WSET LEVEL 4 STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTION AND
SOLUTIONS RANKED A+
✔✔Use of SO2 in Cognac - ✔✔Prohibited. It would be impossible to reduce the levels of
SO2 to acceptable levels for distillation.
✔✔Pressing of grapes in Cognac - ✔✔Has to be gentle. Screw press is banned
✔✔MLF in cognac - ✔✔Common but not mandatory. Helps to stabilise the base wine
✔✔When must cognac be distilled by? Why? - ✔✔31st March following Harvest. Quick
distillation reduces risk of spoilage in wine
✔✔Product of first and second distillations in Cognac - ✔✔1st - brouillis - 27-30%abv
2nd - <72-4%abv
✔✔What happens to the heads and tails of Cognac - ✔✔Heads (têtes) and tails
(secondes) may be redistilled with base wine or brouillis
✔✔Important features of Charentais still - ✔✔Made from Copper
Directly heated
have a worm tub condenser
140hL for 1st distillation
30hl for 2nd distillation
✔✔Methods of lees usage in Cognac - ✔✔Martell Method - distill with no lees
Rémy Method - Distill with lees
✔✔Effect of lees on Cognac - ✔✔Distilling with lees produces a spirit with greater
mouthfeel, intensity and complexity, greater ageing potential and rancio flavours
✔✔If Heads and Tails are blended into base wine in Cognac - ✔✔Produces lighter style
as base wine doesn't have to be concentrated as much
✔✔If Heads and Tails are blended into brouillis in Cognac - ✔✔Produces a deeper and
richer eau-de-vie
✔✔Cognac maturation - ✔✔Must be matured in Oak for at least 2 years. Most comon
size is 350L
✔✔Two types of oak for Cognac? Effects - ✔✔Q. robur - Limousin forest - more open
grained and gives more tannin
Q. sessiflora - Tronçais forest - tighter grained and more aromatic
,✔✔Barrel rotation in Cognac - ✔✔Generally new oak for 6-12 months to gain oak
derived flavours, then into older barrels for the remainder of it's development
✔✔Are oak chips permitted in Cognac - ✔✔Yes. Generally use for VS styles
✔✔Soils of Grande and Petite Champagne - ✔✔Limestone and soft chalk
✔✔Soils of Fins Bois - ✔✔Groies (hard red limestone) and clay
✔✔Bons Bois and Bois ordinaires - ✔✔Sand
✔✔Use of subzone on Cognac - ✔✔Permitted but 100% of the eau-de-vie must
originate from the stated subzone
✔✔Vine Training in cognac - ✔✔High trained widely spaced. Prevents frost an allows
mechanisation
✔✔Fine Champagne - ✔✔min 50% Grand Champagne, rest Petite Champagne
✔✔Cognac ages - ✔✔*** (3 star) or VS:min 2 years
Supérieur: min 3 years
VO/VSOP: min 4 years
VVSOP / Grande Réserve: min 5 years
XO/Napoléon/Extra/Hors d'âge: min 10 years (previously min 6 years)
✔✔Annual production of Armagnac - ✔✔18,000hL
✔✔Trade in Armagnac - ✔✔Small producers, no dominating names
✔✔Sales of spirits older than VSOP in Armagnac - ✔✔around 40% total sales for XO
and Vintage
✔✔Four main grapes of Armagnac - ✔✔Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche, Colombard
✔✔Role of Baco in Armagnac - ✔✔provides a rich, earthy, prune like character. Only
hybrid grape permitted in any french AOP. 32% of plantings
✔✔Role of Folle Blanche in Armagnac - ✔✔Produces floral characters
, ✔✔Role of Colombard in Armagnac - ✔✔Spicy characters
✔✔3 crus of Armagnac - ✔✔Bas-Armagnac (majority of plantings)
Ténerèze (distant second)
Haut-Armagnac (only a handful of vineyards for brandy)
✔✔Typical strength of Armagnac after 2nd distillation - ✔✔60%. Provides a more
intensely flavoured spirit that Cognac
✔✔Armagnac Still - ✔✔Alembic Armagnacais (column still).
Wood or Gas burner
Column (max 17 plates)
Wine Heater
Condenser
✔✔Process of Armagnac distillaiton - ✔✔-Wine flows into condenser, then into wine
heater
-Heated wine passes into the still
-Vapours pass back through the serpentine in the wine heater, heating the next batch of
wine.
✔✔How are different grapes of Armagnac distilled - ✔✔Separately but in one
continuously. Drawn off into separate barrels with intermediate barrels containing a mix
of 2 varietals
✔✔Oaks used for Armagnac - ✔✔European is used. Main forests are:
Monlezun - black oak
Limousin - Q. robur
Troncais - Q. sessiflora
✔✔Armagnac ages - ✔✔Blanche - rested for 3m in stainless steel
3*/VS: min 1 year
VSOP: min 4 year
XO/Napoléon: min 6 years
Hors d'Age: min 10 years
Vintage: min 10 years from a single vintage
✔✔Brandy de Jerez varietals - ✔✔Not specified, but 95% of production is Airén
✔✔Where is Airen grown for Brandy de Jerez - ✔✔La Mancha
✔✔Base wine from Airén compared to base wine of Cognac and Armagnac - ✔✔lower
in acidity and higher level of alcohol
SOLUTIONS RANKED A+
✔✔Use of SO2 in Cognac - ✔✔Prohibited. It would be impossible to reduce the levels of
SO2 to acceptable levels for distillation.
