terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 SENSORY CHARACTERIZATION OF COGNAC EAUX-DE-VIE AGED IN BARRELS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT TOASTING PROCESS

SENSORY CHARACTERIZATION OF COGNAC EAUX-DE-VIE AGED IN BARRELS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT TOASTING PROCESS

Abstract

Cognac is an outstanding french wine spirit appreciated around the world and produced exclusively in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, and more precisely in the Cognac area. According to AOC regulations (Appellation D’origine Controlée), the spirit required at least 2 years of continuous ageing in oak barrels to be granted the title of Cognac. The oak wood will import color, structure and organoleptic complexity. The different steps during barrel-making process, such as seasoning and toasting, influence the above quality attributes in both wines and spirits. Barrel toasting is probably the most important step in barrel manufacturing, as it influences oak wood chemical composition, which is then likely to migrate into the wine and spirits during ageing, affecting their organoleptic properties. From a sensory point of view, no studies have been conducted focusing on the influence of barrel toasting on Cognac eaux-de-vie. Therefore, the aim of our study is to perform a sensory characterization of Cognac eaux-de-vie aged for 12 months in barrels representing different toasting levels. Eight eaux-de-vie aged in barrels with 8 different toastings were studied. The 8 toastings represented 4 different temperatures (low, medium, medium plus and high) and two toasting lengths for each temperature (one so-called “normal” and the other “slow”). Sensory analysis was carried out on these eaux-de-vie through several tests. First, a sor- ting test showed the differences between the samples and then training was carried out on previously chosen descriptors in order to build a sensory profile and perform a ranking test. The study was realised at an alcohol level of 40 % (v/v), which is the alcohol level of a commercial Cognac. The results showed that the eaux-de-vie are strongly impacted by the toasting of the barrel during the first year of ageing and it is possible to differenciate them according to the toasting used. Light barrel toasting results in significantly different eaux-de-vie from those aged in high-toast barrels. The latter tends to result in high quality eaux-de-vie. This study is a first step in the characterisation of Cognac eaux-de-vie aged in barrels made with different toastings and can lead to practical recommendations in order to obtain the ideal toasting temperatures that give the best olfactory and gustatory profiles in eaux-de-vie.

DOI:

Publication date: February 9, 2024

Issue: OENO Macrowine 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Mathilde GADRAT1,2,3, Catherine EMO3, Joël LAVERGNE3, Pierre-Louis TEISSEDRE1,2, Kléopatra CHIRA1,2

1. Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33140 Villenave d’Ornon, France
2. Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Bordeaux INP, INRAE, OENO, UMR 1366, ISVV, F-33170 Gradignan, France
3. Maison Courvoisier, 2 place du château, 16200 Jarnac

Contact the author*

Keywords

Cognac, Sensory analysis, Barrel toasting

Tags

IVES Conference Series | oeno macrowine 2023 | oeno-macrowine

Citation

Related articles…

NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE ESTIMATION OF TEMPRANILLO BLANCO VOLATILE COMPOSITION ALONG GRAPE MATURATION

Grape volatile compounds are mainly responsible for wine aroma, so it is important to know the va-rietal aromatic composition throughout ripening process. Currently, there are no tools that allow mea-suring the aromatic composition of grapes, in intact berries and periodically, throughout ripening, in the vineyard or in the winery. For this reason, this work evaluated the use of near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) to estimate the aromatic composition and total soluble solids (TSS) of Tempranillo Blanco berries during ripening. For this purpose, NIR spectra (1100-2100 nm) were acquired from 240 samples of in-tact berries, collected at different dates, from veraison to overripening.

IMPACT OF RHIZOPUS AND BOTRYTIS ON WINE FOAMING PROPERTIES

A lot of work has been done on the impact of Botrytis on the foam of sparkling wines. This work often concerns wines produced in cool regions, where Botrytis is the dominant fungal pathogen. However, in southern countries such as Spain, in particularly hot years such as 2022, the majority fungal pathogen is sometimes Rhizopus. Like Botrytis, Rhizopus is a fungus that produces an aspartic protease.

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE VOLATILE COMPOUNDS PROFILE OF COMMERCIAL GRAPPAS OBTAINED FROM THE POMACE OF AMARONE WINES

Grappa is a traditional Italian alcoholic beverage, with an alcohol content generally between 40-60% vol., obtained from the distillation of grape pomace used for the production of wine. Grappa are often aged in wooden barrels. There are various types of grappa: young, aromatic, aged, extra-aged depending on whether the distillate comes from aromatic vines or is aged in wooden barrels for shorter or longer periods. There is also flavored grappa if herbs, fruit or roots are added. All this makes it an extremely heterogeneous product both from an organoleptic and compositional point of view.

THE EFFECT OF PRE-FERMENTATIVE GLYPHOSATE ADDITION ON THE METABOLITE PROFILE OF WINE

The synthetic herbicide glyphosate has been used extensively in viticulture over many decades to combat weeds. Despite this, the possible influence of residual glyphosate on both the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice and the subsequent metabolite profile of wines has not been investigated. In this study, Pinot noir juice supplemented with different concentrations of glyphosate (0 µg L-1, 10 µg L-1 and 1000 µg L-1) was fermented with commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains. Using a combination of analytical methods, 80 metabolites were quantified in the resulting wines.

THE INFLUENCE OF COMMERCIAL SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE ON THE POLY-SACCHARIDES AND OTHER CHEMICAL PROFILES OF NEW ZEALAND PINOT NOIR WINES

Wine polysaccharides (PS) play an important role in balancing mouthfeel and stability of wine and even influence aroma volatility. Despite this, there is limited research into the effect of winemaking additives on the polysaccharide profile and other macromolecules of New Zealand (NZ) Pinot noir wine. In this study the influence of a selection of commercial S. cerevisiae strains on the chemical profile, including polysaccharides, of New Zealand Pinot noir (PN) wine was investigated. Research scale PN fermentations using five strains of commercially available S. cerevisiae (Lalvin EC1118 and RC212, Levuline BRG YSEO, Viallate Ferm R71 and R82) were undertaken. PS were qualified and quantified using HPLC-RID.