How to choose Russian cognac: tips and reviews from experts. Cognac in Russia and Russian cognac: what is happening with the industry now

Our expert Irina Bushina, Chairman of the Union of Cognac Producers, tells about the main trends in the cognac industry in Russia.

Cognac, on the one hand, is not the most typical alcoholic drink for Russia. But at the same time, very often, since the times of the USSR, it is a bottle of a five-star drink that is considered one of the best gifts for a man for a holiday.

Irina Bushina, chairman of the Union of Cognac Producers, tells the readers of Roskachestvo how things are going in Russia today with the production of this type of alcoholic beverage.

Russian cognac is the undisputed leader of our market

In total, about 85 million liters of cognacs were produced in Russia in 2017. At the same time, about 15 million liters were imported from Armenia, a member of the EAEU, to us, while only 12 million of them were imported from all other countries.

Thus, we see that domestically produced cognacs account for more than three-quarters of the market. However, there is one important nuance here: when analyzing the market, it must be taken into account that only less than 15% of cognacs produced domestically are produced from Russian raw materials. For the rest, cognac distillates are also imported.

Why Russian cognac has not always enjoyed such consumer attention

Brandy imports from all countries except Armenia fell almost 4 times in 2015 - from 25.5 to 8.8 million liters. This is due, of course, to the growth of exchange rates. In recent years, the share of imports has remained quite low. The exception is Armenia, a country of the Customs Union, which supplies us with cognacs duty-free. Deliveries of Armenian cognacs decreased less dramatically.

In 2017, the entire import sector began to recover. The supply of imported cognac has also increased: the main supplying countries are Georgia and France, which account for more than 85% of imports.

At the same time, the production of Russian cognac has also been steadily growing in recent years. It was not even affected by the indexation of minimum prices, carried out at the beginning of the year. Many feared this measure, but the production of cognacs in Russia increased by 11%.

To what extent do buyers trust domestic cognac brands today?

The Russian cognac school is almost 200 years old. Cognac is a part of Russian culture, in many ways a status drink. And Russian brands occupy a worthy place in consumer preferences. Customer loyalty to well-known, recognizable brands is especially high.

In the category of affordable cognacs, the main competitor to the Russian product is Armenian cognacs. They also have a high customer loyalty, formed over many years during the existence of the USSR.
Well, in the “premium” category, the main preferences of consumers are expectedly given to cognacs from France.

Main trends and challenges of the cognac industry in Russia

Cognac production is growing, and this is a positive factor.

• The main problem is the lack of quality raw materials. Deliveries from abroad are highly dependent on exchange rates, and domestic production is lacking. There are not enough vineyards, processing capacities, there are also serious legislative restrictions for the development of the raw material base. Our Union is working on all these problems.
• The main consequence of the raw material problem is the high proportion of fakes on the market.
• The main expectation of conscientious Russian manufacturers is a solution to this problem, state assistance to form a transparent market. This is a set of measures, including the indexation of minimum prices, and the separation of cognac distillate from ethyl alcohol in the legislation, and a number of other measures that are being implemented today in accordance with the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin.

Risk of buying counterfeit: higher for domestic or imported cognac?

Such comparative studies, to my knowledge, have not been conducted. In any case, the chance to buy a fake is always higher when the buyer "chooses the price."

According to our calculations, Russian cognac at the “minimum price” of 371 rubles is almost certainly not cognac.

99% of the products of the members of our Union start from the price of 500 rubles. For imported cognac, this "price threshold of certainty" as cognac will be even higher.

Vintage cognac is a quality drink aged for at least 6-7 years, which is divided into aged cognac (KV, 6-7 years), aged cognac of the highest quality (KVVK, 8-10 years) and old cognac (KS, more than 10 years) .

Collection cognac is an elite drink that ages in oak for at least three additional years.

It should be understood that the total age of Russian cognac is determined by the age of the youngest spirit included in the blend. A separate category includes rare millezim cognacs, which are products from alcohols of one harvest year.

