Modern technology of cognac production from wine at home

In Russia, moonshine machines took root long - they were not understood by the locals. Brewed drinks were widely advertised by foreigners, seeking to start earning huge sums. To have a home-made device at home was not affordable for everyone, so soon the presence of the device indicated high incomes of a person. Foreigners who brought moonshine to Russia and taught him to drink, opened taverns and lobbied for a ban on private ownership of the device.

The ban on home-brewed moonshine was lifted only in 2002 by the Federal Law of Russia. Of course, at any time were ardent fans of brewing, which under penalty of punishment continued to produce intoxicating beverages. Today, the one who decided to try himself in this matter, struggles with numerous recipes and advice. Recipes for each intoxicating drink are as many as moonshakers, each contributes and has its little secret of producing the perfect drink. The self-made apparatus is a means for producing a wide variety of drinks, different strengths and aftertaste. Over the centuries people have not yet experimented and continue to invent new recipes. With the help of a home-made device at home, you can make cognac. As a rule, grapes are used for this, others simply ennoble moonshine improving its color and flavor by adding coffee, sugar and other ingredients. A real cognac from grapes is also called brandy and it's quite possible to cook it at home. Today the home-made device can easily be bought in specialized stores, for example, the home-made device Katyusha is an excellent choice for novice moonshiners. Experts advise to use Muscat grape varieties with a specific flavor, but any other variety will do. The main requirement for grapes is its ripeness.

Cognac preparation is a laborious and multi-flow process.

First you need to prepare wine material. Cognac alcohol can be obtained by distilling young wine through a home-made machine, so you need to start with wine. It is not necessary to wash the collected grapes, the berries are simply removed from the clusters and choked together with the bones. Reasonable question - why you can not wash the grapes. Wine yeast, necessary for fermentation, is formed on the surface of berries, without them wine will not come out. Strongly dirty berries can be wiped with a dry cloth. Crushed grapes are placed in enameled dishes, diluted with sugar (in the calculation of 2 kg per 10 liters of grapes). The resulting product covered with a clean cloth or gauze and put it for a week in a warm and dark place. Do not forget about the wort, it is desirable to mix it regularly with a wooden spoon. Approximately on the second day will begin to form a "cap" of pulp that prevents fermentation. Wine is mixed thoroughly for better fermentation two or three times a day. Somewhere in a week, the wine will start to emit a characteristic wine-like smell, and all the mash will be on the surface - signs that it's time to filter the must. The liquid is gently poured into another vessel, the remaining is annealed through a cloth or gauze. Sugar is added again with the same calculation of 2 kilograms per 10 liters of liquid. Grape juice is poured on glass bottles (maximum fill up to 70% of the volume), install a hydraulic seal or medical glove with a hole. The tanks are set for 20 days in a dark and warm place. After 18-22 days fermentation ends and wine material with a strength of 11-14 degrees is obtained.

Now the moonshine device is connected to the process.

• It pours a young wine without sediment. At this stage, use a slow distillation (up to 3 liters per hour) and the first 50 ml of distillate is poured out. The alcohol is no longer taken away when the strength falls below 30 degrees. The beverage obtained as a result of the first distillation is diluted 1: 1 with water.
• The second distillation is carried out as well as the first. In order to get a pure wine spirit as a result, it is required to send wine through the home-made apparatus wine one more time.
• For the third distillation, the distillate is selected at least 45 degrees. Now the production of cognac requires infusion. Some use an oak barrel for this, others - oak pegs. Perfectly suited for tincture of cognac oak aged 50 and more years, with a trunk diameter of 30-35 cm. Production wastes such as sawdust, shavings and bark are not used in the preparation of cognac, as the high content of tannins makes cognac stiff.

If you use oak pegs - they must be prepared in advance. It is desirable that the felled tree naturally soaked (lay down for several years under snow and rain). Pegs are placed in 3-liter jars, where alcohol is poured. Distillate before the spill is diluted with water to obtain a strength of 42-45 degrees. One of the secrets of the manufacturers of home brandy is to pour alcohol into the water so that the liquid does not cloud. Banks with pegs and alcohol are removed to a dark cool place for six months or a year. The aging time affects the quality of cognac. The last stage in the preparation of cognac is caramelization. It is necessary to change the color of cognac and soften the taste. This process is purely individual, depends on your individual preferences. On average, no more than 50 grams per 3 liters of drink, citric acid at the tip of the knife. After caramelization, cognac is aged in a sealed vessel for another 7-10 days. After this period, you can pour a drink on bottles, having filtered it through a layer of cotton wool. Today, moonshine machines can be purchased in free sale and their variety is impressive, for example, you can buy a home-made device in St. Petersburg in a specialized shop "Pan Samogon". Of course, most devices are used for distilling brags at home and producing strong alcoholic beverages. The most primitive apparatus consists of two components - a distillation cube and a holding (coil). The feed is poured into the distillation cube, then it is heated to the desired temperature. During the heating process, the raw material begins to evaporate lighter fractions, which condense in the coil. Modern home-made devices are equipped with a variety of design solutions that allow controlling the distillation processes.