Professional or friendly tasting...

Of course, savouring a glass with some friends does not mean following a protocol. Anyhow, when you taste a new Cognac for the first time, if you want to have a good idea of it, it is better to pay attention to it.

Organising a Cognac tasting « according to the rules » is quite similar to organizing a Wine tasting.

The basic precautions will be the same:

• The place should be appropriate (enough space, no odours, noises, or even colours that could be disturbing)
• Possibility of spitting, drinking water, eating tiny bits of bread…
• The tasters should be healthy , in good shape(well, as much as possible) and concentrated on the tasting

The progress of the tasting follows the same steps: observation of aspect and colour/ smelling, analysis of aromas/ tasting with analysis of texture and new aromas / after taste/ general impression

However, some aspects are specific to spirits.The high alcoholic degree of the products (40% alcohol in the case of Cognacs) has several consequences:

• They will evaporate far more easily than in the case of wines: for a wine fan, this implies to change some habits:

- with spirits, keep your nose far from the glass, even during the tasting. It is not so easy.

- swirling your glass is not recommended. Anyhow, you can swirl it gently after a time to exhale a new series of aromas

• Temperature will have a strong influence. Heating your glass in your hand right from the beginning is a mistake; it will change the evolution of your Cognac. And heating it with a candle is really a very bad idea. Why not putting your Château Margaux in the microwave oven? Unless you want the ceiling to appreciate the fragrances on your behalf…

2. In Cognacs, aromas come by waves, one wave after each other, much more detached than in wines.

• Take your time. The big thing with Cognacs is time. You must let them enough time to express themselves; they must be waited for, be patient. They will not let out directly their whole range of aromas. You will not be able to fully describe a cognac “at the first nose» It is only after a few minutes, may be even a few hours, that they will express all their fragrances.
• This is long, but keep in mind that, compared with a wine tasting, for a cognac the « nosing » part will be the crucial part. Whisky lovers will not be surprised, but for wine drinkers it may be puzzling. Just imagine that in French there is no strict equivalent to « nosing ».
• The aromas are so detached that they are easier to catch than in wines
  

3. It is extremely tiring to taste spirits

• Do not try to taste as many Cognacs at the same time as you would in a wine tasting, especially if you are not used to spirits. Tasting 3 Cognacs during the same session is far enough for a beginner. Do not forget: if you wait for every Cognac to exhale all its aromas, it will take time. Hence the classic image of the Cognac lover sipping slowly his glass

4. The glasses used for a Cognac tasting are different from the glasses used for Wines

No real “INAO standard” as in the world of wines (I must admit again that In France, we have a tendency to have strict rules about odd things) but two recommended shapes, that we favour in Cognac because they really give the best perception of the aromas.
The first type is named “le verre maître de chai » or cellar master’s glass: extremely thin, looking very much like the ones used in Jerez for the "fino"s. Some people use them here for Cognacs, but mostly for “pineau”, a local aperitif.

And the second type, which I adopted, small tulip glasses ; I love them, because their general shape, i.e. round base, thinner neck and narrow top really separates the waves of aromas, and concentrates the flavours.
Last thing, but not least: up to me, they are very elegant.