Cognac of Russia and the USSR

The production of Russian cognac began in the first half of the 19th century, and the famous Kizlyarka vodka is considered the progenitor of modern domestic cognac. Already in 1865, the first drink was produced in Kutaisi, similar in its characteristics to classic cognac, and in 1888 the famous winemaker David Sarajishvili took up the business, who made a huge contribution to the development of the cognac industry of the country. Thanks to the efforts of David Sarajishvili, large cognac distillation plants were opened in Kizlyar and Tbilisi, and then production spread throughout the Crimea and Transcaucasia.

Another important figure in the history of Russian cognac production was Nikolai Leontievich Shustov, who went down in history as the creator of the best Russian cognacs. Numerous periods of stagnation prevented the further development of the cognac industry. The revolution of 1917, wartime, and then the collapse of the USSR and "perestroika" led the cognac production industry to decline, and the domestic market was filled with frank chatter, "disguised" as cognac.

When the passions subsided, the cognac industry in Russia began to revive almost from scratch. Today, several respected cognac factories operate in our country, such as Dagvino, Kin, the Moscow Regional Winery, etc. The main production regions of Russian cognac are Makhachkala, Kizlyar and Derbent (Republic of Dagestan), which produce over 50 % of all cognac production in Russia, as well as the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories.

Distinctive features of Russian cognac

According to experts, the weak point of the Russian cognac industry is the lack of a sufficient amount of good wine material. Let's be honest, not all vineyards in our country can be called exemplary, and the reason for this is the climate and soil unsuitable for cultivating the vine. That is why some of the spirits are purchased by modern producers from the best French farms, and some are produced on their own.

Despite the fact that domestic factories are largely guided by well-known French chateaus, Russian cognac is a bright, original drink, very different from its foreign comrade. Along with rather mediocre brands of domestic cognac, there are also worthy specimens on the market. The main feature of Russian cognac is its pronounced sweetish taste, which is achieved by adding burnt caramel to the product. It just so happened that the Russian gourmet prefers sweet drinks, and the classic dry cognacs, characteristic of French art, are less in demand in our country.

It is impossible not to note the obvious progress that Russian cognac masters have achieved over the past couple of decades. New plants and factories open every year in Russia, and continuously growing competition makes the craftsmen work with a vengeance. In this regard, the quality of the offered goods has also increased significantly, the range of exclusive vintages and rare collection samples of cognac art has expanded.

What cannot but please gourmets is the reasonable price of Russian cognac, which, despite the qualitative growth of the product, remains affordable for all buyers.

Our store offers a wide range of cognac products of domestic brands to the attention of respected visitors. Our qualified specialists will advise you on any issue and help you choose good alcohol for yourself or as a gift.

Cognac business in our country flourished, then faded. World recognition was replaced by nationwide disgust. And yet, Russian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Moldovan, Ukrainian cognacs survived and took their place under the sun.

well deserved title

A strong alcoholic drink, cognac comes from the city of the same name in the western coastal region of France, Poitou-Charentes, which, according to legend, was founded by one of Julius Caesar's military leaders in the 1st century BC. Since then, winemaking has developed there, which in the 15th century began to give money from exports, although salt was then the main export product. It was difficult to bring the wine safe and sound, if it was not of the highest quality, then the Dutch came up with a distillation apparatus. And the French are a wine distillate. Based on these two inventions, with the gradual addition of aging in oak barrels, a new drink appeared, which gradually began to conquer the world. Cognac, like, for example, champagne (from neighboring Champagne, whose wines, by the way, are the best for cognac production) is a primordially French product, and its name cannot be used anywhere like it except in Russia.

There is a semi-legendary story about how the famous Russian winemaker Nikolai Shustov brought samples of his cognacs from factories in Yerevan and Odessa to the World Exhibition in Paris, and won first place. For this, the French allowed him to use the name "cognac", and not "brandy", as everywhere else. But this is only a legend: in fact, the name Cognac, controlled by origin, appeared only in 1909, and in Cyrillic it could not be registered at all.

Under the New Economic Policy, cognac factories came to life, but for the inexperienced new Soviet people, a lot of fakes appeared on the market, which in tsarist times were called "artificial cognac", quite legally. It was a drink made from grain alcohol with the addition of various essences. But on the other hand, factories and cognac stocks were preserved on the ground.

