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Most Russian consumers are not familiar with Kazakh cognacs. A stereotype has taken root in society that they cannot produce their own cognac products in Kazakhstan, since there are no vineyards in the country. In fact, the country’s wine industry is about a hundred years old, and cognacs have been produced in Kazakhstan since the early 1970s. Enterprises regularly present their products at international competitions and receive gold medals.
History of Kazakh cognacs
The first information about winemaking in Kazakhstan dates back to the 1920th century. Most of the vineyards were located on the territory of the Chimkent region, and the vine was imported from the adjacent regions of Central Asia. In Dzharkent, grapes were grown that came to Kazakhstan from the Chinese province of Xinjiang. Until the revolution, small private farms were engaged in winemaking in the country. The industry was developed only in the late XNUMXs, when the planting area began to actively increase.
The state farm “Kaplanbek” became the first Soviet viticulture. By 1940, the area of Kazakh vineyards was already 1850 hectares, and eight years later, the construction of the first factory for the production of fine wines began in Alma-Ata.
The first Kazakh cognac was produced by the Almaty Wine Association in 1974. At first, the factories used spirits imported from France, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, and in the next ten years they switched to distillates of their own aging.
By 1982, the share of the Kazakh SSR accounted for 2% of the total vineyard area of the country, and enterprises produced 38 types of wines and cognacs. The anti-alcohol campaign almost destroyed half of all plantations, but the leaders of large farms managed to save most of the vineyards – they cut down only abandoned and non-fruitful vines. The forgery came out, but by that time the country’s leadership was already well aware of its mistake, and left the misdeed of the winemakers without consequences.
In 1989, the fight against alcohol came to naught, and production resumed in full. Arthur Karapetyan, one of the founders of the alcohol industry in Kazakhstan, played a big role in the development of the cognac industry. The winemaker became the founder of the Austrian-Kazakh company “Kazvino” (now “Bakhus”), and then created his own small company Winnac-Elite, which produces elite cognacs and sells them through a network of its own stores.
Features of Kazakh cognac production
Industrial vineyards are located in the southern part of Kazakhstan, in the foothills of the Almaty and Chimkent regions. Only experimental plots are planted on mountain slopes. The production uses the Rkatsiteli variety, which is optimally suited for the production of cognacs. The most famous enterprises in the country grow grapes on their own plantations. To avoid crop losses, spirits are distilled at primary processing points, and then transported to factories for aging.
The formation of the industry after the collapse of the USSR took place with the participation of French winemakers. New equipment was purchased in Italy and Germany. Leading factories of the country have an extensive fleet of barrels made of half a century old oak. The enterprises produce cognacs from distillates aged from three to fifteen years, as well as blended brandies.
According to the winemakers themselves, Kazakh cognacs are little known to Russians due to high competition. Even within the country, it is difficult for quality products to break into the market. The bulk of cognac on the shelves are surrogates made from unaged spirits with the addition of sugar color and flavorings.
Famous brands of Kazakh cognacs
“Kazakhstan”, 40% – 5-year-old cognac, made according to the classical technology. The bouquet is dominated by oriental dried fruits;
“Zhenis”, 40% – soft cognac with vanilla-floral tones from 7-year-old spirits;
“Alexander”, 42% – the most famous brand in Russia. Alcohols are aged in barrels for at least 5 years, vanilla and chocolate notes prevail in taste;
Astana, 42% – premium cognac with floral, vanilla and spicy notes aged 9 years in oak barrels.
Kazakhstani producers are doing everything possible to conquer the Russian market, but so far they have been unsuccessful in this. Kazakh cognac is bought by Russian tourists with pleasure and taken home as a gastronomic souvenir.
How to drink cognacs from Kazakhstan
Sociological surveys show that half of Kazakhs drink alcohol rarely or do not drink at all. Cognac ranks fourth in the popularity of spirits after vodka, beer and wine. However, the results of 2020 showed a record growth in sales of cognac products against the backdrop of a fall in domestic production. The reason is the increased share of imports of cheap brandy.
Artur Karapetyan believes that Kazakh manufacturers are lost in a sea of cheap brands. In addition, the share of fakes is high on the market, so the winemaker advises buying cognac only in company stores and showrooms.
Before drinking, you need to pour a small amount of Kazakh cognac into a glass and let it stand for 10-12 minutes. Then try the drink, evaluate its bouquet. Real cognac does not have a pronounced aroma, and the taste is soft and velvety. The smell of the surrogate, as a rule, resembles perfume, and alcohol tones predominate in the bouquet.