Having tried different types of cognac, you have probably formed your own criteria for assessing its quality. However, not many people know the classification that is displayed in the globally accepted labeling on bottles. The first thing to remember is that cognac is a French drink, so Latin letter markings are used only on truly French cognacs. The labeling, which is complicated at first glance, indicates its aging period.

The National Interprofessional Office of Cognac uses the following designations:

• VS cognac(from the English “Very Special”) – marking of cognacs whose aging period in a barrel is at least 2 years;
• cognac VSOP– types of cognac, aged in barrel for 4 years or more;
• cognac VVSOP– designation of cognacs whose aging period exceeds 5 years;
• cognac XO(from the English “Extra Old”) - marking of cognacs whose aging period exceeds 6 years.

When calculating the aging period, the starting point is usually April 1 of the year following the year of harvest. However, aging, which is denoted by the Latin alphabet, is not all that can be found on the label of a good cognac. Classification of cognacs

Stars are assigned to ordinary cognacs, that is, made from alcohol aged for 3-5 years. At the same time, branded types of cognac have slightly different markings. Vintage cognacs are made from grape alcohol, the aging period of which exceeds 6 years. In this system, there are 3 main groups of cognac:

• cognac KV(aged) is made from high-quality alcohols, the average age of which ranges from 6 to 7 years, and the strength of such a drink should not be less than 42%;
• cognac KVVK has a strength of 43 to 45%, the alcohol from which this cognac is produced is aged for 10 years, although the use of 8-year-old alcohols is also allowed;
• cognac KS(old), cognac OS(very old) is made exclusively from the highest quality alcohols, aged for more than 10 years, and the strength of such drinks ranges from 40 to 57%.

Only collection cognacs are considered better than vintage cognacs of the KS or OS class.

Collection cognac is an additional vintage cognac infused in an oak barrel for 5 or more years.

The classification of cognacs involves dividing different types of this drink into classes.

Typically, the class of cognac is indicated by asterisks, according to the following criteria (star-cognac):

• cognac 3 stars made from alcohols that have been aged for more than 3 years, and the strength of the drink should be from 40%; these are young types of cognac, with a pleasant extractive taste and light straw color;
• cognac 4 stars is made from alcohols aged for 4 years, while the strength of the drink is from 41%, and its sugar content should not exceed 1.5%, this cognac also has a pleasant light straw color, and its taste is more extractive;
• cognac 5 stars is made from high-quality cognac spirits aged five years, the standard strength of such cognac is at least 42%, and the sugar percentage is 1.5%, the taste and aroma have a pleasant cognac tone.

In the USSR, cognacs were divided by age into ordinary (up to 5 years of aging) and vintage (over 6 years of aging). The French categorization by age is very arbitrary in the sense that the manufacturer often ages cognac in a barrel for a longer period than required by law.
The aging period is “considered” from one o’clock in the morning on April 1, following the official cessation of distillation of wine from a given vintage. “Score”, or control of the age of cognac, starts with “00” and ends with “6”. The first three “accounts” are not taken into account in the age category table, because they are an intermediate link in the technological production process. According to the law, the minimum age of cognac that has the right to go on sale is 2 years of aging in an oak barrel or “count 2”:

Account 00: is the distillation account (until March 31st);
Count 0: starts on April 1, after the end of distillation;
Account 1: the first year of aging cognac in an oak barrel;
Account 2: V.S. (Very Special), Selection, de Luxe, Trois Etoiles - at least 2 years;
Account 3: Superior - at least 3 years;
Count 4: V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale), V.O. (Very Old), Vieux, Reserve - at least 4 years;
Count 5: V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale), Grande Reserve - at least 5 years;
Count 6: X.O. (Extra Old), Extra, Napoleon, Royal, Tres Vieux, Vieille Reserve - at least 6 years

The classification of cognacs aged (the youngest spirits) for more than 6.5 years is prohibited by the Bureau, which believes that it is impossible to control blending processes for periods of more than 6.5 years.

But a certain “average” category is VSOP. In this category, drinks have their own personality.

For example, Gautier cognac. It is an amazing combination of the best cognac spirits, aged for at least 12 years. Its assemblage includes about 80 alcohols, the oldest of which is 25 years old. Cognac matures under special conditions that contribute to the acquisition of unique color and taste characteristics of the drink. The cellars in which Gautier VSOP is aged have a high humidity regime, since they are located deep below the river level. During the aging process, the drink acquires a unique, subtle, structured taste, rich in notes of dried fruits and vanilla and the color of dark amber.