But in 1936, the entire wine industry was included in the People's Commissariat of Food Industry, strict rules were introduced regarding wine materials: strength, acidity of wines for distillation were normalized, equipment at the factories was modernized.

There is a legend about how especially strong cognac "Dvin" 50% was created specially for either the Yalta or the Tehran conference, which Churchill really liked. Stalin sent him a box to England every month, but one day the cognac went bad. It turned out that the technologist who developed it, Markar Sedrakyan, was sent to Siberia. He was returned, reinstated in the party, and in 1971 he was even awarded the star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

The next time the Soviet state paid attention to cognac production in 1948, when it was separated into an independent branch of the wine industry. And that means separate funding. The main plants were modernized, new ones were built. The same thing happened in 1965, when GOSTs and other cognac standards appeared, factories were built even in the Far East, not to mention the Urals and the Lower Volga, and an official profession appeared - cognac maker. It was these cognac makers who introduced advanced methods - heat treatment, aging in enameled oak barrels, the addition of oak extract.

At the same time, cognac was introduced into mass fashion as an "elite" drink, unlike vodka. The famous phrase of Yevgeny Leonov from the magazine "Wick" about cognac: "Because it's expensive because it's so useful", or from the movie "The Diamond Hand", where the captain of the cruise ship offers cognac to Gorbunkov: family "? Doctors recommend! Improves the nervous system, dilates blood vessels."

Years of stagnation and recovery

The anti-alcohol company almost destroyed cognac in the USSR. Out of 34 factories, only a few continued to work, vineyards were mercilessly cut down. For example, the Kizlyar plant stopped processing grapes in 1985, and the plant stood until 1999. At the same time, cognac began to be counterfeited: alcohol dyed or infused on the shell, moonshine could easily be obtained not only from taxi drivers, but rather even in buffets and restaurants. And after the collapse of the union, almost nothing was left of the cognac industry again, just like after the First World War. We have seen some successes in the cognac business in the former USSR only in the last 10 years. Now the main problems are: there is not enough own wine material, no one knows how to make good barrels, a lot of fakes.

Since ancient times, cognac connoisseurs have been arguing about the traditions of its use and the various shades of the bouquet. It has always been considered and is still considered an elite drink. Cognac was put on the table in the house, where they wanted to emphasize the high status of the owner. Recently, the range has expanded so much that people have begun to think more about the taste and quality of their favorite drink.

History of Russian cognac

At the end of the nineteenth century, a strong grape drink was first exported from Kizlyar, which was obtained from local smoking. At that time, brandy factories already existed in Yerevan, Kutaisi and Tbilisi, but it is impossible to assume that these were factories producing Russian brandy, although these cities were part of the Russian Empire first, and then the USSR. Further, the development of cognac business took place in two completely different directions. On the one hand, factories were built in the Stavropol Territory and the Caucasus (the famous Kizlyar Cognac Factory). In these areas, climatic conditions made it possible to grow grapes, which were necessary for the production of cognac products. On the other hand, enterprises were built in the Urals, in Siberia, in the Far East in order to process alcohol obtained in the southern regions of the country.

Why is Russian cognac considered low-quality?

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, well-established trade and logistics ties, even within the country, were irretrievably lost and destroyed. Russian cognac factories lost their usual wine spirits and, accordingly, began to look for a replacement for them abroad. Unfortunately, when Russian cognac was produced (five stars or less - it doesn’t matter), first of all, cheap analogues of alcohol of dubious characteristics were used for its manufacture. It is the low quality of budget Russian cognac that has become the reason that there is no particular confidence in it.

Cognac factories in Russia

But, in spite of everything, production companies have remained and still exist in Russia, which use their own raw material base and produce Russian cognac (five stars) on its basis. Reviews about him are very versatile: neutral, negative and laudatory.

The main cognac factories in Russia:

1. Kizlyarsky.
2. Derbent.
3. Novokubansky.
4. Praskoveisky.

The bulk of drinks falls on the share of the first two factories for the production of cognac.

Excerpt

According to experts, this is the most important stage in the production process. The taste characteristics of such an elite drink as Russian five-year-old cognac largely depend on the duration of exposure: its quality and variety of smells.

