Modern wine industry reveals all the secrets of the most noble drink. Many factories use distillates in cognac production technology, but not every customer knows what it is. How they are useful or dangerous for humans and what they are used for will become known from this article.
Features of the production of cognac
Cognac is the oldest alcoholic drink, which is known as the "tear of the gods", it is made exclusively from grapes. A skillful drink was born in the homeland of wine production in the Charentes region, France. Over time, it began to spread throughout the world and gained tremendous fame in every corner of the globe. Classify cognac by:
- The number of stars that indicate exposure: 3 stars - at least 3 years of exposure, 4 stars - at least 4 years, 5 stars - at least 5 years). As you know, if this procedure takes a lot of time, then the quality of the product during this time only improves if stored properly.
- Brand (Bolgrad, Hennessy, Remy Martin, Aradis, Tavria, Ararat, Shabo and others).
- Place of production: France, Estonia, Ireland, Italy, England, USA, Russia.
The technology for the production of an alcoholic beverage is a very delicate thing, requiring the observance of many norms and rules for the manufacture of this product, which is based on cognac distillates. So, we will consider why they are used in modern production.
Cognac distillates - what is it?
The concept of "distillation" in translation from the Latin language means distillation, compression of the product and removal of condensate vapor from it, which appears during the evaporation process. This concept was first mentioned in Egypt in the 1st century AD. e. In the modern world they are used:
- when removing gasoline from oil;
- in the process of manufacturing kerosene and diesel fuel;
- for the acquisition of essential oils in the perfumery industry;
- in the process of cleaning medical, ethyl alcohol, etc.
Based on this concept, it is easy to make a definition of distillates used in the wine industry. Cognac distillates are raw materials that are used to make an alcoholic product and are inherently natural alcohol. They give a special strength to the drink.
Read more about the distillates in the cognac
Distillates for alcoholic beverages are obtained from the wine of certain grape varieties. They contain a proportion of ethyl alcohol, which ranges from 55% to 70%. In winemaking, they are divided into two types:
- Primary. This raw material reaches a level of 35% ethyl alcohol. Usually it is used for cognac with 3 stars. The distillate does not undergo filtration and is a raw material that in the future will convey the taste and aroma of the drink.
- Secondary. It is considered basic for high-quality food alcohol. Contains from 35-70% ethyl alcohol. The distillate is considered the best, which is aged more than 5 years in oak barrels. Thanks to the latter, alcohol acquires a fragrant note of oak. This species contains 55-70% ethyl alcohol.
Brandy production in Russia
In the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, it is necessary to distinguish between cognac distillates and cognac spirits: the distillate is obtained from a particular type of wine, and alcohol in its definition does not indicate the used grape variety. The proportion, rules and manufacturing steps are set forth in the regulations on the production of winemaking.
In Russia, cognac distillates (GOST) are used according to the norms. These standards prescribe:
- application area;
- Normative references;
- requirements and definitions;
- specifications;
- rules for reception, control, transportation and storage.
Features of the use of cognac distillates in modern production
In order to determine their significance, it is necessary to follow the entire process of production of a noble drink in stages:
- Harvesting. To create brandy, special grape varieties are grown: "Lydia", "Dove", "Isabella". It is better to avoid nutmeg varieties, they are only suitable for making wine.
- Getting the mass. After harvesting, all grapes are washed thoroughly and the best one is selected, which subsequently goes under a special press from which juice is obtained. But it is important that under the press the grapes are not completely crushed, but only sold, otherwise the seeds will not give the best taste.
- Fermentation process. The product, which consists of grapes and juice, is sent to special containers for the fermentation process in the complete absence of sugar in the fermentation mass. Brandy production technology allows you to add antiseptic preparations for winemaking. The quality of the drink depends on this stage. The result should be dry unfiltered wine.
- What follows is the most crucial stage - distillation. The process takes place in two stages: primary and secondary. At a ratio of 10: 1 with 10 kg of grapes, 1 liter of cognac distiller is obtained. In time for this process takes from 18 to 26 hours.
- The aging process is from 34 months to 150 years. The main condition of this process is aging takes place in oak barrels, thanks to which the drink has a special, unique aroma. During the aging process, each year the drink loses about 0.4-0.6% alcohol.
- Spillage on containers. Only after a minimum aging period, the cognac will be ready for packaging in glass containers with wooden flasks.
Feature of the use of wood in the production of cognac
The tree favors the gradual evaporation of alcohol in a grape based alcoholic beverage. The cognac production technology implies the presence of astringent aroma and taste of oak bark.
The secondary distiller, being in oak barrels, only improves its taste, and low-percentage evaporation of alcohol is replaced by an oak aroma, which is a sign of the best quality cognac.