✔✔Pressing of grapes in Cognac - ✔✔Has to be gentle. Screw press is banned
✔✔MLF in cognac - ✔✔Common but not mandatory. Helps to stabilise the base wine
✔✔When must cognac be distilled by? Why? - ✔✔31st March following Harvest. Quick
distillation reduces risk of spoilage in wine
✔✔Product of first and second distillations in Cognac - ✔✔1st - brouillis - 27-30%abv
2nd - <72-4%abv
✔✔What happens to the heads and tails of Cognac - ✔✔Heads (têtes) and tails
(secondes) may be redistilled with base wine or brouillis
✔✔Important features of Charentais still - ✔✔Made from Copper
Directly heated
have a worm tub condenser
140hL for 1st distillation
30hl for 2nd distillation
✔✔Methods of lees usage in Cognac - ✔✔Martell Method - distill with no lees
Rémy Method - Distill with lees
✔✔Effect of lees on Cognac - ✔✔Distilling with lees produces a spirit with greater
mouthfeel, intensity and complexity, greater ageing potential and rancio flavours
✔✔If Heads and Tails are blended into base wine in Cognac - ✔✔Produces lighter style
as base wine doesn't have to be concentrated as much
✔✔If Heads and Tails are blended into brouillis in Cognac - ✔✔Produces a deeper and
richer eau-de-vie
✔✔Cognac maturation - ✔✔Must be matured in Oak for at least 2 years. Most comon
size is 350L
✔✔Two types of oak for Cognac? Effects - ✔✔Q. robur - Limousin forest - more open
grained and gives more tannin
Q. sessiflora - Tronçais forest - tighter grained and more aromatic
,✔✔Barrel rotation in Cognac - ✔✔Generally new oak for 6-12 months to gain oak
derived flavours, then into older barrels for the remainder of it's development
✔✔Are oak chips permitted in Cognac - ✔✔Yes. Generally use for VS styles
✔✔Soils of Grande and Petite Champagne - ✔✔Limestone and soft chalk
✔✔Soils of Fins Bois - ✔✔Groies (hard red limestone) and clay
✔✔Bons Bois and Bois ordinaires - ✔✔Sand
✔✔Use of subzone on Cognac - ✔✔Permitted but 100% of the eau-de-vie must
originate from the stated subzone
✔✔Vine Training in cognac - ✔✔High trained widely spaced. Prevents frost an allows
mechanisation
✔✔Fine Champagne - ✔✔min 50% Grand Champagne, rest Petite Champagne
✔✔Cognac ages - ✔✔*** (3 star) or VS:min 2 years
Supérieur: min 3 years
VO/VSOP: min 4 years
VVSOP / Grande Réserve: min 5 years
XO/Napoléon/Extra/Hors d'âge: min 10 years (previously min 6 years)
✔✔Annual production of Armagnac - ✔✔18,000hL
✔✔Trade in Armagnac - ✔✔Small producers, no dominating names
✔✔Sales of spirits older than VSOP in Armagnac - ✔✔around 40% total sales for XO
and Vintage
✔✔Four main grapes of Armagnac - ✔✔Ugni Blanc, Baco, Folle Blanche, Colombard
✔✔Role of Baco in Armagnac - ✔✔provides a rich, earthy, prune like character. Only
hybrid grape permitted in any french AOP. 32% of plantings
✔✔Role of Folle Blanche in Armagnac - ✔✔Produces floral characters
, ✔✔Role of Colombard in Armagnac - ✔✔Spicy characters
✔✔3 crus of Armagnac - ✔✔Bas-Armagnac (majority of plantings)
Ténerèze (distant second)
Haut-Armagnac (only a handful of vineyards for brandy)
✔✔Typical strength of Armagnac after 2nd distillation - ✔✔60%. Provides a more
intensely flavoured spirit that Cognac
✔✔Armagnac Still - ✔✔Alembic Armagnacais (column still).
Wood or Gas burner
Column (max 17 plates)
Wine Heater
Condenser
✔✔Process of Armagnac distillaiton - ✔✔-Wine flows into condenser, then into wine
heater
-Heated wine passes into the still
-Vapours pass back through the serpentine in the wine heater, heating the next batch of
wine.
✔✔How are different grapes of Armagnac distilled - ✔✔Separately but in one
continuously. Drawn off into separate barrels with intermediate barrels containing a mix
of 2 varietals
✔✔Oaks used for Armagnac - ✔✔European is used. Main forests are:
Monlezun - black oak
Limousin - Q. robur
Troncais - Q. sessiflora
✔✔Armagnac ages - ✔✔Blanche - rested for 3m in stainless steel
3*/VS: min 1 year
VSOP: min 4 year
XO/Napoléon: min 6 years
Hors d'Age: min 10 years
Vintage: min 10 years from a single vintage
✔✔Brandy de Jerez varietals - ✔✔Not specified, but 95% of production is Airén
✔✔Where is Airen grown for Brandy de Jerez - ✔✔La Mancha
✔✔Base wine from Airén compared to base wine of Cognac and Armagnac - ✔✔lower
in acidity and higher level of alcohol
