What do vs vsop and xo mean

Armagnac is a brandy that has been legally made in the Armagnac region in Gascony, and Calvados is made using apples and pears in the Normandy and Brittany area of France. The lettering given to the different Cognacs acts as a guide to the age of the brandy :. We have listed here the legal Cognac grades for each of the classifications used, but in reality, many producers age their Cognacs for a lot longer than the minimum. Producers have their own traditions and processes that give their Cognac its distinctive flavour, colour and quality.

As long as the minimum requirement is reached, and it is made in the official region, the brandy can legally bear the esteemed Cognac name.

Leaving the eau-de-vie to age is a costly process, and this is why the older Cognacs are priced higher. There are also fewer for them, so they are rarer and more sought after. At Maison Painturaud, we have seven different Cognacs in our shop and we have established our own age for each of the labels. When it comes to purchasing the finest Cognac, the minimum age for each classification is set, but we go beyond the minimum with most of our labels.

The longer the eau-de-vie is aged, the better it is and the more prestigious it becomes. All Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy can be considered Cognac. Cognac must be at least 40 percent alcohol. Most Cognacs are aged much longer, however, featuring a blend of eau x de vie that can date back decades. In other words, while major Cognac houses may grow a small percentage of their own grapes, the vast majority of the distillate they use to create Cognac comes from local winegrowers and distillers.

Thank You! You really can relate to this if you have ever wanted to make a liqour purchase and saw something like Hennessy V. P or Hennessy X. O and had to make your decision based on the price difference.

So, what does those letters mean? Firstly, It all has to do with aging — the time a specific spirit matures in a barrel. The letters on the bottle are basically a guide indicating the minimum years the youngest Cognac in the blend actually spent in the barrel. The aging reads as follows:. Very Special : The youngest blended Cognac or Armagnac must be a minimum 2 years old.

Varietal: The Cognac or Armagnac is made with just one grape. The grape varietal should be included on the label.