Cognac is perhaps one of the most beloved “male” alcoholic beverages. Usually, they do not mix it in cocktails, enjoying it separately, do not cool it, but drink it warm. In our article we will talk about the elite drink “Courvoisier”. This cognac, its taste and nobility at one time was evaluated by Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
Brand history
More than 200 years ago in France, in the Charente region, Courvoisier cognac house (correct French spelling) was opened. Since then, the traditions of making an elite drink at this alcohol company have not changed much. Indeed, real cognac does not require haste; almost the entire process takes place as it was 200 years ago.
First, a special wine of 9% strength is distilled, which is made from grapes growing in the Charente region. After that, the Courvoisier is kept in huge oak barrels. Their volume reaches 450 liters. At the same time, the oak tree, which was honored to become a container for aging the drink, must be at least 80 years old. That is why Courvoisier is cognac for respectable people who value tradition and the highest quality, and it is not so cheap. By the way, as with champagne, the real Courvoisier is just the drink that was produced in the Charente region from beginning to end.
Types of Courvoisier cognac: VSOP and VS
Depending on exposure and other technological nuances, the alcoholic drink in question comes in two varieties: VSOP and VS. So, cognac “Courvoisier VSOP” has a minimum age of 10 years, the fortress is 40 degrees. It is aged in classic oak barrels. According to expert sommeliers, the aroma of VSOP cognac contains notes of melliferous plants, as well as the smell of meadow herbs. Specialists and connoisseurs also catch the scents of cinnamon, vanilla and cardamom, as well as fruit notes of dried apples and dried apricots. Cognac “Courvoisier VSOP” (0.5), whose price starts from 2500 rubles (larger bottles are even more expensive), justifies such, say, a decent price. After all, we have already described how complicated the details of the technology of its manufacture.
Courvoisier VS - the choice of connoisseurs of noble drinks
So, if VSOPs are kept in barrels for at least 10 years, then its “younger brother”, cognac “Courvoisier VS” is stored in cellars for up to 4 years, but this does not mean that the brand VS is significantly worse than VSOP. It should be noted that the drink in question is made from a mixture of alcohols, and its taste is at least a little “poorer” than in VSOP, but be sure: this is noticeable only to experts and true connoisseurs. It still differs in oak notes, aromas of fruits - the same dried apples and pears, as well as a slight smell of wildflowers. The price of the smallest bottle of Courvoisier VS (0.5 liter) starts at 1500 rubles, large volumes (there are liter containers) cost, respectively, more expensive - up to 3000 rubles. Such prices are relevant for Russia. In France, the noble Courvoisier - cognac, beloved by many celebrities, is much cheaper. For example, in a Duty-free store, its price starts from 25-30 euros.
How to drink cognac
There is a whole art that tells how to properly enjoy this noble drink. Firstly, cognac is drunk after a meal - this is the so-called “digestif”. Usually they enjoy it during small talk or sitting alone, smoking a cigar. There is even a rule of three "C" - coffee, cognac, cigar (in French it is Cafe, Cognac, Cigare). That is, after a feast, you drink a cup of coffee, then a glass of brandy, and after that, you smoke a cigar with pleasure.
Typically, cognac is served in special “cognac” glasses, which need to be filled no more than one third. Also, before serving, the noble drink is not cooled. You need to drink it in very, very small sips, as if savoring it in your tongue, trying to enjoy the taste and understand all the nuances of the drink. Traditionally, they bite cognac with dark chocolate, but not with lemon - this “barbaric” tradition, according to the French, came from Russia.
Why do Russians like to eat lemon cognac
It is not known for certain whether this is true or fiction, but the custom to eat cognac with a slice of lemon became popular during the reign of Nicholas II. Fortunately, this story does not apply to the noble cognac Courvoisier. They say that when some Armenian brandy was brought to the court of the emperor , his taste was so unpleasant that the king, in order not to offend his subjects, bit him a slice of lemon, saying that he was wrinkled by the acid of the fruit, and not by the taste and smell of himself a drink.
According to another version, again associated with Nicholas II, the Empress was already forcing her husband to seize strong alcohol with a slice of lemon, since the latter interrupted the smell of alcohol that she hated. One way or another, it was from those times in Russia that it became a kind of tradition to bite cognac with slices of citrus. But in our article we examined the noble “Courvoisier” - cognac that must be drunk according to all the rules, enjoying its delicate taste and aroma. After all, the French, who know a lot about wines, are experts and cognacs, so they definitely will not advise bad things.