Kazumian cognac is good as a digestif, and served with ice it can replace an aperitif. The age of cognac spirits is about 8 years. It is elegant, with a well-developed, full, powerful aroma, in which light woody tones, tones of vanilla and chocolate are clearly felt.

Another brand, Meukow, produces good cognac in the VSOP category. It is amber in color and has a powerful and piquant aroma with woody tones that continue into a soft, rich taste and a sweet vanilla finish. The age of cognac spirits is on average 6-8 years.

We can offer an equally interesting option - Davidoff Classic cognac. This cognac is an assemblage of more than 40 alcohols. Due to long aging in oak barrels, it acquires a dark amber color and the aroma of Limousin oak. This cognac has an oily texture and a memorable aftertaste; According to the creators, it should serve as an excellent complement to Davidoff cigars.

Well, Courvoisier, Hennessy, Martell - cognacs that are drunk all over the world and which need no introduction.”

And finally, a little about how to drink cognac.

Cognac glass

Now it’s difficult to talk about the traditions of drinking cognac, because time is rapidly changing everything. Until recently, the traditional glass for cognac was considered to be a “snifter” (from the English verb to sniff - to sniff, to inhale with the nose) or a spherical glass, narrowed at the top, with a large bowl (about 840 ml) and a short stem. This glass was held in the palm, warming the cognac with its warmth, the cognac was rotated along the walls of the bowl and enjoyed its aromas, plunging the nose into the glass. But time has made its own adjustments, and now a traditional glass is considered a “tulip” or a glass with a bowl in the shape of a tulip bud (about 140 ml) on an elongated stem. This glass is held by the stem, like a wine glass, the cognac is rotated along the walls of the bowl, allowing it to actively “breathe” oxygen, and the aromas of cognac are enjoyed through the narrow “exit” of the glass. What is better is determined by the consumer himself.
Cognac is never cooled or heated; the optimal temperature is room temperature.

The classes VS, VSOP and XO were approved at the beginning of the last century by the State Interprofessional Office of Cognac (BNIC), and the fundamental principle of this classification was age.

Time changes this noble drink, softening its taste, thickening its color and making its aroma more subtle. Aged cognac contains the history of past years and becomes a connecting link between generations.

The age of cognac can be judged by its label - it indicates the age of the youngest cognac spirit included in the blend. The period of this aging is counted from one o'clock in the morning on April 1 after the official completion of distillation of the wine from the current year's harvest. According to French law, the minimum aging period for cognac is two years, and a prerequisite is its maturation in an oak barrel.

Each letter of the French cognac classification abbreviation has a deep meaning, expressing the quality of the cognac: F - excellent, V - very, O - old, S - excellent, P - light and X - extremely. All cognacs according to this system can be divided into ordinary ones, aged up to 6 years, and vintage or collection ones, whose age exceeds the six-year mark.

Ordinary cognacs with three stars on the label correspond to cognacs of the VS, De Luxe and Selection status, and cognacs of the VSOP, VSO, VVS, Rare (rare), Vieux (old) classes are considered to have four stars.

A special class of ordinary cognacs is called VS (Very Special). The youngest component of the alcohol blend of such cognacs is most often two years old. In addition to the mandatory VS symbols, cognac can be marked with the additional designations Selection (selected), de Luxe (luxury), Trois Etoiles (three stars).

The highest status of ordinary cognacs is recognized by their labeling VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), which can be translated as “a very excellent old light one.” The average aging of such a drink is four years. This cognac was dubbed “pale” not for its faded taste, but for its pure natural color without artificial caramel colors, which is another indicator of the highest quality.

Five-year-old cognac of the highest quality is called “very, very old” and is labeled as VVSOP (Very Very Superior Old Pale) or Grand Reserve.

Vintage cognacs include drinks aged 6 years or more. Cognacs of this class are the elite among strong alcoholic drinks, the average age of which is calculated in decades.

There are strict standards for the classification of strong alcoholic beverages. At the same time, there are several variants of divisions used in alcohol production. If we talk about the variety that brandy producers most often use, then this is the classification of the drink by aging, developed by Hennessy. Find out what the acronyms XO and VSOP mean.

In the article:

Classification of brandy aging according to Hennessy

The history of this type of classification dates back to 1870. The famous cognac producer Maurice Hennessy created a collection of old cognac drinks for a narrow circle of family and friends, giving it the name XO (Extra Old, that is, especially “old” - aged). Since then, cognac aged 6 years and above received the name XO, becoming over time a drink quality class.

