Cognac VS

VS is the abbreviation of Very Special and is the youngest age designation for cognac. In the technical file of the Cognac geographical indication, which the BNIC submitted to the European Commission, VS falls under compte 2. The designations 3 Etoiles, Sélection, De Luxe and Very Special written out in full also fall under that same compte.

The BNIC, the interprofessional organisation that protects the appellation, explains that the age of a cognac is determined by the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend. Cognac may not be sold before it has matured for two years. That maturation must be uninterrupted and take place in oak casks. A producer may let its eaux-de-vie age longer than that minimum.

The difference lies in the minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie. A VS has matured at least two years, a VSOP at least four years and an XO at least ten years. That is how it is stated in the technical sheet: VS belongs to compte 2, V.S.O.P. to compte 4 and XO to compte 10.

There are more designations in between and above. Napoléon, Très Vieille Réserve and Très Vieux belong to compte 6. Hors d'âge and Extra fall, like XO, under compte 10. The BNIC also mentions XXO, Extra Extra Old, for cognac of 14 years or older. Because cognac does not age further in the bottle, the age on the label stays the same after bottling.

Cognac VS is made in the same way as older cognac; only the maturation is shorter. The base is white wine. The product specification lists colombard, folle blanche, montils, sémillon and ugni blanc among the grape varieties. According to the BNIC, ugni blanc covers almost 98 percent of the vineyards in the region.

The wine is distilled twice in a copper alambic charentais. The still may be no larger than 30 hectolitres and at most 25 hectolitres is loaded each time. The distillation must be finished by 31 March after the harvest at the latest. After that the eau-de-vie matures in oak casks. On the market, cognac has at least 40 percent alcohol.

Cognac comes from a delimited area in western France. According to the technical file it covers almost all of Charente-Maritime, a large part of Charente and a few municipalities in the Dordogne and the Deux-Sèvres. The BNIC cites a vineyard of more than 87,648 hectares, divided into six crus.

Those crus are Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois ordinaires. Fine Champagne is not a separate area but a blend of Grande and Petite Champagne, with at least 50 percent Grande Champagne. For those two Champagnes the file describes shallow clay-limestone soils on soft, chalky limestone from the Cretaceous.

You can serve Cognac VS neat, but it is also used in cocktails and mixed drinks. The BNIC writes that cognac can be drunk neat, with ice, in cocktails or as a long drink. Producer Hennessy calls its V.S suitable for classic cocktails and simple mixed drinks, with the Hennessy Honey Highball and the Hennessy Ginger as examples.

These sources do not state a fixed serving temperature or a fixed glass for VS. For grapes, distillation and origin, the same rules apply to VS as to VSOP and XO; the difference lies in the minimum ageing time. Enjoy responsibly.

The shop currently has 18 bottles of VS cognac, all from France. From Hennessy, both the Hennessy Very Special and the Hennessy VS are on the shelf. You will also find the Baron Otard Cognac V.S., the Braastad VS Cognac, the Camus Elegance VS and the Château Montifaud VS.

The Courvoisier VS, the De Luze VS, the Frapin VS 1270, the Godet Cognac VS Classique, the Joseph Guy Cognac VS, the Louis Royer Cognac VS and the Meukow VS Cognac are also in the shop, alongside several other bottles. Would you like to know how these cognacs differ? Feel free to call or drop by ’t Bockje at Brink 2 in Bathmen.

The shop is at Brink 2 in Bathmen. Open Tuesday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00 and Saturday from 09.00 to 17.00. For advice, call 0570 541 278 or email info@bockje.nl.