Grape brandy production, composition and sensory evaluation

Abstract

Grape brandy is a spirit drink produced by wine distillation and is matured in wooden casks. According to legislation, it can be characterised by the geographical area where the grapes were produced, the grape variety used and the selected distillation and ageing techniques. Distillation increases ethanol concentration and aromatic constituents which are already present in grapes or are developed during fermentation and distillation. During maturation in wooden casks, compounds that contribute to the aroma and taste are extracted from the wood. Hence the spirit acquires the desired softer mouth feel, aromatic complexity and overall quality. Different methods of analysis are used in order to pursuit this process by analysing volatile and non-volatile substances and correlate composition with quality. Analysis can also be useful in identification of brandy safety, potential adulterations, provenance and differentiation from other spirits drinks.

Chemical Components of Noncommercial Alcohol Beverage Samples: A Study With the Viewpoint of Toxic Components in Mashhad, Iran

“…The percent of alcohol by volume is now the harmonized measurement for alcohol strength (8). The accurate and rapid determination of ethanol in alcoholic beverages is very important for safety and economic reasons (8, 10). Some studies have shown that the unrecorded alcoholic beverages have higher ethanol levels than those that are commercially available (3).…”

“…Total acidity in alcoholic beverages is initially due to the presence of volatile acids, such as acetic acid or tartaric acid, and dictates the chemical processes taking place in alcoholic beverages (10, 20). In the current research, we have studied the general composition of noncommercial alcohol samples.…”

Resurgence of minority and autochthonous grapevine varieties in South America: a review of their oenological potential

“…Spirits produced from pot stills are normally perceived to be more aromatic than spirits elaborated from continuous stills . Generally, spirits are aging into oak barrels where some phenolics and volatile compounds are extracted . Aging on oak barrels accelerates acid‐catalyzed reactions like ester hydrolysis and formation compared to those aged in glass .…”

The Impact of Wine Style and Sugar Addition in liqueur d’expedition (dosage) Solutions on Traditional Method Sparkling Wine Composition

“…Of the monocarboxylic acid esters, the most important in brandy are those based on ethanol and saturated carboxylic acids, such as hexanoic (caproic), octanoic (caprylic) and decanoic (capric) acids [25]. In our study, the ranges of ethyl hexanoate and ethyl octanoate were 132-1687 µg/L and 349-23,429 µg/L, respectively, with B having the highest concentration of both compounds.…”