Previously, a “star” classification system was used, where the number of stars on the label is equal to the years of aging of the product. This system is now preserved to indicate the aging of cognac.

Based on the XO class, Hennessy created his own classification system for noble alcoholic beverages, which is used by producers of noble drinks.

• A.C. – this category of the youngest drinks, up to 2 years old. It usually includes fruit and berry brandies.
• V.S. (Very Special) – the age of drinks in this category begins at 3 years.
• V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale) – drinks in this category are considered more noble, because their aging period is from 4 years.
• V.V.S.O.P. Grande Reserve - noble drinks of brandy grape varieties, aged for at least 5 years, form the basis of this class of alcohol.
• X.O. – (Extra Old) Hors d’age Napoleon Extra Tres Vieux Vieille Reserve – this designation defines the uniqueness of the brandy, which belongs to the highest quality class. A drink in this category is aged for at least 6 years.

Express method

The official name of this method is “accelerated maturation of alcohol.” Aging in this way occurs in containers made of any suitable material. The prepared vessels are first filled with oak material in the form of chips or shavings, and then filled with young alcohol. The next step is to heat the contents of the containers to a temperature of 60 degrees. Forced oxygen supply is carried out 2-3 times a month. After six months of this aging, the brandy becomes similar to the one aged in the traditional way for 3 years. But no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to achieve identical richness of taste and aroma.

Another method of maturing young alcohol can be classified as an express method. “Boisege” (woodiness) - oak lumps soaked in old cognac are placed in neutral containers with young alcohol.

The fastest. This is not even aging, but preparation for bottling. Brandy is placed in containers and kept open for some time. During this time, some of the essential substances evaporate. The process then continues closed. At this point, the brandy “rests.” The preparation period lasts up to a year. Fruit and berry brandies, as well as rum and some types of tequila are prepared this way.

– a noble drink, revered since ancient times by aristocrats and members of royal families. The quality and price of fine alcohol depends on the manufacturing technology and aging time. The most refined taste is born from the meeting of noble spirits with the aroma of wood. Having “inhaled” oxygen, this union gives gourmets a unique bouquet of taste and aroma.

Well, if you are not a gourmet at all and are too lazy to understand the meaning of non-Russian words, there is an easy way to understand what kind of cognac is in front of you!

Taste: F - excellent, V - very,S - excellent

By the look: R - light,

According to the age:

O - old

X - over or extra. In other words, superlatively)

So, by connecting these letters, we get the desired meaning and description of cognac.

Cognac is made from aged cognac spirit. The process goes something like this: the juice is squeezed out of the grapes, the grape juice is brought to fermentation, then sent for distillation. The distillation is done twice. After the second distillation, cognac spirit is poured into oak barrels, sealed and sent to the cellar for maturation. The longer the cognac alcohol matures, the tastier and better quality the cognac turns out.

VS (Very Special) - means that the cognac matured for about 2 years in an oak barrel.

VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) - approximately 4 years of aging in barrel.

XO (Extra Old) - the highest class with aging from 6 to 20 years.

You can immediately see the difference in prices.

P.S. Cognac bottled will not change its quality. It can be stored for at least ten years, but the aging will remain the same as it was at the time of bottling.

These letters indicate the age of the cognac.

It states that each of the alcohols included in this cognac (there can be many of them) is aged at least as specified. Moreover, to be considered cognac, it must be aged for at least two years, otherwise it is some kind of sub-cognac. So you will never see labels with the very first bills, technological designations 00, 0 and 1 in stores.

The aging period for cognac spirits is counted from the night of April 1 of the year following the year of the grape harvest.

Manufacturers have already calculated 00, 0 and 1. The following classes follow in order.

2: V.S. (stands for Very Special), can also be designated Selection, de Luxe, Trois Etoiles - 2 years (i.e. at least 2 years of aging, but less than 3).

3: Superior 3 years (or rather, from three to four).

4: V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale), V.O. (Very Old), Vieux, Reserve 4 years of aging (from 4 to 5).

5: V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale) - alcohol aging for at least 5 years.

6: X.O. (Extra Old) - at least 6 years of aging (infinity is not the limit).

Aging is taken into account only that which occurs in oak barrels, charred from the inside. This is the only way that alcohols can obtain all kinds of substances from this wood, enriching the bouquet. After bottling, the process, as you understand, stops: you can no longer obtain tanning, aromatic substances, sugar, or color from chemically inert glass.

