Cognac Graham: history, overview of types + interesting facts
The traditional Georgian drink was created at the oldest cognac factory in the country in the middle of the XX century.
David Saradzhishvili & Eniseli, a Tbilisi-based company, is over a hundred years old, and the technology used to make Gremi is even older...
The history of the brand
The first cognac house in Georgia appeared in 1884. It was founded by a talented entrepreneur and philanthropist David Saradzhishvili. Before starting to create the brandy, the future distiller carefully studied the French cognac art. Then he explored the country in search of a place with a climate and soils optimal for growing grapes.
The first bottle of local cognac was produced in 1887. And already at the end of the XIX century, the drink was highly appreciated on the international market.
The Georgian product received a gold medal at the exhibitions in Paris, Chicago, Brussels, and in 1913 the Saradzhishvili company was awarded the title of "supplier of the imperial court".
After the death of the great distiller, his wife Catherine continued his business. With the advent of Soviet rule, the company was nationalized and renamed the Tbilisi Cognac Factory. The plant returned to private ownership only in 1994. The new owner is not related to the famous family, but wanted to restore its original name.
Grammy cognac appeared in the House's lineup in 1961. It got its name in honor of an ancient village in Kakheti.
Today, the drink is not produced at the Saradzhishvili factory, and it is rarely on sale. But if you try hard enough, you can find collectible copies of the Soviet era or new versions of the famous cognac from other manufacturers.
Features of production
Gremi cognac is produced according to the traditional "Charente" method borrowed from France.
Local grape varieties are used as raw materials: Sachkhere, Kvareli and Gurjaani.
It is aged in oak barrels made of local oak ("Iberian"). The minimum maturation period is 8-10 years.
The drink belongs to the category KVVK.
Overview of types
It is quite difficult to find Gremi cognac in the Russian retail network. Most often, connoisseurs bring it from Georgia or buy it from collectors.
The range of the famous cognac is represented by the following variants (from different manufacturers):
Vintage cognac "Gremi" from Tbilisi Cognac Factory
Includes collector's items from the 60s and 90s. Consists of cognac spirits aged 8-9 years.
Color: light golden, taste: soft, pleasant. Consistency velvety, viscous.
The bouquet is dominated by floral, fruity, spicy and vanilla notes.
In the taste you can distinguish notes of almonds, apples, oak, dried apricots.
Awarded 4 gold and 2 silver medals. Alcohol content: 43%.
"Grammy" from "Bolero and Co"
Differs in rich dark amber color with golden reflections and spicy aroma.
Taste: fresh, without alcohol harshness, with a light floral flair and vanilla notes.
Aging: 9 years. Alcohol content: 40%.
It is recommended to serve beef steak or lamb shish kebab as an appetizer to Georgian cognac.
Interesting facts
To master the art of cognac, David Saradzhishvili went to France.
Among his teachers was a great distiller Jean Camus, who at that time owned his own cognac house ("Camus").
After the death of the founder of the Tbilisi plant, most of his fortune, according to his will, was spent on good deeds: sponsoring the Society for the Dissemination of Literacy, research institutes, the construction of schools and hospitals, a theater in Kutaisi, etc.
The current owners of the Tbilisi factory honor the memory of its creator.
In 1994, they reburied the remains of Maestro David and his wife in a chapel in the city center. The company has also erected a monument in his honor and restored the phaeton he used to travel around his estate.
There is a legend that says that in 1945 Winston Churchill himself became interested in Tbilisi cognac when he came to the USSR for the Yalta Conference.
As a result, the technologist Vakhtang Tsitsishvili was awarded the Stalin Prize, and in 1961 he created a new recipe for cognac (it was Grammy).
Update: 23.06.2019
Category: Brandy and Cognac