Spirits - French

Question 1

What is the target ABV for Cognac’s base wine?

Answer 1

8.5% to 9.5% ABV

Question 2

List the areas of production for Cognac

Answer 2

Grande Champagne,
Petite Champagne,
Borderies,
Fins Bois,
Bons Bois, and
Bois Ordinaires (Bois à Terroirs)

Question 3

What is the preferred soil type in Cognac? Where is it found?

Answer 3

soft chalky soils

Grand and Petite Champagne

Question 4

What are the main grapes for Cognac?

Answer 4

mostly Ugni Blanc, also Folle Blanche, Colombard

usuasly made from a single variety, unlike Armagnac

Question 5

In what kind of still is Cognac distilled?

Answer 5

Cognac is distilled twice in an alembic Charentais copper pot still

Question 6

What are the two fermentations in Cognac called?

Answer 6

The first distillation, or premiere chauffe produces a spirit of 28% to 32% ABV called the brouillis. Several batches of brouillis are returned to the boiler to be distilled again, to extract the “soul” of Cognac.

The second distillation, or bonne chauffe, is divided into several parts: the têtes (heads), coeur (heart), secondes (second cut), and queues (tails).

Question 7

Cognac age designations

Answer 7

VS (Very Special) or *** indicates at least 2 years in cask,

VSOP (Very Special, or Superior, Old Pale) indicates at least 4 years in cask, and

XO (Extra Old) currently indicates at least 10 years in cask.

because Cognac is often a blend of several vintages, the age statement refers to the youngest portion of the blend

Question 8

What is Fine Champagne Cognac?

Answer 8

Fine Champagne Cognac is distilled entirely from wines produced in the Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne regions, with Grande Champagne composing at least 50% of the blend.

Question 9

What are the regions of production for Armagnac?

Answer 9

Haut-Armagnac, Bas-Armagnac, and Armagnac-Ténarèze.

Question 10

Armagnac main grapes?

Answer 10

Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Folle Blanche (called Picpoul locally), and Baco Blanc

Armagnac is usually a blend, unlike Cognac

Question 11

How is Armagnac distilled? How does it affect the resulting spirit?

Answer 11

Most Armagnac is distilled once in a copper continuous still. This produces a more flavorful, less pure, and less alcoholic spirit than double distillation in a pot still

Question 12

Armagnac age designations?

Answer 12

VS or *** indicates that the spirit rested in barrel for between 1 and 3 years,

VSOP signifies 4 to 9 years of age, and

XO or Hors d’Age denotes spirits that spend at least 10 years in barrel.

Question 13

What is petits eaux?

Answer 13

A mixture of distilled water and Armagnac added to the blend of Armagnac or Cognac prior to bottling, to achieve the appropriate strength of spirit

Question 14

List 3 Cognac producers

Answer 14

Rémy Martin, Hennessy, Martell, Courvoisier, Camus, Bisquit & Duboche

Question 15

List 3 Armagnac producers

Answer 15

Delord
Chateau de Laubade
Chateau de Millet

Question 16

Define Calvados? List the AOPs

Answer 16

an eau-de-vie distilled from apple and pear cider and produced in the Normandy region of northern France

Calvados AOC, Calvados Domfrontais AOC, and Calvados Pays d’Auge AOC.

Question 17

Calvados distillation and aging?

Answer 17

Calvados is traditionally distilled twice in a copper pot still and aged in oak casks.

Fine / Trois Étoiles / Trois Pommes / VS: min. 2 years old
Vieux / Réserve: min. 3 years old
VO / VSOP / Vieille Réserve: min. 4 years old
Hors d’Age / XO / Très Vieille Réserve / Très Vieux / Extra / Napoléon: min. 6 years old

Question 18

Describe the difference between the Calvados appellations

Answer 18

Calvados Pays d’Auge is the premier region of production and limits perry (pear cider) to a maximum 30%.

Calvados Domfrontais, the most recent appellation, requires a minimum 30% perry and a minimum three years of aging in cask.