You are probably aware that there is another designation, more common in the post-Soviet space, like * * * *, which means: this cognac is made from alcohols aged for at least 4 years (the same as VSOP), strength from 41% , sugar content should not exceed 1.5%. Stars denote ordinary cognacs. Vintage ones have a letter designation from the Russian alphabet: KV (aged cognac), KVVK, KS (old cognac) or OS (very old). However, it is impossible to find an unambiguous correspondence between our and imported designations, since the aging of these cognacs goes beyond the limits of foreign accounts. On the other hand, abroad count 6 (which is Extra Old) is in no way limited from above, and at least 6 years can mean at least 7 years and 1 month, at least 10 years, at least all 60, whereas with HF there will be no such spread, since KV labeling implies an average age of alcohol from 6 to 7 years (strength no less than 42%), KVVK - 10 years (the use of eight-year-old cognac spirits is allowed, the final strength is from 43 to 45%), and only KS (OS) is truly significant age - more than 10 years (at a strength of 40 to 57%).

Indeed, it is interesting to find out what the letters mean on the bottles of an expensive drink - cognac. After all, the letters will not only tell us about the price of cognac, but also tell us something about its quality.

In fact, a whole scheme has been developed that makes it very easy to understand what you bought). It's called the French system. See:

I think that now it will be easier for you to navigate when purchasing. I also want to add that there are other designations that are worth mentioning.

Namely:

• at the sight of the letters V.S. on the bottle we can conclude that the age of cognac alcohol in this case is at least ten years;

  letters V.S.O.P. they talk about the age of fifteen to twenty years;

  Cordon Bleu is already thirty-five years old;

  Extra - sixty years;

  and fifty years of X.O. Supreme.

These are not even asterisks (asterisks reflect the quality of raw materials), but an analogy of domestic abbreviations. For example, KVVK - aged cognac of the highest quality, or simply KV - aged cognac, OS - very old SS - very old. The English marking you provided means V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale) - cognac at least 4 years old - a very excellent old light. This decoding will help you navigate: E - special

F - excellent

O - old

S - excellent

R - light

C - cognac

that is, XO will mean very (very) old in the Russian manner.

Chin - rank :)

Cognac is a strong alcoholic drink made from grapes, which is aged for a long time in oak barrels. It is this aging in oak that will impart the characteristic light, golden brown color. Accordingly, the English letters VSOP, VS, X.O. are the initial ones in the designation of aging in years, old age, quality and other characteristics of cognac.

VS (Very Special) - cognac aged for at least 2.5 years

VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) or VVSOP (Very-Very Superior Old Pale - at least 4-5 years of aging and we can talk about the excellent quality of such a drink.

XO (Extra Old) - from 6 years, that is, aged for quite a long time in an oak barrel.



The strict standards established by the National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognacs also include the age of cognac, indicated in the form of letters. Aging of cognac according to the classification is considered from April 1, from one in the morning. Cognac aged more than 6 years is not included in the category and is prohibited by the Bureau

When purchasing a skate in stores, you will notice that the following abbreviations are indicated on the packaging: XO, VVSOP, VSOP, VS. These abbreviations show us the aging period of the drink; these abbreviations mean the following:

Source of information: fb.ru.

These designations are found on cognac from France.

• VS (Very Special) - this drink is more than two years old; In fact, more than 4 years.

  at least four years are designated - VSOP (VSO, Vieux, VVS, Rare);

  X.O. super old alcoholic drink. It is also called Extra Old. Excellent cognac for connoisseurs). 25 years guaranteed.

From the same opera Vieille Reserve and Napoleon. Napoleon reaches the age of 20.

Cognacs from Russian producers also have their own designations. The decoding is as follows:





Best harvest

These letters on bottles of cognac are markings indicating the age of the cognac. Aging control is carried out by the National Interprofessional Bureau of Cognacs, which has established these very strict standards. Thanks to this, all consumers can learn about the aging period of cognac.

V.S. (Very Special) - this brand belongs to cognacs aged for at least 2.5 years

V.O.(Very Old) very old

V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale) - cognac aged for at least 4 years

V.V.S.O.P. (Very-Very Superior Old Pale) cognacs aged for at least 5 years;

X.O.(Extra Old) Napoleon, Extra is a fairly old cognac aged for at least 6 years.