How to drink cognac the right way

There is a growing perception that certain spirits such as whisky and cognac should be savoured now whatever your age, including cognac fine champagne.

We joined Remy Martin for their opulence revealed experience at Proud Mary in Johannesburg recently. The food pairings celebrated their cognac fine champagne and we learnt the right ways to drink it. 

Remy Martin is famous for its cognac fine champagne which contains a blend of eaux-de-vie from both Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne.

Global brand ambassador Maxime Pulci was in South Africa to explain the intricacies of this spirit.

Here are some interesting facts about cognac fine champagne.

What is cognac fine champagne?

Pulci explained it is “the appellation of cognac fine champagne” defines a blend of eaux-de-vie sourced in Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, with at least 50% Grande Champagne. It’s a geographical denomination that recognizes the precious nature of these two terroirs and their eaux-de-vie.

“The name “champagne” is derived from the latin campania meaning chalky soils, open fields or cultivated land, because it reminded the Romans, who planted the first vines here, of the rolling countryside outside Rome.”

He added that at Rémy Martin they define cognac fine champagne as a perfectly balanced expression of these two eaux-de-vie. “It’s the role of the Cellar Master to create the synergy, to sublimate these two terroirs, and reveal all their aromatic potential. The raw material is already there, in the grapes, the wines, the young eaux-de-vie, thanks to the persistent care and ancestral savoir-faire of its partner-winegrowers and distillers,” he adds.

When is Rémy Martin’s harvest season and how does the distillation work? 

Pulci says harvesting occurs in September when the grapes are at peak ripeness. 

“The grapes are gently pressed, and the juice is left to ferment for five to seven days. The result is white wine – dry, acidic, 7-9% alcohol content and with no sugars added – perfect for distillation.”

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Distillation takes place over a few months – from October to March. Pulci says Rémy Martin cognac distils in small copper stills and with the lees, leading to particularly aromatic eaux-de-vie. 

“Each batch is distilled twice over, a process that takes approximately 24 hours. Lengthy but essential to get the purest essence of the grapes’ aromas. Finally, blending is where the Cellar Master, Baptiste Loiseau, plays fully his art, combining flavours and blending together eaux-de-vie at different ages. Creating new cognacs but mostly reproducing the signature of the House.”

After this selection process, the eaux-de-vie are stored in the cellars for ageing before becoming part of the future cognacs of the House.

What is the right way to drink cognac?

Pulci stressed during the tasting that drinking cognac isn’t like wine, there is a different way to drink it.

From picking the right glass and the way you taste the spirit. 

He recommends not swirling the cognac a lot as it needs more oxygen to express the aromas from the spirit. Cognac fine champagne is about 40% alcohol, the first thing you will likely smell is the alcohol leading to just tasting the alcohol.

However, Pulci provided a hack to smell the aromas in the cognac. He said the right way to drink cognac is three ways – the eye, the nose and then the mouth. 

The pinot noir glass is supposed to be angled about 45 degrees, to appreciate the light colour of the cognac. 

Pulci says the liquid is supposed to coat the glass, and you need to roll the liquid around the glass. When smelling the cognac fine champagne, don’t smell it too closely, hold it just far enough to distinguish the aromas such as cinnamon, candied fruit such as citrus and notes of chocolate. 

Then take a small sip, between your lips to prepare your palette. 

He also advised to never drink cognac warm. 

Food pairings with cognac fine champagne 

The top suggested food pairings are Roquefort and aged parmesan cheeses, with their spicy or full-bodied flavours, which pair very well with cognac. “The fatty flavours of a Roquefort especially, while the aged parmesan has an aromatic strength that matches the cognac.

Chocolates also make a good pairing. Pure, black chocolate, with its fatty and bitter flavours, combines well with the floral, spicy notes found in a cognac. Rémy Martin XO pairs best with chocolate, figs and candied fruits.”