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What does xo stand for? How vsop vs and xo stand for on a cognac label

It can be difficult for an unprepared person to correctly determine the age of cognac - the time it is aged in oak barrels. The “stars” we are used to are found only on ordinary cognacs (grape brandies) produced in the former USSR. Real French cognacs have a different classification based on symbolic meanings. We will consider both labeling options so that you do not have problems with a drink from any manufacturer.

Aging of cognac is considered until it is bottled, after which the drink stops “aging”. The time it spends in the bottle is not important, since the quality does not change. More details in the video.

French classification

The standards are set and monitored by the National Interprofessional Cognac Bureau. Age is determined by the aging of the youngest alcohol included in the drink. For example, if alcohols of 3, 5 and 6 years are mixed, then the aging of the resulting cognac is 3 years.

Consumers learn about the age of the drink thanks to special markings on the label:

  • V.S.(Very Special), Trois Etoiles, de Luxe, Selection - at least 2 years;
  • Superior– at least 3 years of aging;
  • V.S.O.P.(Very Superior Old Pale), Vieux, Reserve or V.O. (Very Old) – at least 4 years;
  • V.V.S.O.P.(Very Very Superior Old Pale) and Grande Reserve – minimum 5 years of aging;
  • X.O.(Extra Old), Vieille Reserve, Tres Vieux, Extra, Royal or Napoleon - at least 6 years.

French legislation prohibits labeling cognacs older than six and a half years, since it is almost impossible to control their blend and quality.

Domestic labeling of cognacs

The classification used by producers from the former Soviet Union (mainly Armenian cognac houses) is much simpler. It distinguishes ordinary, vintage and collection cognacs.

Ordinary cognacs are marked with asterisks. Each star indicates the year the spirit was aged in oak barrels. For example, if you see 5 stars on a bottle, then this is a five-year-old cognac. It should be noted that there are no domestic cognacs aged less than 3 years (theoretically), GOST prohibits the use of such young cognac spirits.

Cognac categories

Vintage cognacs have letter designations, they are as follows:

  • HF(Cognac Aged) - at least 6 years of aging;
  • KVVK(Highest Quality Aged Cognac) – minimum 8 years;
  • KS(Cognac Old) – at least 10 years;
  • OS(Very Old) – the drink is at least 12 years old.

Cognacs that have been aged for more than 23 years are considered collectible. These are very expensive drinks, bought by wealthy connoisseurs for private collections.

When choosing alcohol, including cognac, a person is guided by his own taste preferences. When choosing cognac, primary attention is paid to its manufacturer, brand and aging. However, an equally important aspect when choosing a drink will be deciphering the mysterious combinations of letters on cognacs from Western countries: vsop, xo, vs, and an understanding of what the stars on domestically produced cognac mean. Below we will try to bring some clarity to this issue.

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Previously, drink producers had their own labeling systems, which made life difficult for customers: it was difficult to determine the exact aging period of cognac. But after the formation of the National French Bureau, uniform abbreviations (vsop, xo, vs), deciphering the age of cognac, finally came into use.

In Western cognac culture, a six-stage gradation of cognac by age is used, according to which they are divided into the following categories:

  • V.S. (Very Special)– stands for cognac aged from two to three years;
  • Superior– the drink was aged for three years;
  • V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale)– 4-year-old cognac;
  • V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale)– 5th aged cognac;
  • X.O. (Extra Old)– stands for a drink aged for 6 years or more.

Subsequent time gradation is meaningless, since cognacs aged in barrels for six and a half years or more are practically impossible to determine by tasting.

What do the stars on cognac bottles mean?

Have you ever wondered what the stars on the labels of bottles of this drink mean? What is the difference between cognacs with different numbers of stars? It’s not difficult to understand this - one star symbolizes one year of cognac aging, respectively three and five stars indicate at least two years of aging or longer. Note that only the domestic classification involves designating drinks with an age of less than five years as stars.

The domestic classification involves dividing cognacs into the following types:

  • 3 stars – young 2 or 3 year old cognac product;
  • 5 stars – 5 year old cognac.

For vintage cognacs, letter designations are provided:

  • KV (Cognac Aged) – age such a drink is equal to at least 6 years;
  • KVVK (Aged Cognac of the Highest Quality)– 8 year old product;
  • KS (Cognac Old)– 10 year old drink;
  • OS (Very Old)– 12 year old cognac.

