When talking about fake cognac, we actually need to distinguish between the cognacs that simply do not have the right to be called cognac because they do not meet the legal requirements of the appellation controlée and the real counterfeits.

The infringement of the appellation controlée.

Cognac is a generic name. In French, this is called an “appellation,” and the French have been doing their utmost for years to protect their generic names. To this end, they have established the “appellation contrôlée,” which is in fact a law. A wide range of products is protected by this “appellation contrôlée.” Perhaps the best-known “appellations” are wines, cheeses, and, of course, cognac.

For example, a wine that is not produced in the Bordeaux region should not be called “Bordeaux.” The same applies to cognac. A brandy may only be called cognac if it is produced in the Cognac region in accordance with the regulations governing the production method. Still, you often come across cognacs in stores abroad or online that aren’t produced in the Cognac region. The best-known ones are Italian cognac, Spanish cognac, Armenian cognac, and Russian cognac.

As early as 1891, international agreements were concluded at the Madrid Conference. These were known as the Madrid Agreement of 1891 and were revised in 1900, 1911, and 1925. Initially, only a handful of countries were willing to sign this agreement, but today more than a hundred countries have done so. A protocol was added in 1989. There are only a handful of countries of any significance that have not yet signed the treaty. To name a few: Argentina, Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. Only very recently have Canada (2019), the U.S. (2013), and Afghanistan (2018) signed the treaty.

Signing this agreement is one thing; complying with it is quite another. For example, Armenia signed the agreement in 1991, but bottles of cognac were still turning up years later. These days, most Armenian bottles are neatly labeled “Armenian brandy.” And Italy, which signed the agreement as early as 1894, continued to produce Italian cognacs for many decades. Other important countries where “cognacs” are still produced include Russia and the countries that were formerly part of Russia.
But it wasn’t just abroad. Even in France itself, cognacs were produced that did not originate from the region. Almost every wine region had its own “cognacs.” However, this practice quickly came to an end with the introduction of the appellation contrôlée. Dutch and Belgian cognacs, however, continued to be produced well into the 20th century. It wasn’t until sometime during the interwar period that this practice finally came to an end.

To illustrate the violations of the appellation contrôlée, I have created a number of pages featuring counterfeits.

The real fake cognacs

There are several ways to cheat with cognac. You can refill empty cognac bottles and recork and reseal them. You can also take any other bottle, stick a cognac label on it, and fill the bottle with cheap cognac—or even tea! There are plenty of old labels for sale online. Another common method is to stick a neck label with a vintage year on a plain cognac bottle. That way, it suddenly becomes a very expensive vintage cognac.

Sometimes, interesting-looking decanters are filled with cheap cognac, after which a special, attractive label is designed for them and a certificate of authenticity is included. A small wooden box bearing the brand name completes the package. It’s very difficult to prove that these are counterfeits. To do so, you need knowledge of the brand. For brands such as Martell, for example, you really need to contact the parent company, Pernod-Ricard, and you need good connections to get them to assess a particular bottle.

I have prepared a page with fraudulous bottles and also a page with highly suspicious bottles.