XO干邑陈年标准升级！Cognac changes XO age classification
4月1日起，干邑迎来了近几十年最重磅的行业法规调整：只有至少陈年10年的干邑才能被称为XO。
From the beginning of April, cognac is undergoing its most significant rule change in decades, with the spirit’s XO age classification adjusted to mean at least 10 years old.
此前，XO（“extra old”的缩写；这一术语由轩尼诗家族首创）的基酒必须至少为六年陈。或者更准确的说，是自葡萄采收起六年半，因为首次葡萄榨汁是在秋天，距离来年4月1日——这时大部分生命之水已经蒸馏完成并放入木桶开始陈年——还有半年时间。
Previously, XO (shorthand for “extra old” – a label first coined by the Hennessy family) could include cognacs aged at least six years old – or more accurately six and half years from harvest, since there is half a year from the first autumn grape pressing to April 1, which is when most distillation is complete and the eaux-de-vie put in barrel.
这次调整意味着滞后的法规终于跟上了业内自发形成的普遍标准，因为许多XO选用的生命之水早就超过了10年陈，通常在15-20年之间。如今，干邑行业把这一通行做法上升为了法律规定，不但有助于保护行业的长期品质标准，也可以防止某些酒庄在利益的驱使下选用更年轻的生命之水，因为随着全球需求的增长，高年份生命之水的库存日益紧张。
The change has been introduced to bring the classifications in line with the category’s own common standards, because many XOs have long blended eaux-de-vie aged longer than 10 years, and often 15-20 years. By formalising this practice, the cognac industry is protecting its long-term quality standards, but also guarding against the temptation to bottle younger eaux-de-vie under the label as global demand puts increasing pressure on stocks of longer-aged spirit.
法国干邑酒行业管理局（BNIC）早在2011年就宣布了这一计划，但给了干邑酒庄一个较长的缓冲期，让它们得以陈年更多存酒。根据新法律，2019年3月31日之前，干邑酒庄依然可以销售那些在2018年3月31日前装瓶的较低年份XO。
Cognac’s presiding body, the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC), first announced the plan in 2011, but gave producers a long lead time in order to mature more stocks for longer. Under the new law, producers will also be able to sell those XOs bottled before March 31 with younger spirits up until 31 March 2019.
干邑其他几个等级则没有变化：VS（“Very Special”）或三星干邑必须至少陈年两年；VSOP（“very superior old pale”）或珍藏干邑必须至少陈年四年；拿破仑是至少六年——它原来等同于XO标准，但新规颁布后就不同了，所以现在介于VSOP和XO之间。至于 Hors D'Age（意思是“超越年龄”），从法律上来讲和XO标准一样，但实际上生命之水的陈年时间通常要更久。
For the other age classifications, there are no changes: VS (“very special”) or three stars, means at least two years; VSOP (“very superior old pale”) or Reserve, at least four years; Napoleon, at least six years – this used to equal XO, but doesn’t qualify for the new XO requirements, so will now will sit between VSOP and XO. There is also the Hors D’Age (“beyond age”) label, which is legally the same as XO but in practice is mostly used for blends featuring even older spirits.
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