Cognac Flashcards
Position of Cognac and Armagnac?
Cognac to the north of Bordeaux; Armagnac to the south east of Bordeaux.
Which river is Cognac on?
The Charente.
What proportion of pre-phylloxera Cognac vineyards have vines now?
1/3
The 4 major Cognac houses?
Rémy Martin Hennessey Martell Courvoisier
What percentage of sales are made up by VS and VSOP?
80%
VS, or three star means?
Youngest spirit in blend is minimum of 2 years old.
VSOP means?
Youngest spirit in blend is 4 years old.
Napoleon/ XO/ (Extra Old)// Horsd’age means?
Youngest spirit in blend is 10 years old.
What are the 6 crus of Cognac?
Grande Champagne Petite Champagne Borderies Fin Bois Bon Bois Bois Ordiniare
Bon Bois and Bois Ordinaire account for what percentage of Cognac production?
13%
What are the six varieties allowed in Cognac?
Ugni BLanc Colombard Folle Blanche Sémillon Montils Folignan
Why is Ugni Blanc good to make brandy from?
High in acid and low in alcohol.
Why is high acid desirable in base wine for brandy?
Can’t use sulphur and it protects against bacteria.
Soil in Cognac of which two types?
Chalk and clay.
Clay and chalk soils in Cognac share what attributes?
Good drainage and sufficient water retention.
6 points about making wine for Cognac?
no sulphur dioxide; mechanical harvesting and immediate processing; screw presses which exert too much pressure banned; no adding of sugar; MLF used sometimes; fermentation uses cultured yeasts.
Date by which distillation must be finished in Cognac?
31 March. Stills work 24 hours.
Distillation in Cognac - outline
Double pot distilling. First distillation produces brouillis (27-30 % abv). Second distillation produces spirit which is 72.4% abv max.
Charentais still - describe
must be made of copper; must be directly heated; must have a worm tub condenser.
What is a Cognac pot still called?
A Charentais still.
What is capacity of the first Charentais still? And the second?
140 hectolitres max. 30 hectolitres, but only to be filled to 25.
Lees the three choices, describe.
- no lees in distilling (Martell) - purer style. 2. use all lees (Remy) - richer mouth feel and greater complexity, suited for long ageing. 3. half or part of lees used.
Long-aged Cognac distilled on the lees may have what descriptors?
rancio mushroom forest floor dried fruit nuts
What are the choices regarding heads and tails in Cognac production?
Whether to send back to the wine or to the brouillis. 1. To the wine: (Martell’s choice) increases alcoholic concentration; therefore less rectification needed to get distilled strength and therefore lighter flavoured spirit produced. 2.To the brouillis: a deeper, richer spirit produced. Hennessey do half and half.
What are the two types of oak used in Cognac and what are their qualities?
- Limousin oak (Quercus robur) - more open-grained, contributes more tannins. 2. Tronçais oak (Quercus sessiliflora) - tighter grained, more aromatic qualities.
How is Cognac aged?
In oak; new barrels first; then moved on to older ones. Very long aged Cognac will be put in glass demijohns when it will age productively no more.
Can you use oak chips in Cognac?
Yes. But only used for the cheap stuff.
What options are there for finishing of Cognac?
Caramel allowed; some sweetening allowed; filtering the norm for high-volume products.
What happens if you dilute to bottle strength too quickly?
Development of ‘soapy’ flavours.
Is dilution with water always necessary no achieve bottle strength?
No; long-aged Cognac may have got there on its own through evaporation.
How do Martell achieve a light-flavoured style of Cognac?
Do not distill the lees. Send the heads and tails back to the brouillis.