Calvados Domfrontais is always produced by continuous distillation.

Question 19

What are typical yields for cognac wine? How much distillate is this?

Answer 19

100 hl / ha

results in about 10 hl/ha of distillate

because of this, vines aged 20-30 years are optimal, anything 35-40 years and older are pulled because production is too low

Question 20

Why did Ugni Blanc replace Folle Blanche as the preferred grape for Cognac?

Answer 20

Folle Blanche was ideal because of it’s high acid and lower alcohol, resulting in aromatic, elegant distillate. However, the Folle Blanche vines did not take well to American rootstock following phylloxera- it’s bunches were too small and prone to rot. Ugni Blanc performed much better on the new rootstock

Question 21

What are benefits and drawbacks of using copper stills in Cognac?

Answer 21

copper is a material that is easy to work with, an excellent conductor of heat, and unlikely to be damaged by fire or acidic substances. Copper also fixes the fatty acids in the wine, creating a hazy solid that can be filtered out after the first distillation. It reacts with many undesirable sulfur compounds, ensuring that they do not end up in the final brandy. Yet this reactivity is also the main drawback of using copper; stills typically have a life span of only around 50 years.

Question 22

What is the premiere chauffe? How long does it take?

Answer 22

the first distillation in Cognac, takes up to 12 hours to distill and yields a brouillis that is about 26% to 32% ABV.

Question 23

What is the bonne chauffe? How long does it take?

Answer 23

Second and final distillation in Cognac. The bonne chauffe takes up to 14 hours to distill, with 25 hectoliters of brouillis typically yielding about 7 hectoliters of brandy.

The first portion that comes out, the têtes, is full of impurities and often set aside. The coeur starts to flow at around 78% ABV and is cut off at around 60% ABV, yielding a brandy at a maximum average ABV of 73.7%. Typically, the coeur is drawn off at 17 to 20 degrees Celsius, since most of the unwanted compounds were removed when the brouillis was distilled.

Question 24

Describe the character of Tronçais oak in Cognac production

Answer 24

Tronçais oak tends to be mostly sessile, from very tall, old trees. Its grain is extremely fine, about one millimeter, and its tannins are not as easily extracted as those of Limousin oak, but Tronçais oak does add fine aromas of wood, coconut, and clove

Question 25

Describe the character of Limousin oak in Cognac production

Answer 25

The preferred style today

Limousin oak tends to be pedunculate, with a wider grain of about three to four millimeters, which allows it to let more air in and allows for more tannins to be extracted, making it less suitable for cheaper Cognacs, which can absorb too much tannin too quickly. Conversely, this higher concentration of tannins makes Limousin oak ideal for long-aging brandies

Question 26

What type of barrel might you use for Cognacs aging longer periods?

Answer 26

Limousin is preferred- higher concentration of tannins

Question 27

What is the most commonly used size of barrel to age Cognac?

Answer 27

350 L

270 L - 450 L are allowed to be used though

Question 28

Why is a humid environment ideal for aging Cognac?

Answer 28

Humidity promotes more alcohol loss in the angel’s share without reducing the aromatic content of the brandy, accelerating aging and creating a mellow, rounded Cognac. A drier chai will promote more water loss, leading to a spirit that will retain a youthful character.

This is why Cognac’s chais are located close to the Charente River

Question 29

What are the 7 age designations of cognac?

Answer 29

Question 30

Why is Perry typically off dry?

Answer 30

Compared to cider apples, pears for perry have a relatively higher content ratio of sorbitol to other sugars, such as fructose. Because sorbitol is not readily fermented by yeast, it is not converted to ethanol, so perry tends to have more residual sugar than cider produced from the fermentation of apples

Question 31

What additives are allowed in Armagnac?

Answer 31

Sugar, Caramel, and Oak Chips may be used for final adjustment and coloring
Distilled and de-mineralized water may be added to reduce alcohol prior to bottling

also allowed in Cognac