Experts in their reviews recommend evaluating the exposure time. Buying for a person little versed in this matter is akin to participating in a lottery draw. Indeed, on the one hand, well-known well-known brands, such as Hennessy and others, have a very impressive cost and abound in beautiful inscriptions like V.S. or V.S.O.P., and on the other hand, domestic cognacs with an incomprehensible abbreviation "KV" are much more modest both in price and in appearance.

There is a certain classification of elite alcohol, for example, the inscription V.S. indicates a two-year-old cognac, V.S.O.P. - for four years, etc. In Russia, they use a different classification that has existed since Soviet times.

The minimum aging period for cognac in the USSR was three years. A drink aged one year can be easily distinguished by the number of stars on the bottle label. There are three, four or five stars. This is what distinguishes Russian cognac - the number of stars shows the aging time of the drink.

Vintage cognacs are more expensive elite Russian alcohol. They are marked with letters:

1. KV - cognac, aged for at least six years.
2. KVVK - cognac, aged for at least eight years, of high quality.
3. KS - with an exposure of at least ten years.
4. OS is a very old cognac, aged for at least twenty years.

Collection types include drinks aged over twenty-three years. Now that the abbreviation on the bottle label has become clear, you can draw your own conclusions about the exposure time and the reasonableness of the price. And in a sense, it will become much easier to choose Russian cognac. Reviews will also help you choose a quality drink.

Expert opinions and consumer choice

Cognac spirits of various aging are used to make cognac. In our country, the drink is prepared according to traditional classical technology.

Russian five-year-old cognac is especially popular and in demand among consumers. Reviews of numerous domestic tasters and experts indicate that this is a drink with a rich aroma and with the taste of almonds present in it. In addition, there is a slight presence of honey in it. But not only excellent taste qualities, according to experts, distinguish Russian cognac from others. An elite drink has a wonderful one that not all even the most expensive types can boast of.

Cognac production

The technology for the production of cognac is quite simple, the basis of the drink is real. In practice, they also use the usual one, since demand far exceeds supply. To prepare Russian cognac, it is necessary to carry out ionization of water, that is, to thoroughly clean it of impurities. The liquid passes through a special filter. At this stage, water changes its ionic composition and is purified several times. Next, cognac spirits are mixed with sugar syrup, color, fragrant alcohol and pure water. Ultimately, amber-colored bottles of the Russian drink appear on store shelves.

Expert reviews testify to the worthy taste characteristics of the Russian drink. In their opinion, domestic cognac can easily compete with foreign elite alcohol.

Extract of cognac spirit

Cognac alcohol is aged in oak barrels. During the year of this procedure, it evaporates by 0.5%. Oak containers should not have any metal parts that may come into contact with the liquid. After some time, five-year-old Russian cognac (five stars) will be obtained, but until this moment some manipulations are carried out with alcohol. In barrels, lignin, carbohydrates, various tannins and other components found in oak wood are mixed. Proper mixing in the future will have a beneficial effect on the quality of an amber drink with a unique range of aromas. After aging cognac spirits are filtered. But this happens only after they are treated with cold (temperature -12 degrees) for 10 days. Only after these above-described procedures, cognac is bottled in branded bottles and enters the retail network.

The variety of cognac on store shelves does not surprise anyone. Today, you can choose any country that produces this original drink, as well as what you can afford. Unfortunately, the best Russian cognac (5 stars), which is in high demand, quite often becomes the object of numerous fakes. In their analogues, they are not much different from the original.

How to check if the cognac is of high quality or not? Here are some ways that experts in this matter advise:

1. It is necessary to turn the bottle of brandy that has not yet been opened upside down. Now you need to look at the bottom inside. A sufficiently dense and large drop of drink should fall from it. It is believed that in low-grade and low-quality cognac, drops from the bottom simply flow down the walls.
2. Having poured a certain amount of cognac into a glass, it is necessary to lean against one of its sides. Then you need to look at it through the walls of the glass. A fingerprint should be visible through the cognac drink. This means that the cognac is of excellent quality.
3. It is necessary to turn the glass with cognac in your hands and at the same time watch how streams of the drink flow down its walls. Ideally, this should happen slowly with the formation of large droplets.

