Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is distilled from

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using

column still A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still, is a variety of still consisting of two columns. Column stills can produce rectified spirit (95% alcohol by volume, ABV). Description The first column (called the ana ...

s. This is in contrast to the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is aged in oak

barrel A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden stave (wood), staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers ...

s before release. Production is overseen by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) and the Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin distilling spirits. Because the overall volume of production is far smaller than cognac production, the brandy is less known outside Europe. In addition, for the most part it is made and sold by small producers, whereas cognac production is dominated by big-name brands, especially Courvoisier (owned by Campari Group), Hennessy ( LVMH), Martell ( Pernod Ricard), and

Rémy Martin Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France, Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big f ...

( Rémy Cointreau).

History and cultural uses

Armagnac is the oldest brandy (and liquor) recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310, Prior Vital du Four, a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

, wrote of its 40 virtues. Vital du Four was born in Bazas, in the centre of Armagnac. He was known as the prior of Eauze, today the location of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l'Armagnac (BNIA). But historians have not found evidence that he ever visited Eauze, much less that he was writing specifically about distilled eau de vie from Armagnac. In the past it was consumed for its therapeutic benefits, as were other liquors. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the markets of Saint-Sever, Mont-de-Marsan, and Aire-sur-l'Adour. Subsequently, Dutch merchants began promoting the trade more widely and providing or financing alembics. The first record of Armagnac distillation does not appear until 1646, with the purchase of an alembic. In the following century, Armagnac was served in the palace of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. By 1800, most of the Armagnac region was dedicated to the production of the brandy. In 1818, a patent for a continuous distillation alembic resulted in the main difference between Armagnac and Cognac. The latter is double distilled in batches. The French gourmet dish ortolan has traditionally been prepared by force-feeding an ortolan bunting before drowning it in Armagnac and roasting it. The dish is now legally prohibited due to laws protecting the bird.

Geography

The Armagnac region lies between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The region was granted ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) status in 1936. The official production area is divided into three districts that lie in the departments of Gers, Landes, and

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, ) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.Bas-Armagnac, responsible for about 62% of production * Armagnac-Ténarèze, accounting for 37% * Haut-Armagnac, a tiny area producing about 1% of all Armagnac Each of these areas is controlled by separate AOC regulations. The newest appellation ''Blanche d'Armagnac'' ('white Armagnac') was established to allow the production and export of clear, unaged brandies.

Production

Armagnac is traditionally distilled once, resulting in alcohol content between 52% and 60%. The result is a more fragrant and flavorful spirit than cognac, which is produced by double distillation. Long aging in oak barrels softens the taste and causes the development of more complex flavours and a brown colour. Ageing in the

removes a part of the alcohol and water by evaporation (known as ''part des anges''—"angels' tribute" or " angels' share") and allows more complex aromatic compounds to appear by oxidation, which further modifies the flavour. Since alcohol evaporates faster than water, the alcohol degree is naturally reduced by an average of 0.4% per year depending on the characteristics of the cellars (average temperature and humidity). When the Armagnac is considered as matured, it is transferred to large glass bottles (called " Dame Jeanne") for storage. The main difference between Armagnac and other spirits is that, due to its relatively low alcoholic content, it is generally not diluted with water. Armagnac is sold under several classifications, mostly referring to the age of the constituent brandies. Armagnac is allowed to be sold under vintages. When Armagnacs of different ages have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest component. A three-star, or ''VS'', Armagnac is a mix of several Armagnacs that have seen at least one year of ageing in wood. For ''VSOP'' the ageing is at least four years, and for ''XO'' and ''Hors d'âge'' ten years. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on the bottle, aged for a minimum of 10 years. Vintages' flavour and appearance change depending on factors including the grape, ageing time, barrel used for ageing, grape variety, weather that year, storage location and more. The Armagnac region produces 3 million bottles a year of brandy, compared to the 220 million produced in Cognac. However, the French drink only 4 million bottles of Cognac compared to 1.5 million of Armagnac.

Grapes

Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the production of Armagnac. Of these, four are most common: * Baco blanc * Colombard * Folle blanche * Ugni blanc

References

External links

Cognac and Armagnac
��The official website of France (in English)
Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armagnac (Drink) French distilled drinks Brandies