Cognac is the most noble strong alcoholic drink. Do cognac by means of double distillation of white wines, then distillate is kept in oak casks. The cognac industry is equated to art.
Cognac manufacture in France in the region of Poitou-Sharant, the city Cognac. There grow up the main grade of cognac grapes – uni Blanc – which slowly ripens, has high acidity, high productivity and resistance to diseases. In production use also other grades – коломбар, монтиль and фоль Blanch, they give alcohols fragrant and rich with taste, but it is more difficult in cultivation. Production of cognacs not only is legislatively regulated in France, but also patented at the international level. Other hard liquors which are made not in Charente have no right to be called cognacs.
Process of production of cognac consists of several stages which already gained traditional character: gathering grape berries, vyzhy juice, distillation of wine, cask aging and mixing of cognacs for expansion of bouquets.
Main production phases of cognac
1. Collecting and extraction of berries. Grapevines put about 3 m that grapes received a maximum of the sun with intervals. Berries are picked at the beginning of October and pressed horizontal presses not to damage a stone and not to spoil taste of juice. The squeezed-out juice is put on fermentation without addition of sugar.2. Juice distillation. In 3 weeks, white dry wine is ready, at this stage drink contains about 8% of alcohol. Wine goes to double distillation by the patented Sharantsky method. As a result there is a cognac spirit which goes to keeping.3. Keeping in oak casks. The received alcohol contains in oak casks at a temperature of 15 ° from two to fifty years. Alcohol loses a part of the fortress, and oak wood gives to drink color and a pleasant bouquet. Substances which are absorbed from an oak are called a dry extract. To do cognac, barrels are made of an oak of the French woods Limuzen and Tronze. From this wood of a barrel turn out strong and at the same time porous and contain enough tannins – tannins which form a cognac bouquet. After achievement by maturity cognac process of keeping is stopped, and drink is poured in a glass container which interferes with contact with air and further development of process of aging.4. Mixing of drinks. The last stage of preparation of cognacs consists in mixing of drinks, different in taste, for formation of new bouquets. This art of the master is studied all the life, very often the place of cognac affairs of the master is descended.