Analytical characterisation of a Brandy de Jerez during its ageing

Brandy de Jerez is differentiated from other brandies by its distinctive and unique organoleptic characteristics that are derived basically from its traditional system of production, from the characteristics of the wooden cask in which it is aged and, naturally, also from climatic characteristics of the geographic area where it is exclusively made. With a view to ensuring its quality, in the present study, an ageing solera of Brandy de Jerez has been characterised analytically. The samples have been obtained in a winery of the production zone over a 2-year period, and the following analytical parameters have been monitored: colour, index of total polyphenols, short-chain organic acids and the analysis of particular polyphenolic compounds. This paper has studied the evolution of these parameters and their possible correlation with the age of the samples. A statistical model has been devised that allows the samples to be classified correctly in function of their mean age.