian marketplaces only. It has a toasted almond be aware and flavours of, for illustration, dried fig and apricot. It is fantastic for pairing with flavourful food items.

We bought Rémy Martin Tercet and Remy Martin Club since it is only out there in Asian marketplaces. And, of class, the top quality X.O model as effectively. The store only sells pure cognac merchandise and various constrained editions. 

Tips for Cognac Tasting Tour

If you prepare to do a cognac tasting tour, I recommend you ebook on-line to keep away from disappointment and have a English-speaking tour guidebook.  

You will not be in a position to push immediately after tasting various cognacs considering that the alcohol regulate is limited in France. In addition to that, the city of Cognac is really scenic and has quite a few appealing web sites to offer you. So it’s greater to remain in Cognac for a night time or two.

Motels this kind of as Hôtel Chais Monnet & Spa and Château Pellisson are just in the city centre and within strolling distance to the Remy Martin dwelling.