Armagnac
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Armagnac (
Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin
).History and cultural uses
Armagnac is the oldest brandy (and liquor) recorded to be still distilled in the world. In 1310,
Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Armagnac was traded on the markets of
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. 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.[3]
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.[4][5]
Geography
The Armagnac region lies between the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/The_Armagnac_Region%2C_France.jpg/220px-The_Armagnac_Region%2C_France.jpg)
- Bas-Armagnac, responsible for about 62% of production
- Armagnac-Ténarèze, accounting for 37%
- Haut-Armagnac, a tiny area producing about 1% of all Armagnac[3]
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.[6]
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Arthez_alambic_Ognoas_1936.jpg/300px-Arthez_alambic_Ognoas_1936.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Arthez_alambic_Ognoas_1804.jpg/300px-Arthez_alambic_Ognoas_1804.jpg)
Armagnac is traditionally distilled once, resulting in alcohol content between 52% and 60%.
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.[7]
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.[3]
Grapes
Ten different varieties of Armagnac grapes are authorised for use in the production of Armagnac. Of these, four are most common:
References
- ^ "France vaunts '40 virtues' of Armagnac". The Independent. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ "Armagnac attack". The Age. 2010-03-09. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1800464964.
- ^ Wallop, Harry (2014-09-18). "Why French chefs want us to eat this bird – head, bones, beak and all". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ Love, Brian (2014-09-06). "French chefs seek to put banned songbird back on menu". Reuters. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ Hu, Claire (2008-01-01). "Blanche d'Armagnac draws mixed reactions". Wine & Spirit. Archived from the original on 2009-02-28. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ "What Is Armagnac? Find Out From The Experts". Spirits of France. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Cognac and Armagnac—The official website of France (in English)
- Bureau National Interprofessionel de l'Armagnac (BNIA)