Cognac/ armangac Flashcards
What does Fine Champagne indicate on a Cognac bottle?
The cognac was produced from grapes grown entirely within grande champagne (minimum 50%) and petite champagne.
What is coupage?
Barrel Selections
What are the requirements for vintage Armagnac?
Must be single vintage.
Must be aged 10 yrs prior to released
When was cognac AOC defined and finalised?
1909, 1938
Where is Cognac located?
To the north of Bordeaux
What are the production regions for Cognac in order of quality?
Grande Champagne Petite Champagne Borderies Fins Bois Bon Bois Bois Orginaires (Bois a Terriors)
What are the soils for champagne cognac? Outside of Champagne Cognac?
High percentage of chalk.
Hard limestone, sand and clay.
What are the base grapes for Cognac?
Ugni Blanc (St Emilion) 98%
Folle Blanche
Colombard
What is the name for the pots used to distill Cognac?
Charentes Pot Still
What is the name for the result of the first distillation in Cognac?
Broullis (28- 32%) Alcohol
What is the name for the second distillation in Cognac? How is it divided? Which part become Cognac? What is the final ABV?
Bonne Chauffe
Tete- Coeur- Secondes- Queue Coeur
Approx 70%
What are the typical woods used to make Cognac?
Oak from the Limousin and Troncais forests
Can water and caramel be added to Cognac prior to bottling?
Yes
Is vintage Cognac produced?
Yes
What is the most widely used grape variety in the production of Cognac?
Ugni Blanc
What % of a cognac must be from the area on a label?
If there is an area 100%
Where is Fine Chamoagne Cognac from?
Both the Grande and Petite Champagnes with the Grande @ least 50% of the blend.
Where is Armagnac?
To the SE of Bordeaux
Where are the grapes in Armagnac?
Ugni Blanc
Colombard
Folle Blanche (Picpoul)
How is Armagnac distilled?
Can be distilled twice in a Chaentais Pot still, but 95% is distilled twice in a copper continuous still that is a simpler version that predates the Aenas Coffee 1831 model.
What is Blanche Armagnac?
White lighting version of Armagnac. Aged 3 mths in an inert container.
What organisation overseas Armagnac production?
Bureau National Interprofesional de L’Armagnac
What kind of still is used for Armagnac production.
Usually Armagnac but can use pot
What kind of still is used for Cognac production?
Pot Still
Name the 3 sub- regions of Armagnac?
Bas- Armagnac, Haut- Armagnac, Terareze
Define Alembic?
A pot still made of copper used to distill cognac.
Name the best cognac, Armagnac and Calvados subregions
Cognac: Borderies, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne
Armagnac: Bas Armagnac
Calvados: Pays D’ Auge
State the main grape of Cognac?
Ugni Blanc (St Emillion or Trebbiano)
State the aging terms for Cognac and Armagnac?
Cognac: VS= 3 yrs, VSOP= 4 yrs, Napolean & XO= 5 yrs
Armagnac: *** or VS= 2 yrs, VSOP= 5 yrs, XO= 6 yrs, Hors D’ Auge= 10+
Cognac- Climate
With sufficient rainfall and an average annual temperature of about 13°C (55 ºF), the Cognac region has the perfect climate for producing high quality wines. This special microclimate certainly contributes to the the pleasant elegance and refined charm of the Cognac art de vivre as it is sometimes described.
The Heart of Cognac
n the heart of the region are the cities of Jarnac, Segonzac and Cognac, which gave its name to the renowned eau-de-vie. Cognac lies 465 km from Paris, 120 km from Bordeaux, and 100 km from La Rochelle. The region includes many places worth a visit such as Angoulême, Saintes, Rochefort, Royan, and the islands of Ré (nicknamed “Ré la blanche”) and Oléron (called “Oléron la lumineuse”).
Cognac- The Vineyards of a Noble Spirit
Taking together all the growing areas, the Cognac Delimited Region comprises about 6 200 vineyards that produce Charentes white wine used in the production of Cognac. The variety most widely planted is Ugni Blanc (although Folle Blanche and Colombard are also found). This late maturing variety has a good resistance to “grey mould” and produces a wine with two essential features: a high acidity level and, generally speaking, a low alcohol content. Since the phylloxera plague suffered at the end of the 19th century, all the varieties used have been grafted onto various vinestocks according to the type of soil.
