Armagnac drink: Encyclopedia - Armagnac drink

Armagnac (drink)

Armagnac, the region of France, has given its name to its distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie, made of the same grapes as Cognac and undergoing the same aging in oak barrels, but without double distillation. Armagnac production is overseen by a Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA).

Armagnac is the only true rival to Cognac for recognition as the finest producer of brandy in the world. Along with Cognac and Jerez in Spain, it is one of only three officially demarcated brandy regions in Europe.

Its quantity of production is significantly lower than that of the Cognac region; for every six bottles of Armagnac sold around the world there are one hundred bottles of cognac sold.

Armagnac has been making brandy for around 200 years longer than Cognac.

Armagnac drink - Geography

The Armagnac region lies between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. A part of this historical region is permitted to grow the grapes that are used in the manufacture of brandy that may be labelled with the Armagnac name. This area was officially demarcated when Armagnac was granted AOC status in 1936.

The official production area is divided into three districts which lie in the departements of Gers, Landes and Lot-et-Garonne. These are:

• Bas Armagnac - the largest area of production
• Tenarèze
• Haut Armagnac

Each of these areas is controlled by separate appellation regulations. Although the term bas means "lower" in French, the best armagnacs are principally produced in Bas Armagnac.

Armagnac drink - Production

The region contains 40,000 acres of grape-producing vines.

The production of Armagnac differs in several ways from that of Cognac. Armagnac is only distilled once and at a lower temperature to Cognac, meaning that the former retains more of the fruit character, whereas Cognac's second distillation results in greater balance. Armagnacs are aged for longer periods than Cognac, though this has little impact on the grape once it has been distilled. Armagnac is aged in black oak giving them darker characteristics than Cognac.

Aging Requirements for Armagnac are

• Three star — 2 years
• VS — 3 years
• VO, VSOP or Reserve ADC — 5 years
• Extra, XO, Napoleon or Vieille Reserve — 6 years
• Hors d’Age — 10 years

Armagnac drink - Grapes

Ten different varieties of grape are authorised for use in the production of Armagnac. Of these, four form the principal part:

• Ugni Blanc
• Folle Blanche
• Baco 22A
• Colombard

The remaining varieties include Jurançon and Picquepoul.

Armagnac drink - Producers

The main producers of Armagnac are:

• Sempe
• Larressingle
• De Montal
• Cerbios
• B. Gelas
• Samalens
• Darroze
• Laberdolive
• Marquis de Caussade
• Janneau

Armagnac drink - Trivia

Legend has it that France’s King Henry IV (1553 – 1610) had Armagnac and garlic placed on his lips by his grandfather on the day he was born. He is said to “have drawn wisdom and strength for his whole life” from that experience.

Armagnac drink - External link

• BNIA Armagnac official website

Category: Brandies

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Armagnac drink", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki