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Derbent is a brandy brand, the rights to which belong to the Derbent Brandy Factory. The trade representative of the plant is the Citadel Cognac House. The production capacities of the enterprise allow to produce more than 1 million decalitres of cognac annually. The assortment portfolio includes ordinary, vintage, collection cognacs, including those with a protected designation of origin.
Historical information
The Derbent Brandy Factory was founded in 1956, but the starting point in the history of the company has been pushed back a century. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1861, when the first steam winery was officially registered in Derbent, and the owners of the vineyards received tax breaks for the smoking of spirits. Already in 1881, 12 thousand buckets of grape spirit were smoked in the city. Cognac production grew steadily until 1914, but the outbreak of the First World War, the introduction of Prohibition, revolutionary unrest led to the practical destruction of the industry. Only by 1925 was the production of cognacs and wines resumed. In the post-war years, on the basis of the capacities of the old winery and the raw material base of several vineyards, a plant arose, which was put into operation in 1956, and a year later the recipe for the first branded cognac “Derbent” was approved.
Today it is a powerful full-cycle enterprise producing 15 brands of cognac, brandy, vodka, grappa, table, dessert and liqueur wines, Calvados. To meet the demand for raw materials, the plant planted vineyards on an area of 350 hectares and it is planned to increase this figure to 1000 hectares. During the season, DCC processes 60 tons of grapes, which makes it possible to obtain 4,5 million decaliters of wine materials.
The Derbent Cognac Factory is one of the first alcohol producers in Russia to obtain licenses for the production of wines and cognacs with a protected designation of origin. This indicates that the plant’s wine products are made from own grapes of established varieties and bottled within strictly defined geographical areas. For cognacs of the Derbent line, these are Rkatsiteli, Ugni Blanc grapes, a mixture of varieties of the Vitis vinifera species, which are grown on farms in the Derbent, Sergokalinsky and Magaramkent regions.
Trademark dispute
In the struggle for exclusive rights to two popular brands – “Derbent” and “Dagestan” – OJSC “Derbent Cognac Plant” won. The Derbent wine and cognac plant also claimed these appellations of origin (AO), but the products they produced did not match the brand description. According to the NMPT, Derbent brandy must be made from grapes grown in an area with a certain topography and soil composition. DVVK cognacs were produced from cognac distillates purchased outside Dagestan, while DKK uses its own wine materials.
During the proceedings in Rospatent, the representative of the DVKK insisted on the groundlessness of such a geographic reference, trying to prove that the Dagestan and Derbent cognacs do not have exceptional properties and can be made anywhere and from any raw material. According to the results of the examination conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, the connection between the place of production and the final characteristics of the product is definitely traceable. Based on the expert opinion of the Ministry of Agriculture, in 2011, Rospatent annulled the right of the FER to use the AO.
Awards
In 2014, DCC was awarded the “For Professional Honour, Dignity and Honorable Business Reputation” award.
International professional competition of wines and spirits, Moscow:
- 2008 – Big gold (OS “Port-Petrovsk”), gold (CS “Grad Petrov”) medals;
- 2009 – Gold (OS “Port-Petrovsk”) and silver (CS “Senator”) medals;
- 2010 – Big gold (OS “Port-Petrovsk”) medal
- 2011 – Grand Prix (OS “Moscow”), gold (CS “Naryn-Kala”) medal;
- 2012 – Gold (“Ancient City” 4 years) medal;
- 2013 – Grand Prix (OS “Port-Petrovsk”), gold (OS “Moscow”) medal;
- 2015 – Gold (OS “Moscow”) medal.
International competition “Yalta. Golden Griffin”:
- 1998 – Super Grand Prix (OS “Port-Petrovsk”);
- 2005 – Super Grand Prix (OS “President”);
- 2009 – Big gold (OS “Port-Petrovsk”) and 4 gold (CS “Grad Petrov”, CS “Senator”, CS “Naryn-Kala”, OS “Moscow”) medals;
- 2011 – Grand Prix (KS “Grad Petrov”);
- 2012 – Grand Prix (KS “Naryn-Kala” 12 years);
- 2013 – Grand Prix (CS “Dagestan”) and gold (CS “To the anniversary”) medal;
- 2015 – Grand Prix (OS “Moscow”), 2 gold (“Grad Petrov”, “Caspian”) medals; rewarding the head of the alcohol production with the “Gold Medal of Lev Golitsyn”;
- 2016 – Super Grand Prix (OS “Port-Petrovsk”);
- 2017 – Grand Prix (OS “Moscow”).
International tasting competition “Southern Russia”:
- 2012 – Gold (OS “Moscow”) and silver (KVVK “Kaspiy”) medals.
Awards of Derbent Wine and Cognac Plant LLC
Tasting competition at the international exhibition “Prodexpo”, Moscow:
- 2010 – Gold (“Derbent” 5 years) and bronze (KV “Derbent”) medals.
Types of cognac Derbent
*Derbent 3, 40%**
Ordinary cognac with a protected designation of origin. The blend, in addition to 3-year-old distillates, includes spirits aged 4-10 years. Produced from grape varieties Rkatsiteli and Ugni Blanc, grown in the farms of the Derbent region. The bouquet is dominated by the primary aroma of white wine, notes of dried figs and sun-dried plums. The taste is not burning, with silky tannins, corresponds to the range of aromas. It is easy to drink neat and works well as a base for low-alcohol cocktails like Koarnado and Alba.
*Derbent 5, 40%**
Cognac is blended from 5-year-old distillates with the addition of 6-10 year old spirits. The bouquet is dominated by fruit tones of apples and wild pears, complemented by a light smoky tint. The taste is characterized by sweetness without a feeling of cloying, coffee caramel, fresh and tart notes of red grapes, a slight bitterness of oak bark appear in the development. The drink will make a worthy duet with a good cigar.
KV “Derbent”, 40%
Vintage cognac, the recipe of which was developed in 1962. The blend is based on 6-7-year-old spirits obtained from a mixture of Vitis vinifera grape varieties. It has a rich bouquet with dominant walnut and woody-balsamic tones. When scrolling the glass, it is enriched with nuances of violet, orange tree flowers, sweet clover honey. The taste is oily, full-bodied, set off by notes of bitter chocolate and dried stone fruits. To feel the full depth of the aromatic range of the drink, it is better to use it as a digestif.
Derbent Collection, 40%
One of the most titled cognacs of the brand, produced since 2002. The blend is based on cognac spirits obtained from grapes harvested in 1962. Due to the long aging period, the drink is distinguished by a complex palette of aromas: the bouquet reveals hints of roasted almonds, chocolate, vanilla, they are replaced by spicy notes of cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Fruity sweetness, resinous oak and a slight nuance of white pepper are harmoniously balanced on the palate. The drink is poured into crystal decanters from Villeroy & Boch, made in the shape of a sea shell. Packaged in a leather and satin trimmed souvenir case.
Brandy “Derbent Fortress XO”, 40%
It is made from cognac distillates of our own production, aged 6-8 years. It features a rich bouquet with a predominance of resinous-woody and chocolate-coffee tones. Harmony and roundness of taste are emphasized by shades of oriental spices and nuances of oak.
