ARMAGNAC
Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in
the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France.
Armagnac was one of the first areas in France to begin
distilling spirits, but the overall volume of production is far
smaller than Cognac production and therefore is less known
outside Europe.
It was invented in 14th century by a Cardinal called Vital du
Four.
SUB-REGIONS
In 1909 Armagnac has been divided into three sub regions.
1. Bas – Armagnac (57% production)
2. Armagnac – Ténaréze (40% production)
3. Haut – Armagnac (3% production)
Together, the three terroirs are home to 15,000 hectares of
vines, in a temperate and gentle climate, but each terroir
has its own distinct soil and produces different styles of
armagnac.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Although 10 grape varieties are allowed to be for armagnac
production, four are most commonly used. These are:
▪ Ugni blanc (55%) – the most widely used variety, giving
acidic and low alcohol wines. Whereas it makes up just over
half of the grape varieties used in armagnac, ugni blanc
makes up more than 95 per cent of cognac.
▪ Baco (35%) – previously known as Baco 22A, this is NOT
used in cognac. Baco is a hybrid of Folle Blanche and Noah
varieties named after its creator, François Baco. It
contributes roundness, smoothness and aromas of ripe
fruits. It is also the only hybrid that is permitted for use
in Appellation d’OrigineContrôlée wines.
GRAPE VARIETIES
▪ Folle blanche (5%) – the oldest and before the
phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century, the best-
known variety used in armagnac. It produces fine
and floral brandy, but because it is more fragile and
susceptible to frost its production has now become
quite rare.
▪ Colombard (5%) – widely used in table wines, but
distillation for armagnac is rarer. Its fruity and spicy
aromas are appreciated in blends.
The other varieties are Plant de Graisse, Meslier Saint
François, Clairette de Gascogne, Jurançon blanc,
Mauzac Blanc and Mauzac Rosé, but they are rarely
used.
MANUFACTURING PROCESS
▪ HARVESTING
▪ FERMENTATION
▪ DISTILLATION
▪ AGING
▪ AERATION
▪ BLENDING
▪ BOTTLING
HARVESTING
The grapes used to create the wine for
distillation are harvested from September to
October, and the addition of any sulphur
treatment or sugar is forbidden. All
distillation must be finished by March 31.
FERMENTATION
▪ The grape juice is fermented using selected
yeasts and after 5-7 days a wine of 8.5-9%
ABV is produced. Typically 5 grams of yeast is
added per hectolitre in 800 hectolitre tanks.
Nitrogen is also added to help start
fermentation.
DISTILLATION
▪ 95% of armagnac is distilled in an Alambic
Armagnacais, a small, sometimes mobile,
continuous column still. The mobile stills have
names, and producers will request the same stills
each year. 25% of stills are wood-fired; the rest are
gas. The rest is distilled in pot stills, usually the
typical cognac stills. Only 3 producers use pot stills.
▪ Strength can be controlled depending on the
number of plates, their position in the still and the
flow rate of wine through the still. Armagnac can
legally be distilled from 52% abv to 72.4% abv
according to AOC production conditions, but
traditionally the strength is around 52-60% abv.
DISTILLATION
▪ In the continuous still, the vapor and wine are
in contact with each other. This isn't the case
in pot stills. There are no heads and tails cuts
in continuous stills.
▪ The maximum number of plates allowed by
law is 15. Some distillers use as few as 3
plates, but the average is probably 5-8
plates.
AGING
Armagnac is aged in 400-
litre oak barrels. It
typically goes into new
barrels for between six
months to two years of
its life, before being
transferred to older
barrels so that the
extract of wood and
tannin compounds
doesn’t dominate the
flavour.
AGING
▪ Most producers use French oak from Tronçais
forests, whose oak offer respectively wide grain, for
bigger flavours and tannins each of which imparts a
unique character to the final spirit. Some producers
use local casks of black oak from Gascony, which has
even wider grain and tends to be more tannic and
imparts much more colour, with a more intense and
dark fruity character. Black oak is becoming less
common as the supply has diminished.
▪ Armagnac can continue its maturation over the
course of decades – up to 50 years or so in the cask –
before being transferred into large glass bottles or
steel tanks.
AERATION
▪ Another important point of difference
between cognac and armagnac is in the
practice of aeration that takes place. Many
producers “work” their armagnac while it’s
maturing by regularly emptying out their
barrels into tanks, and then pumping the
spirit either back into the original cask or into
a different cask (often an older one that
imparts fewer tannins).
▪ The spirit may also be diluted at this point.
BLENDING
The majority is blended, and the art
of the blender – usually done by
cellar master – is in blending
armagnacs of different ages, grape
varieties and maturity to create a
consistent style. The blending
process is called coupage and
often also involves the addition of
distilled water to gradually reduce
the alcoholic strength to bottling
strength, which must be a
minimum of 40% abv.
BOTTLING
▪ Most armagnacs are between 40% and 48%
abv.
HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM COGNAC
One of the key differences between armagnac
and cognac is that 95 per cent of armagnac is
only distilled once, and distillation is done
using a specific form of continuous still – the
Armagnac alambic. Up to 30 per cent of
distillation is still carried out by travelling
alambics that make their way from farm to
farm, using LPG or even sometimes still wood
as fuel for distillation.
TYPES OF ARMAGNAC
▪ Blanche armagnac was created as an
appellation in 2005 as an unaged brandy. It rests
for a minimum of three months in a neutral
container, typically stainless steel, and is bottled
between 40% and 48% abv. It is usually taken
with food or as a base for cocktails.
▪ Floc de Gascogne is another product of the
region – in white, red and rosé, it’s a blend of
armagnac and grape juices, served chilled usually
as an aperitif.
HOW TO DRINK ARMAGNAC
▪ Like whisky or cognac it depends on its age. A VS
or a VSOP works well with a cocktail, cooking or
for food matching. Younger armagnac is often
drunk long, with ice and tonic, as an aperitif.
▪ Older armagnacs are for sipping, and are ideal as
a digestif. Unlike whisky, no one adds water or
ice to their armagnac – its lower strength means
it’s unnecessary, does nothing to improve it, and
can create flaws in the spirit.
INTERNATIONAL
BRANDS OF
ARMAGNAC
delord
SEMPE
JANNEAU
SAMALENS
GELAS
MARQUIS DE CAUSSADE
LARRESSINGLE
RELATED VIDEOS
▪ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhEyAUj
7QZw
▪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2HlgM-
0pDQ
▪ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEc5j8r1
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Thank You