Collectible cognacs are those that have been aged for 23 years or more; they are highly expensive and are purchased by private collectors.


Purchasing and consuming low-quality alcohol is not just a waste of money, but also creates a serious threat to one’s health. Therefore, when choosing cognac, the buyer will need some knowledge and skills. Connoisseurs of elite cognac recommend that when making a purchase, you should consider the following criteria: the origin of the drink, price and place of purchase, aging, appearance and organoleptic properties. Let's talk in more detail about each criterion.

  • Origin. Cognac is an officially patented name; it can only be used by producers from France, whose quality of products is beyond doubt. The quality of cognac and grape brandies produced in the post-Soviet space is not subject to such careful control. This often leads to a violation of production technology, which entails a natural decrease in quality.
  • The cost of the product and where it was purchased. Making cognac is a difficult and time-consuming process, and therefore there are simply no cheap cognacs. And if you notice a significant difference in cost, for example, the price of a brand is a third less than the price of cognacs from the same price segment, you should not buy it. However, even high cost cannot always guarantee high quality - modern technologies allow fraudsters to counterfeit even expensive cognac. But you can minimize the risk - buy alcohol only in large supermarkets and specialized retail outlets, where sellers will, if necessary, present you with quality certificates.
  • Excerpt. This criterion became the basis for pricing; its price directly depends on the age of the cognac. But this rule is not without exceptions - for example, many ten-year-old cognacs have a wonderful aroma, but have rather mediocre taste characteristics. Therefore, for those who are not looking for subtle aromatic notes, we recommend not to overpay, but to do the simpler and more economical thing - buy a three-year or five-year-old drink.
  • Bottle design and organoleptic properties. Cognacs are bottled only in glass bottles, which are closed with stoppers made of silicone, wood or pressed sawdust. The drink itself is distinguished by its transparency, absence of sediment and any impurities. When you turn the bottle upside down, you will see one large drop fall from its bottom, and oily traces will appear on the glass. The cognac aroma does not contain any foreign odors and changes slightly when the drink is heated.

Designations for different cognac vintages

We don’t know many strong alcoholic drinks equal to the world brand French cognac. Cognac was born in the small French provincial town of Cognac.

The most significant attribute of business lunches and festive feasts in Russia is always classic and elite alcohol - cognac. It was and is most often presented as a gift together with a box of expensive chocolates from Russian brands.

Time passes, generations change, but cognac traditions remain are in trend. Our time cannot be compared with the Soviet past, where real French cognac was available to the average consumer only as an attribute from a foreign feature film.

Modern super layouts, branded specialized boutiques and reputable online stores can offer you an assortment that can satisfy the needs of any consumer from $10 thousand more, but there are also quite a few inexpensive skates at more affordable prices.

The classification of cognac is influenced by two main points:

  • The age of the cognac (its aging period);
  • Region of origin.

Cognac age

The French method of assessing cognac differs significantly from the Russian classification. So, according to the Russian assessment, cognac is recognized as vintage if its aging period is more than six years, all others are classified as ordinary cognacs.

The French classification does not have specific age parameters; in practice, it happens that the master ages cognac in a wine cellar in oak barrels for longer than the period provided for by French law. Yes, this situation is far from uncommon.

Each manufacturer has your personal subtleties in the well-known cognac production technology. So cognac of one particular category may differ from other cognac of the same category in terms of aging time of cognac spirits.

This is explained by the fact that the same category of French cognacs is represented by different cognac houses. The classification of cognac from the youngest final alcohol to the most aged looks like this: VS, VSOP, XO, Extra, Hors d`Age.

Region of origin of cognac (French province)

If you turn to classical definition, then strong alcoholic drinks can have the classification (definition) of cognac, in the only case if they are produced in the small French province of Cognac, which has two hundred and sixty-eight small family cognac houses and five large global producers, whose share accounts for almost eighty percent of the cognac market .

All hotel (so-called cognacs) produced using cognac technology from similar grape material not from the Cognac province (grape spirits), then they are all classified as “brandy”

Cognacs (French cognac spirits) are special drinks with a unique vanilla and floral aroma. You only need to try this cognac once to remember it for the rest of your life.

