Blend - a mixture of several varieties of products that are suitable for physico-chemical parameters. Blending is performed according to GOST.
The most common types of blending
- Egalization - the mixing of wines of a particular winery and one crop, but from different dishes.
- Assembly is a technology for compiling wine by mixing wine of the same name and origin, but different years of production.
- Cuvée - produced by mixing wines of the same name, but from different wineries (for example, Champagne - they mix white and red wine or the highest quality wine obtained in different years).
- Blending - by it is understood the mixing of wines from grapes of different growing areas.
Wine blending
Blend is an indispensable part of the technological process in the production of wines.
In the production with the help of assemblage, large batches of young, uniform wine come out, but obtained from different grape growing areas.
If wine is produced for champagne, the blend is then a harmonious combination of all assembly parties in order to obtain a higher and more delicate taste, bouquet.
During the blending, it must be remembered that light wines with a touch of freshness improve the play of the bouquet.
If the year is successful, then even young wines show all their best properties. In this case, blending is limited to mixing several selected assemblages, but if it so happens that the year does not shine with the quality of the final wine, then it is necessary to use the stocks of past years.
When blending young wines with barrel aging, there is an improvement in the subtlety and softness of taste. Mixing old wines is especially required if the blending contains “green” wines made from unripe grapes.
Tea blending
Blending of black tea has become widespread throughout the world. Almost everyone is already accustomed to black color and slightly astringent taste. According to statistics, more than 75% of the inhabitants of our country buy black tea, and half of the respondents drink at least three cups a day daily, only 4% of all do not drink it.
More than half of tea products go on sale as ready-made blends or blends, for the quality of which the testers are responsible - they can be said to have a unique sense of smell.
Tea blending is mixing with testers in the right proportions of suitable tea varieties. Mostly the name of the tea can determine the main component. But, for example, one blend often combines more than a dozen varieties of tea growing at different heights, different plantations and even continents.
In this case, the blend is a constant support of the desired taste of tea, because even the leaves collected on the same plantation will not be the same.
Blending whiskey
The pioneers of this alcoholic drink are the Scots and Irish - they learned how to drive alcohol from barley. Despite this, Japan, Canada and America are also considered world producers.
Whiskey classification
- Malt - a standard classic from barley malt, which passed several distillation levels in special cubes and with aging in an oak barrel for a certain time (at least three years).
- Grain - appeared with the invention of special columns for continuous distillation, with the help of which a higher-quality distillate is obtained without interruption.
- Blended is a whiskey obtained by mixing the first two varieties in different proportions.
If whiskey is made according to the classic recipe, then it is produced exclusively from cereals. Nevertheless, in America it is made from corn, in Ireland - barley, in Canada - rye. Japan takes over the experience of other nations, but it happens that Japanese whiskey, whose blend is often less than 40% of the fortress, is considered substandard in Scotland.
Today, there are several ways to distill mash in the factory to obtain alcohol:
- Conservative - in special copper cubes that have cooling pipes.
- Continuous operation - distillation is carried out in special columns.
During his life, W. Churchill tried to arrange the supply of barley malt, no matter how difficult the years were. After all, income from whiskey accounted for one fifth of the country's income, so it was impossible to stop production - it took at least 3 years of aging to get a quality drink, and at least 12 years for a luxury brand.
Blending brandy
Brandy production can not be imagined without blending, it is a mandatory component.
If necessary, the resulting blend of cognac is pasted over with egg white, gelatin, fish glue or treated with bentonite. Then they pass through the filter, for a certain time they are left alone, then they again pass through the filter and are already poured and packaged.
If the cognac turned out to be unstable, then it is processed for about ten days with cold to minus twelve degrees.
Ordinary cognacs "rest" for at least six months, KVVK or KS - at least a year. Cognac is bottled at a temperature of about 20 0 C both in bottles and in souvenir containers.
Cognac can vary in color from light golden to amber brown, in taste and bouquet it corresponds to a certain type, but in any case there should be no extraneous smell, aftertaste, or sediment.
In addition to cognac, various cognac drinks based on cognac alcohol are also made . By property, they correspond to a one-year-old cognac.
The method of making this drink is quite simple - the necessary raw materials are passed through oak wood that has undergone special processing.
Based on the foregoing, it is safe to say that blending is an indispensable production technology for most products.