The Floc de Gascogne is a regional apéritif from the

Côtes de Gascogne Côtes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the Departments of France, département of the Gers in the former Midi-Pyrénées region (now part of the Occitanie region), and it ...

and

Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditiona ...

regions of Sud-Ouest wine region of France. It is a ''

vin de liqueur A ''vin de liqueur'' is a sweet fortified style of French wine that is fortified with brandy to unfermented grape must. The term ''vin de liqueur'' is also used by the European Union to refer to all fortified wines. These wines are similar to ' ...

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

with

armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditiona ...

, the local brandy. It has had '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' status since 1990. Elsewhere in France analogous drinks are made ( Pineau des Charentes in the

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appe ...

zone, Macvin in Jura; there is also

Pommeau Pommeau is an alcoholic drink made in north-western France by mixing apple juice with apple brandy: Calvados in Normandy () or lambig in Brittany (). Considered a mistelle, it is generally consumed as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to m ...

, similarly made by blending apple juice and

apple brandy An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ...

History

Floc de Gascogne is produced according to a recipe that has been in use in the French region of Gascony since the 16th century. The name "Floc de Gascogne" was coined by Henri Lamor, a winemaker from Cravencères, in 1954. The word "floc" comes from the Occitan language and means bouquet of flowers.

Characteristics

Floc de Gascogne is a

mistelle Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Commanda ...

, a ''vin de liqueur'' (a fortified sweet wine) made of 1/3 of armagnac and 2/3 of fresh grape juice both from the wine area ''

'' / ''

''. Both of these must be produced by the same vineyard. Floc de Gascogne is produced in both white and rosé varieties. The alcohol percentage is between 16 and 18% vol. After blending, the Floc is kept for 10 months in the cellar of the producer and must be approved by a committee of experts before it can be sold under the appellation Floc de Gascogne. It is used as an aperitif most often, but also as a dessert drink. It should be consumed while cool, and is superb on ice. Almond, jasmine, roses, honey, black fruit and condiments are characteristic notes. Floc should be drunk within a year after the production. Once a bottle is opened, it may be stored for up to three months in the refrigerator.

Armagnac/Côtes de Gascogne region

The region is divided in three distinct production areas: *''

Bas-Armagnac Bas-Armagnac is one of the three plantation areas in the Armagnac area of France where grapes for the distillation of the Armagnac eau-de-vie can be cultivated. It extends over the Landes and Gers departments and represents 57% of the vineyard ...

'' *''

Armagnac-Ténarèze Armagnac-Ténarèze is one of the three ''terroirs'' (plantation areas) in the Armagnac region of France where grapes for the distillation of the Armagnac eau-de-vie can be cultivated. This area lies between Bas-Armagnac and Haut-Armagnac, cov ...

'' *''

Haut-Armagnac Haut-Armagnac, one of the three terroirs (plantation areas) in the Armagnac area where the grapes for the distillation of the Armagnac eau-de-vie can be cultivated. It lies to the south and east of Bas-Armagnac and Armagnac-Ténarèze, the two ...

'' The production area is spread across three regions: Gers, Lot-et-Garonne and the

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word ''l ...

. Only grapes harvested in this region may be distilled to Armagnac. The Armagnac area and the Côtes de Gascogne have the same borders. The whole AOC covers vineyards totaling 15.000 hectares.

Grape varieties

*Floc de Gascogne blanc:

Colombard Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that is the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc.winepros.com.au. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-Françoi ...

Ugni blanc Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

and

Gros Manseng Gros Manseng (sometimes translated: Large Manseng, rarely "Big Manseng") is a white wine grape variety that is grown primarily in South West France, and is part of the Manseng family. It produces dry wines in the Jurançon and Béarn regions ...

*Floc de Gascogne rosé:

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

and Merlot

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floc De Gascogne Mistelle