The birth of cognac is shrouded in mystery. To create it, it is necessary that the sun and grapes, the century-old spirit and coolness of the cellar, the skill of the winemaker and age-old traditions must merge in a single harmony. The grapes from which cognac is made mainly grows on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and near the Caspian Sea. The city of Kizlyar is especially famous for its winemaking traditions. In 1885, several Kizlyar distilleries were united by the professional winemaker David Saradzhev. This date is inscribed above the entrance to the oldest cognac factory in Russia. Thus, the foundation was laid for the further production of cognac.
It is necessary
Classical French technology is used for the production of cognac. It was she who was introduced by Saradzhev
Instructions
Step 1
The vine requires constant care and only yields a harvest in the fourth year after planting. Subsequently, no more than 50 g of cognac is obtained from 1 kg of berries. The grape harvest usually takes place from August to October. The first stage of its processing is getting the wort. The grapes enter the initial processing workshop through the bunker, are fed to the centrifugal paths with the help of a screw conveyor, thrown onto the grid by the force of rotation and crushed (branches from the grapes are sifted out as unnecessary). With the help of a pump, the crushed mass together with the juice is fed into a separate container - a drain. The juice flows into the wort container, and the pulp (a mixture of seeds and crushed berries) flows under the press and goes into another wort container (for the production of vodka).
Step 2
The wort must ferment. Therefore, it is directed through a pipeline into huge fermentation tanks, under the open sky. It ferments until the grape sugar breaks down into carbon dioxide and alcohol. After fermenting, it enters the intermediate storage department, accumulating in it (a combination of wines from different batches is obtained).
Step 3
Then comes the decisive stage in the production of cognac: double distillation of young wine into grape alcohol (distillation).
The wine material enters the alembic still made of copper. It is 80% full, which is 5 tons of wine. Copper provides uniform heating of the contents of the cube and serves as a catalyst for complex chemicals. reactions in wine without changing its taste and aroma. Inside the cube there is a coil that supplies steam t = 120 degrees. The wine boils and begins to evaporate, while the alcohol (boiling point = 79 degrees) evaporates much faster than the other components. Alcohol vapors enter the domed hood, and then into the pipe, where they condense under the influence of cold. The strength of the obtained raw alcohol = 25-30 degrees.
Step 4
Then the alcohol is distilled again, bringing to a fortress of 70 degrees. Poured into barrels and sent for aging.
In oak barrels, alcohols are usually aged, from which perennial vintage cognacs of complex types are created.
Ordinary cognacs up to 6 years old are made from varieties that gain strength in large enameled tanks. But since cognac is not born without a tree, oak rivets fit into the cisterns.
Step 5
When the alcohol has passed the aging, it enters the blending shop. In a container of 260,000 liters, alcohols of different batches are mixed. Purified water and a little sugar syrup are also added. Then the cognac is filtered and sent to enamel tanks, where it is saturated with taste.
