# Why aren't cognac abbrevations in french? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397 "2006-07-06T17:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/1 "2006-07-06T17:38:27Z")
I thought the french were quite stubborn about their language. And there’s certainly no cognac being made in England or USA. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/2 "2006-07-06T17:50:52Z")
What sort of abbrevs. ? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/3 "2006-07-06T17:55:13Z")
VSOP, VS, etc. ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/4 "2006-07-06T17:57:37Z")
Forgot that, but silenus is right. Also, I have a bottle that says Fine XO Champagne Cognac. This seems a bit weird. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/5 "2006-07-06T18:00:59Z")
I’d imagine he means [grades](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognac_%28drink%29#Grades_include) like VS and VSOP. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/6 "2006-07-06T18:01:46Z")
They also have french designations… \*\*\* (3 star) Réserve Napoléon / Hors d’Age > [@](#): > > VS (Very Special) or \*\*\* (three stars), where the youngest brandy is stored at least two years in cask. > > VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale), Réserve, where the youngest brandy is stored at least four years in cask. > > XO (Extra Old), Napoléon, Hors d’Age, where the youngest brandy is stored at > least six years in cask. ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/7 "2006-07-06T18:09:47Z")
I saw that now, but still, using English labels at all (and they are far more famous, I’d imagine), does seem quite odd for anything French. I got the Champagne Cognac bit by looking at the map, though. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/8 "2006-07-06T19:19:41Z")
It’s got something to do with marketing, but I don’t know what. Perhaps they feel that the French grades would give too snooty an appearance in America (remember that the big cognac producers are producing for a large audience, and therefore can’t rely on snob appeal for sales). ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/9 "2006-07-06T19:50:34Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > It’s got something to do with marketing, but I don’t know what. Perhaps they feel that the French grades would give too snooty an appearance in America (remember that the big cognac producers are producing for a large audience, and therefore can’t rely on snob appeal for sales). possibly, but surely it’s not much of a stretch these days to print french-only labels for sale in france? I guess it’s been this way for ages though, would be weird to change it. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/10 "2006-07-06T19:52:14Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > It’s got something to do with marketing, but I don’t know what. Perhaps they feel that the French grades would give too snooty an appearance in America (remember that the big cognac producers are producing for a large audience, and therefore can’t rely on snob appeal for sales). Marketing no doubt has something to do with it, but those labelings are mandated by French law, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![yelimS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/54ee81/32.png) [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/11 "2006-07-06T19:53:31Z")
Cognac for the masses? I thought cognac producers, or even all spirit producers tried to be every bit as exclusive as they could. I don’t think I’d be alone in connecting spirits markeded towards the masses with alcoholism. And I have an impression of most spirits (except vodka and tequilla, I guess), as rather exclusive compared with beer, so the producers seem to favour a snobby attitude. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/12 "2006-07-06T19:53:53Z")
I wasn’t aware that they didn’t use French grades in France. Don’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-cognac-abbrevations-in-french/363397/13 "2006-07-06T20:32:09Z")
Cognac was originally marketed by English merchants, and so the abbreviations were determined by them. I just spoke to a colleague who lives in Versailles, and he confirmed that they use the same ranks, although he doubts most Frenchmen realize that they are based on English words. [http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/\_fr/2\_cognac/index.aspx?page=histoire](http://www.bnic.fr/cognac/_fr/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=histoire)