By the way, you will be interested to know that such a popular drink in the world as cognac has given way to whiskey in France itself. And young VS category cognac can be added to cocktails and other drinks.

But if we talk about the VSOP category, then in this list you can already see skates with cognac spirits aged for at least twelve years (Gautier cognac), this brand contains the aromas of more than eighty spirits, the most aged spirit is more than twenty-five years old.

The peculiarity of these alcohols is in special cellars with high humidity, which gives the drink a special refined taste with hints of dry fruit and amber.

Another cognac from VSOP you use is Meukow and Kazumian high demand from connoisseurs of French drinks in Russia. The aging age of cognac spirits is about eight years. The aroma is very pleasant, with a masculine character (a subtle woody tint is combined with a chocolate taste).

So, the most popular French cognacs have category depending on exposure cognac spirits:

  • VS – from two and a half years;
  • VSOP – more than four years;
  • VVSOP – more than five years;
  • XO - more than six years, but this classification only in accordance with legislation France. In reality, almost all manufacturers exceed these deadlines.

You can buy cognac (your favorite brand with the XO sign on the label), but it can be aged for ten or twenty years. French legislation prohibits manufacturers from listing (classifying) cognacs that are more than six years old.

In conclusion you will interesting to know, What:

Napoleon is often confused with a brand of cognac. But this is also a classification of aging of cognac spirits from fifteen years or more.

Extra are more aged cognac spirits from thirty years or more. They are very expensive and buyers, as a rule, check directly with the manufacturer before purchasing the age of a particular batch.

The culture of communication on the Internet is developing more and more widely, and in connection with this, abbreviations are appearing. Understanding their meaning and when and how to use them correctly sometimes becomes problematic. For example, the popular abbreviation "XOXO". It often appears in correspondence, especially in English, but what does it mean?

Abbreviation "XOXO"

At first glance, the meaning of this short series of symbols is clear. By analogy with the well-known abbreviation "XD", which has long taken root in RuNet, X should mean eyes closed with laughter, and ABOUT- mouth wide open in a smile, that is "XOXO" seems to symbolize uncontrollable laughter. However, in reality this is not the case at all.

English and Russian meaning

The English meaning of the abbreviation “XOXO” is “hugs and kisses”. So, X here shows lips folded for a kiss (the asterisk “*” has the same meaning), and O – arms closed in an arc for a hug. The Russian-language version can be formulated as “hugs and kisses” or simply “kiss-hug.” As you can see, This has nothing to do with laughter and, moreover, if this abbreviation is misinterpreted in correspondence, confusion may arise.

For example:

  • Honey, you looked amazing in that dress today!
  • I've been meaning to tell you for a long time - I really like you.
  • You know, I like you too... XOXO
  • We spent a wonderful evening in the park today. It was great.
  • I agree, especially when you hugged me and told me about the stars XOXO

Indeed, an erroneous understanding of abbreviation, as can be seen from the examples, can greatly darken the mood or, in general, ruin relationships between people.

Pronunciation of the abbreviation "XOXO" in principle is not considered, since it is just a set of characters. We don’t voice emoticons at the end of the message. However, if there is a need to express this particular abbreviation with sounds, the English version “kso-kso” is more suitable than the Russian “ho-ho” (and a bottle of rum).

Read also

Popular abbreviations on the Internet

Abbreviations and abbreviations that have taken root in the language and are widely used in articles and correspondence are called acronyms. Of course, this term includes not only modern creations of Internet chat rooms, but they also fall into this category.

It should be noted that most of them come to us from overseas, from America. Perhaps the culture of the United States is more open to this kind of innovation. Or these designs simply translated into Cyrillic do not look so laconic. Popular web acronyms include:

BRB– stands for “be right back”, that is, “I’ll be back soon” and is used in conversation if you need to quickly go somewhere;

RLY– short for “really”. In conversation, can be used both as a statement and as an expression of doubt, for example, “You want to invite me to this lousy diner? RLY??";

XYZ- a funny abbreviation that matches the last three letters of the Latin alphabet. Its meaning is no less funny - it’s a way to hint to a friend that his fly is unzipped. Literal meaning: “examine your zipper”;

g2g or AFK– used when you need to leave and leave the interlocutor. “Got to go” or “away from keyboard” in Russian sounds like “it’s time for me to go”;

AC/DC is the name of a popular rock band, which literally means “alternating current/direct current”, or “alternating current/direct current”. Once it also caught on as an allusion to the bisexuality of the interlocutor. So if you receive a message like “you’re just like AC/DC,” don’t rush to rejoice that you are considered a cool rock and roll guy. Perhaps it's an insult.