Experts tell you how to choose a good cognac

There are several fairly simple ways to choose a wonderful drink. Russian cognac (five stars) is not cheap. Although sometimes for decent money you can buy a surrogate of unknown origin. Experts say that it is advisable to buy elite drinks in large supermarkets or specialized stores, where an experienced sommelier will offer and select for each customer everything he wants. If you have any doubts, be sure to ask the sellers for a quality certificate for a particular brandy.

Before paying for the selected purchase, you need to inspect the bottle. It should be branded with embossed glass. The label must be glued perfectly evenly, in addition, excise stamps must be present on the bottle of cognac. Usually there are two of them: regional and federal. It is advisable not to purchase cognac, the label of which indicates that it contains distillation alcohol and various flavors. The bottle must be closed with a wooden cork or a cork made of pressed crumbs. This is a prerequisite, by these signs you can easily determine whether a fake is in front of you or an original.

Very often cognac is packaged in beautiful boxes or special tubes. You need to get a bottle and see what kind of amber drink is inside. When examining cognac liquid, it is important to pay attention to transparency. Cognac should be without sediment and turbidity. If after opening the bottle you feel an unusual smell, feel free to return it to the store and demand a refund.

Cognac is preferred by many gourmets. Its pleasant soft taste and light aftertaste will be a great addition to any holiday or significant event.

The range of these products on store shelves is huge, and customers often do not know what to choose. What brandy is the best - the most expensive, or a well-known brand, but at a reasonable price? What to buy as a gift, Armenian, already familiar brand, or imported? Do not "run into" if a fake?

It is worth trying to understand the abundance of cognac products.

What do you need to know to make the right choice?

Before you decide what good cognac to give or what to buy for your table, you should know what a “good” drink means?

On the labels of the bottles, letters incomprehensible to many are written:

• V.S. Selection, de Luxe, Trois Etoiles - Very Special (score 2) - this means that the manufacturer represents the original product with an aging period of 2 years or more - with a shorter aging period, he does not have the right to an elite name;
• Superior or account 3 - naturally 3 years;
• Very Superior Old Pale or VSOP, as well as Vieux, Very Old, Reserve - at least 4 years - score 4;
• V VSOP (score 5) Grande Reserve - from 5 years;
• Account 6 - X.O - Tres Vieux, Napoleon, Extra, Royal, Vieille Reserve - from 6 years.

These are the products that can be found on store shelves. High-aged drinks already have their own names and blend them individually.

When choosing which cognac is the best, you should definitely know that "Napoleon" or, for example, "Extra" is not a brand or brand, but just an indication of technological parameters.

When choosing a product, you should pay attention to the following factors.

1. Price. Good cognac costs from 200 rubles. for a half liter container. Even when choosing from inexpensive drinks, you need to keep in mind that what is cheaper is most likely colored alcohol.
2. container design. Counterfeit products are not bottled in figured glass. Those who want to sell faster have no time to think about uniqueness.
3. First, the label is pasted, and only then the excise tax.
4. You should not purchase a product if the label indicates the presence of flavoring or distillation alcohol.
5. In real cognac, the cap is wrapped tightly and does not scroll. A loose seal indicates a possible counterfeit.

You can experiment if you buy something for yourself. When an inexpensive stamp is given as a gift, it is better to stop at the VSOP of a well-known brand. The price will be relatively cheap, and the likelihood of “running into” a fake will decrease.

Exclusive varieties V VSOP or XO are already sold in a special design - most often in tubes or in barrels. Often there are also glasses in the set. Such a gift is pleasant both to give and receive.

Armenian cognac

This is the most famous brand that can be seen on the shelves of our stores.

They are classified as follows:

• KV - ripening period 6-7 years;
• KVVK - a drink of higher quality - from 8 to 10 years;
• KS - old cognac - aging up to 20 years.

Elite, very old Armenian cognac - aging for more than 20 years.

More simple products of Armenian factories are sold with asterisks on the labels. Each year is one star. Collectible Armenian cognacs are vintage and each of them has its own unique name.

Which Armenian brand should be preferred in order to be able to enjoy the taste and aroma?

