ES2748189A1 - METHOD FOR THE AROMATIZATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for aromatizing alcoholic beverages, suitable to provide a wood aroma, to those alcoholic beverages, such as cava or sparkling wine, obtained by a traditional procedure comprising: a second fermentation of the wine in a glass bottle, prior to disgorging or extraction of the drink deposits accumulated in the neck of the bottle, and the final corking of the bottles. This method includes: the introduction into the beverage bottles, prior to the second fermentation, of at least one piece of wood; keeping it in contact with the beverage during said second fermentation, and removing said piece of wood from the beverage bottle during disgorging, together with the beverage grounds. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Method for flavoring alcoholic beverages.

Technique sector.

The invention relates to a method for flavoring alcoholic beverages, suitable for providing a wood aroma, similar to that obtained during aging in wooden barrels, to those alcoholic beverages, such as cava or sparkling wine, obtained by a traditional procedure, comprising: pressing the grape, a first fermentation or alcoholic fermentation of a must obtained by pressing the grape; a second fermentation of the wine in a glass bottle; the stripping or removal of the drink deposits accumulated in the neck of the bottle, and the final corking of the bottles.

State of the prior art.

The procedure traditionally used to obtain cava and sparkling wine basically includes: the collection and pressing of the grapes, a first fermentation or alcoholic fermentation of the must that is transformed into wine; a second fermentation of the wine in a glass bottle; the disgorging or removal of the drink deposits accumulated in the neck of the bottles, the filling of the bottles with the same drink or with expedition liquor, and finally the final corking of the bottles.

The organoleptic properties of certain alcoholic beverages are enhanced with the aroma of the wood of the barrels used during their aging.

In the case of certain cavas and sparkling wines, the second fermentation carried out after adding additives to the drink, is carried out in glass bottles, so that during this phase the drink is not impregnated with the wood aroma of the barrels.

To solve this drawback, the owner of the invention has already developed a bottle stopper, described in utility model ES 1078 703 U (Application number: 201330148). Said bottle stopper has a body comprising, at least: a first piece of wood, with a section suitable to fit loosely into the mouth of a bottle; and a second piece of elastic material, such as cork, silicone, flexible plastic or the like, and of a diameter suitable to fit snugly inside the mouth of the bottle, establishing the closure thereof; so that the first piece of wood remains in contact with the contents of the bottle, providing it, in the case of wines, cognacs and other alcoholic beverages, with organoleptic properties similar to those achieved during the aging of these drinks in barrels of wood.

The owner himself has detected some drawbacks of the use of said stopper for bottles when looking only for the flavoring of the drink, mentioning: the cost of machining and mounting the stopper on the piece of wood; or the limitation of the contact surface of the piece of wood with the beverage, which cannot exceed the inner section of the neck of the bottle.

Explanation of the invention

Method for the aromatization of alcoholic beverages, object of this invention, presents some characteristics oriented to solve the exposed problem, since it is not limited to the use of a specific stopper, nor to the manufacturing costs of the stopper and that allows to keep in contact with the drink a wooden surface that is not limited by the inner section of the neck of the bottle.

This method is applicable in those procedures for obtaining alcoholic beverages that, in general, include: the pressing of the grapes, a first fermentation or alcoholic fermentation of a must obtained in the pressing of the grapes; a second fermentation of the wine in a glass bottle, the disgorging or removal of the drink deposits accumulated in the neck of the bottle, and the final corking of the drink bottles.

According to the invention, the method for flavoring alcoholic beverages of this invention comprises: the introduction into the beverage bottles, prior to the second fermentation, of at least one piece of wood; keeping it in contact with the beverage during said second fermentation, and removing said piece of wood from the beverage bottle during disgorging, together with the beverage grounds.

The introduction into the bottle of the piece or pieces of wood is done either manually or mechanically prior to the second fermentation.

Initially, the piece of wood floats in the drink keeping only a part of its surface in contact with the alcoholic drink, but it becomes soaked with the drink and after a few days, generally less than six, it descends towards the bottom of the bottle; thereafter, the piece of wood maintains its entire surface in contact with the beverage, considerably improving the flavoring of the beverage compared to the stopper of the aforementioned background.

As usual, the beverage bottles are left to rest with the stopper towards the lower area and are rotated so that the grounds and the piece of wood descend towards the neck, previously the disgorging operation that consists of freezing the beverage contained in the neck of the bottle and remove the stopper, so that the frozen part that contains the piece of wood and the residue comes out under the pressure of the gas in the drink.

With this method it is possible to give the cava or sparkling wine the aroma of the wood, depending on the intensity of the aroma of the quantity and the characteristics of the wood that is introduced into the bottle.

With the introduction of a piece of wood with the aforementioned characteristics, the discoloration of the drink (cava or sparkling wine) is minimal, so when it reaches the final consumer it has acquired the properties and flavor of the wood, but the consumer does not perceive No alteration of color, nor does it observe the presence of any piece or remains of wood, since it has previously been removed.

Preferably, the piece of wood to be placed in the bottle has a section of less than 1 square centimeter and a length of less than 4 cm. in order to facilitate its extraction during the disgorging process, taking into account its dimensional variation in contact with the beverage.

The piece of wood is preferably American oak of the type: natural, medium roasted or very roasted, although the use of other types of wood than those commonly used for the manufacture of barrels and / or for the aromatization of alcoholic drinks.

Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, it is stated for the appropriate purposes that, as the type of material and the size of the wooden pieces, they may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention. which are claimed below.

Claims (3)

1. - Method for aromatizing alcoholic beverages, suitable to provide a wood aroma, to those alcoholic beverages, such as cava or sparkling wine, obtained by a traditional procedure, comprising: a second fermentation of the wine in a glass bottle, prior to the disgorging or removal of the beverage deposits accumulated in the neck of the bottle, and the final corking of the bottles; characterized in that it comprises: the introduction into the beverage bottles, prior to the second fermentation, of at least one piece of wood; keeping it in contact with the beverage during said second fermentation, and removing said piece of wood from the beverage bottle during disgorging, together with the beverage grounds. two.

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the piece of wood to be introduced into the beverage bottle has a section of less than 1 square centimeter and a length of less than 4 cm. 3. - Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the piece of wood is American oak of the type: natural, medium roasted or very roasted.