Editing Cognac (section)

==Production process==
Cognac is a type of brandy, and after the distillation and during the aging process, is also called ''[[eau de vie]]''.<ref>In French, ''eau-de-vie'' means "brandy" (any brandy).</ref> It is produced by twice distilling wine made from grapes grown in any of the designated growing regions.

===Grapes===
The white wine used in making cognac is very dry, acidic, and thin. Though it has been characterised as "virtually undrinkable",<ref name="saveur22"/> it is excellent for distillation and aging. It may be made only from a strict list of grape varieties. For it to be considered a true ''[[Cru (wine)|cru]]'' cognac, the white wine must be made from at least 90% Ugni blanc (known in Italy as [[Trebbiano]]), [[Folle blanche]] and [[Colombard]], while up to 10% of the grapes used can be Folignan, [[Jurançon blanc]], [[Meslier St-François]] (also called Blanc Ramé), Sélect, [[Montils]], or [[Sémillon]].<ref name=cognac.fr>{{Cite web
  | url = http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=appellation
  | title = Appellation of Origin
  | publisher = Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac
  | access-date = 12 February 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110720213707/http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=appellation
  | archive-date = 20 July 2011
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref><ref name=cognac.fr2>{{Cite web
  | url = http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=vendanges
  | title = Harvesting and vinification
  | publisher = Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac
  | access-date = 12 February 2008
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160911152640/http://www.cognac.fr/cognac/_en/2_cognac/index.aspx?page=vendanges
  | archive-date = 11 September 2016
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref> Cognacs that are not to carry the name of a ''cru'' are freer in the allowed grape varieties, needing at least 90% Colombard, Folle blanche, Jurançon blanc, Meslier Saint-François, Montils, Sémillon, or Ugni blanc, and up to 10% Folignan or Sélect.

===Fermentation and distillation===
[[File:Cognac pot still - 20091205.jpg|thumb|A Charentais-style [[alembic]] cognac [[pot still]]]]
After the grapes are [[pressed (wine)|pressed]], the juice is left to ferment for 2–3 weeks, with the region's native wild yeast converting the fruit sugars into [[ethanol|alcohol]]; neither sugar nor sulphur may be added.<ref name="amer2004">{{Cite web | title= TED Case Studies – Number 728 | date= April 2004 | url= http://www1.american.edu/ted/cognac.htm | first= Milica | last= Koscica | work= Trade Environment Database | publisher= [[American University]], [[School of International Service]] | access-date= 1 December 2010 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101210055827/http://www1.american.edu/ted/cognac.htm | archive-date= 10 December 2010 | url-status= dead}}</ref> At this point, the resulting wine is about 7 to 8% alcohol.<ref name="amer2004"/>

Distillation takes place in traditionally shaped Charentais copper [[alembic]] [[Pot still|stills]], the design and dimensions of which are also legally controlled. Two distillations must be carried out; the resulting ''eau de vie'' is a colourless spirit of about 70% alcohol.<ref name="saveur22"/>

===Aging===
Once distillation is complete, it must be aged in Limousin oak casks for at least two years before it can be sold to the public. It is typically put into casks at an [[alcohol by volume]] strength around 70%.<ref name="saveur22"/> As the cognac interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates at the rate of about 3% each year, slowly losing both alcohol and water (the former more rapidly, as it is more volatile).<ref name="saveur22"/> This phenomenon is called locally ''la part des anges'', or "the angels' share". When more than fifty years pass in the oak barrel, the cognac's alcohol content decreases to 40% in volume.<ref name="saveur22"/> The cognac is then transferred to "large glass bottles called bonbonnes", then stored for future "blending."<ref name="saveur22"/> Since oak barrels stop contributing to flavor after four or five decades, longer aging periods may not be beneficial.<ref name="saveur22"/>

===Blending===
The age of the cognac is calculated as that of the youngest component used in the blend. The blend is usually of different ages and (in the case of the larger and more commercial producers) from different local areas. This blending, or ''marriage'', of different ''eaux de vie'' is important to obtain a complexity of flavours absent from an ''eau de vie'' from a single distillery or vineyard. Each cognac house has a master taster (''maître de chai''), who is responsible for blending the spirits, so that cognac produced by a company will have a consistent house style and quality.<ref>Sales & Service for the Wine Professional, by Brian K. Julyan, p. 237</ref> In this respect, it is similar to the process of blending [[whisky]] or non-vintage Champagne to achieve a consistent brand flavor. A very small number of producers, such as [[Guillon Painturaud]] and [[Moyet]], do not blend their final product from different ages of ''eaux de vie'', so produce a "purer" flavour.<ref>{{Cite web
 | year =2009
 | title =Single Estate Cognac
 | url =http://www.singleestatecognac.com
 | access-date = 21 July 2009
}}</ref>
Hundreds of vineyards in the Cognac AOC region sell their own cognac. These are likewise blended from the ''eaux de vie'' of different years, but they are single-vineyard cognacs, varying slightly from year to year and according to the taste of the producer, hence lacking some of the predictability of the better-known commercial products. Depending on their success in marketing, small producers may sell a larger or smaller proportion of their product to individual buyers, wine dealers, bars and restaurants, the remainder being acquired by larger cognac houses for blending.