• of course, "Ararat" - stamps are also made at this Yerevan plant "Armenia", "Dvin", "Three Stars", "Five Stars";
• line of the Armenian elite "Noah" - "Araspel", "Lord" and "Classic".

These drinks are above the VSOP class, but in order not to make a mistake with the choice, it is advisable to know the secret of determining exposure.

• If you turn the bottle upside down, then the dripping drops should leave grooves on the glass that do not drain immediately. The longer they hold, the higher the exposure.
• When the liquid is already in the glass, you should pay attention to transparency - it should be free of impurities and suspensions.

Good drinks with 3-5 stars are not bottled in ordinary bottles similar to vodka. To buy such Armenian cognac is to deliberately deceive yourself.

What is the best Russian cognac?

If you want to support "your" manufacturer, you should pay attention to the Dagestan cognac. The brandy factory in Kizlyar is the manufacturer of elite products.

She has the same markings as the Armenian one - that is, labels with asterisks. VSOP varieties - from 5 stars.

The most famous brands of Kizlyar:

• "Kizlyar" with a resinous-vanilla bouquet of taste - a blend of 10 years;
• "Dagestan" - KS - aging period of at least 13 years - vanilla-chocolate taste;
• "Kizlyar festive"- from 17 years old.

Stamps made in Moscow are also valued.

• "Russia" with a delicate delicate aftertaste of honey - KS from 15 years; light and transparent;
• "Bagration" - KS - very soft, dark amber color.

Recognized as one of the best Russian varieties "Moscow Jubilee" with a decent exposure of 25 years. The taste is oily, soft, the color resembles liquid dark amber.

Overview of some varieties of noble drinks

Georgian varieties corresponding to the French category VSOP and V VSOP: Egrisi, Armazi, Gelata, Vartsikhe. These are good, worthy drinks, aged from 6 to 10 years.

If we consider the products of KS and OS, then a worthy place among world manufacturers is occupied by:

• "Eniseli" - once he was even awarded the Stalin Prize;
• "Tbilisi" - exposure for at least 18 years, slightly astringent in taste;
• "Gremi" - a very complex bright taste - ether, vanilla, spices.

It is impossible not to mention the brand "Jubilee" - it is included in the list of the best varieties both in Georgia itself and abroad. Many, comparing with "Courvoisier", prefer it. This is a true masterpiece of producers of noble drinks and it is very difficult to describe it, you can only appreciate it by trying it.

What is it, "Courvoisier", with which "Jubilee" is sometimes compared? Of course, real connoisseurs do not do this - connoisseurs have completely different tastes. For non-experts, the cost is more indicative. VSOP "Courvoisier" is aged for at least 10 years, and V VSOP - from 12. In the bouquet of its taste - cinnamon, meadow herbs, cardamom, vanilla, dried apricots, dried apples. The cost of V VSOP starts from 2500 rubles per 0.5 l, VSOP from 2000 rubles.

The history of Henessy is over 250 years old. This drink is considered the most popular in the world. Elite varieties are offered to customers in a bottle resembling a bunch of grapes, ordinary ones, such as Hennessy Very Special, in an ordinary pot-bellied container.

This manufacturer produces elite varieties from 3000 rubles of the highest class and just a good drink - with an exposure of 2 years.

How not to fall for the bait of a forger when purchasing Hennessy?

1. Color. Thick, rich, regardless of class and exposure. Anything that looks like tea with lemon is fake.
2. Under the sticker of the original bottle, right on the glass, there is an engraving - a brush and grape leaves. If the sticker is on the side, it means that the bottle is borrowed from the manufacturer, and one can only guess what is in it.
3. The expiration date must be stated on the label.
4. The trademark is also engraved on the bottle - it is located at the bottom of the container.
5. The labeling of the cork is of particular importance. It also bears all the marks of the manufacturer - the degree of exposure, logo, trademark.

No matter how good and tasty the drink in the bottle is, in the absence of at least one labeling detail, we can conclude that this is not Hennessy.

The nuances of meetings with a noble drink

To appreciate cognac, you need not only to learn how to choose it correctly, but also to use it correctly.