French cognac is infused in barrels of 500 and 1000 liters. Almost all of my friends have tried it and, of course, admired it. And I also admired until I understood some technological features.
A huge barrel has a very small area of contact of cognac distillate with the walls. When the oak walls of the barrel release their tannins into the liquid, these substances are distributed throughout the entire volume of the liquid due to diffusion, but with a large gradient.
One feels like shaking these barrels so that the liquid is evenly mixed, but nothing can move such a 500-liter barrel in the basement.
The story was shared by blog subscriber Timur V.
Why I decided to make brandy myself
We all studied physics in school, and it is obvious that small barrels will give the liquid the right substances faster and with a smaller concentration gradient. This means that at home I will be able to make cognac just as good as factory cognac if I use the same harvesting, storage and blending technologies.
Therefore, I decided to buy barrels of 5 and 10 liters, purchase equipment for the distillation of grape wine, and, well, study in more detail the technology of cognac production.
Today, there are practically no technological secrets, because cognacs (brandy) are produced in many countries. There are hundreds of scientific books in which scientists investigate the processes of production.
Thus, nothing prevents you from making Hand Made Cognac.
What ingredients did I use
According to the original technology, only grape raw materials are used, which are forbidden to grind so that the juice from the seeds does not get into the distillate.
In the absence of huge volumes of inexpensive grapes, I used various grape dry wines. The problem is that it is very difficult to find real wine in Russia (and not wine powder diluted with water). However, I have found several such wines. Their average cost is 2000 rubles per 10 liters.
To fill a barrel of 10 liters, you need at least 50 liters of such dry wine with a strength of 10-12 degrees.
The best results were given by dry wines:
- white Sauvignon Blanc;
- white Saperavi;
- red Merlot.
After several experiments, lasting 3-6 months each, I determined for myself that the best cognac is obtained from Saperavi dry white wine. Please do not consider the photo as an advertisement for the manufacturer – I publish it only with the aim that you can get a richer cognac in taste.
Barrel from Saperavi
In one of the barrels, I used an additional ingredient – alcohol diluted to 65 degrees, rectified from sugar mash.
The cooking process
For the production of high-quality wines, cognacs and whiskey, a distillation column is needed, which allows you to get both distillates of any degree, and pure rectified alcohol 96,5 degrees.
If we talk about the preparation of cognac, then I do the following:
- The first distillation of dry wine to obtain a “dirty” distillate, in which all substances from the raw materials enter the product, including especially harmful types of methyl alcohol, phenolphthalein and others.
- The second stage is carried out with a tsarga filled with a copper mesh. The tsarga is a pipe above the distillation cube through which wine vapors pass. Part of harmful substances such as sulfur is deposited on copper. The result is a 65-70 degree distillate. At the same time, the first 200-300 grams are selected as “heads” (especially harmful substances, into which most of the methyl alcohol gets) and 0,5 liters of “tails” (also unhealthy essential and fusel oils). The heads and tails are discarded and the middle part of the distillate is used in the tincture.
- If you make cognac with the addition of rectified alcohol, then the sugar mash, previously infused for a week, must be rectified – also distilled twice, but the second time using a reflux condenser to obtain pure alcohol 96,5 degrees.
- Next, a distillate of 65 degrees is poured into a previously prepared barrel.
- If the barrel is new (of the first filling), then the distillate is infused in it for no more than 3 months, otherwise it will turn into a liquid that cannot be drunk.
- If the barrel is old, then the distillate is infused in it for 6 months, after which it is tasted weekly in order to be removed from the barrel in a timely manner.
- After insisting, blending is done – mixing alcohols with the right ingredients, which are also added in France to elite cognacs. In one of the following articles I will describe what additions can be used when blending.
Result
After the first exposure of the distillate for 3 months, I got a wonderful taste and color brandy. He invited special “sniffers” (people with hypersensitivity to smells) to visit.
According to all experts, the quality of the resulting drink was not inferior in terms of cognac Courvoisier (Courvoisier) VSOP.
10 liters of the most valuable brandy.
This is exactly what I wanted, since the cost of my drink was about 1000 rubles per liter, and Courvoisier VSOP costs from 4 rubles for a 000 liter container.
Is the game worth the candle, do you think?