There are a huge number of such abbreviations; only the most interesting or funny ones are given here. It will be useful for everyone who actively corresponds with friends to get acquainted with them.

Next time you type “IMHO this is RLY gr8. I am g2g, SY” think about whether the other person can understand you. And even more so, you should not use familiar constructions in correspondence with people of the older generation - they probably have great difficulties with this. That's all, TNX, AFK, see you asap.

Cognac is a strong alcoholic drink aimed at an adult audience capable of appreciating the original aromatic bouquet, rich consistency of taste, signature aftertaste and reference color.

Did you know? According to some reports, the VSOP class was created by French masters by order of Napoleon, who wanted to enjoy an old, but light drink.

Each inscription on the drink label contains useful information for the taster, and then you will have to learn more about what cognac means VS, VSOP, ХО, and become familiar with their differences. Subsequently, the information received will allow a novice connoisseur of strong alcohol to easily select drinks for any event or event.

What are the different exposure markings?

When you get acquainted with VSOP cognac on store shelves, you will also notice an impressive abundance of other classifications of fine alcohol. In other words, in addition to the same, other alcoholic products with their own unique classifications may be presented on store shelves. It should be noted that the decoding of cognac VSOP means Very Superior Old Pale, or “improved aged”.

This classification applies exclusively to French versions of alcoholic products. From the point of view of French blenders, drinks are divided into the following types:

  • V.S. (Very Special).
  • Superior.
  • V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale).
  • V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale).
  • X. O. (Extra Old).

In the post-Soviet space, consumers can also encounter other classification options, namely: ordinary, vintage and collectible. Unlike the French Arvest cognacs, single cognacs are marked with stars, and vintage drinks are divided into:

  • KV (Absorbed).
  • KVVK (Aged Superior Quality).
  • KS (Old).
  • OS (Very Old).

As for collectible products, they do not have a special classification, that is, you do not have to deal with deciphering VS, VSOP and XO. Such drinks are characterized only by years of aging.

Did you know? The original VSOP class product is more expensive than the average. Be careful, there are a lot of fakes in alcohol stores.

What does VSOP cognac mean and what features does it have?

Recently, quite often you can see how some non-French brands use the popular classification when designating their products. You can see the inscription VSOP on the Moldovan cognac - Quint -, Ukrainian - Shustov - or Kazakh - Al-Farabi -.

Of course, these designations do not mean that the product was produced in France or using French technology for blending strong alcohols. In fact, this inscription means aging of drinks.

The VSOP class includes products that contain alcohols aged in oak containers for at least 4 years. However, it is not worth asserting that the entire product went through an infusion process. Alcohol blending is a complex multi-layered process that involves creating an original mix from many variants of alcohol. Essentially, the 4 year designation means the age of the youngest spirit used in the blend. Other varieties may be much older and richer.

It should also be noted that each manufacturer strives to keep the recipe of the alcohol they create secret. That is, when buying Dugladze cognac in a store, you probably won’t be able to tell which alcohols were used for its production. Only experienced sommeliers can unravel the mystery of the bouquet.

Did you know? The best products are those produced in France or Armenia.

Original taste, unique aroma and premium quality

The French classification of cognac ideally distinguishes drinks according to their aromatic and taste characteristics. Practice shows that none of the proposed similar systems grades alcohol products so accurately.

That is, by purchasing products that comply with the VSOP classification and comparing them with the same VS or XO, you are guaranteed to feel the difference. Trust the method of separating drinks into classes, which for hundreds of years has provided connoisseurs of strong alcohol with optimal conditions in their choice.

Also, do not forget to give preference to alcohol from famous brands, whose recipes have already proven themselves and have gained the trust of a multimillion-dollar audience of consumers around the world.

Write in the comments your opinion about Very Superior Old Pale cognacs.