Cognac- The Harvest
On average, vines are planted 3 meters apart. All types of pruning are permitted. The most commonly used is the “Double Guyot” method. Some harvesters continue to harvest by hand, but the great majority now use a harvesting machine. These machines have existed for about 30 years and are perfectly suited to the needs of the region’s growers. Harvesting may begin as soon as the grape reaches maturity, generally at the beginning of October and conclude at the end of the month.
Cognac- Pressing and Fermentation
The grapes are pressed immediately after harvesting in traditional basket plate presses or pneumatic bladder presses. The use of continuous presses are forbidden. Fermentation of the juice follows immediately. Chaptalisation (the addition of sugar) is forbidden by law. Pressing and fermentation are closely supervised, as they have a determining influence on the final quality of the eau-de-vie.
Cognac- Distillation
The distillation method has not changed since the birth of Cognac. The special Charentais copper stills “à repasse” that were used then are still in use today. Cognac distillation is performed in a two-stage process:
- Stage one: a first distillate is obtained, referred to as “brouillis”, with an alcohol volume of 28 to 32%.
- Stage two: The “brouillis” is returned to the boiler for a second heating, known as “la bonne chauffe”.
Cognac- Why is Distillation Necessary
Alcohol is a product of the fermentation of sugars, found in its natural form in fruit as fructose and glucose. Alcohol is also associated to many other components and must therefore be isolated from them. This operation is performed by distillation. The principle of distillation is based on the volatility differences of these components. In a distilled eau-de-vie we only find those volatile substances that make up the main features of the bouquet.
Cognac- The Perfect Still
Distillation is carried out in two “chauffes”, that is, in two separate heatings, using a special Charentais copper still. It is made of a uniquely shaped boiler heated on a naked flame topped by a still-head in the shape of a turban, an olive, or an onion, and prolonged by a swan-neck tube that turns into a coil and passes through a cooling tank referred to as “the pipe”.
Cognac- The Distillation Method
Unfiltered wine is poured into the boiler and brought to the boil. Alcohol vapours are freed and collected in the still-head. They then enter the swan-neck and continue into the coil. Upon contact with the coolant, they condense, forming a liquid known as “brouillis”. This slightly cloudy liquid with an alcohol content of 28 to 32 % alcohol is returned to the boiler for a second distillation, known as the “bonne chauffe”. For this second heating, the boiler capacity must not exceed 30 hectoliters, and the load volume is limited to 25 hectolitres. The master distiller must then carry out the delicate operation known as “cutting” or “la coupe”:
the first vapours that arrive, called “the heads”, have the highest alcohol content, and are separated from the rest. Then comes “the heart”, a clear spirit that will produce Cognac. Afterwords the distiller gets rid of “the second cut” when the alcoholometer registers 60%. And finally he eliminates the tails. The “heads” and “second cuts” are redistilled with the next batch of wine or “brouillis”. The success of the distilling cycle, which lasts about 24 hours, lies in the constant supervision it requires and in the extensive experience of the master distiller, who may also intervene in the distillation techniques (proportion of fine lees, recycling of “tails” in batches of wine or “brouillis”, temperature curves…), thus conferring Cognac facets of his personality.
Cognac- True Perfection
An eau-de-vie only becomes Cognac following slow ageing in oak casks whose wood has been selected because of its natural properties and its ability to transfer them to the spirit. The contact with the wood will give each eau-de-vie its unique colour and bouquet, without which it could not receive the Cognac appellation.
Cognac- Selecting the Wood
Cognac ages exclusively in oak casks traditionally from the Tronçais and Limousin forests – Quersus pedunculata and Quersus sessiliflora, respectively – depending on the producer and style. These two varieties of oak were selected because of their hardness, porosity and extractive characteristics. The Tronçais forest, in Allier, provides softer, finely grained wood, which is particularly porous to alcohol. The Limousin forest produces medium grained wood, harder and even more porous. The tanins in Tronçais oak are famous for their softness, whereas those in Limousin oak are known for the power and balance they communicate to Cognac. An eau-de-vie will extract more tanins when it is aged in casks made with Limousin oak.
