What the Musketeers Drank
Armagnac is a strong alcoholic beverage produced in a very limited area of about 14,000 hectares of vineyards, right in the heart of Gascony. Despite the phonetic similarity, it has nothing to do with Armenia; it got its name several centuries ago in honor of a respected Gascon family. And such is the fate of this drink that it is always compared (and foreigners often confuse it) with cognac, which is also made in France, but a bit further north.
They use the same grape varieties - Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Folle Blanche. Both drinks are obtained by distilling a semi-finished white wine, but cognac undergoes double distillation in batches, while Armagnac has a single continuous distillation. These technological nuances are also reflected in the external differences of the distillation apparatus: in the cognac still, a huge but graceful pear-shaped copper flask is noticeable, while an Armagnac still usually consists of two large columns. After distillation, the fate of both drinks is the same: they are aged for a long time, sometimes very long, in oak barrels.
As a special technological product, Armagnac is older than cognac, of which Gascon producers are immensely proud. There is written evidence that it was already produced in the early 14th century, so the valiant d'Artagnan in his 17th century could well have brought a few bottles of the signature drink of his small homeland to his Parisian musketeer friends. But at that time there were no professionals offering quality website promotion, so all the deserved glory was taken from Armagnac by another drink.
Experts explain the much greater worldwide fame of cognac very simply: the Charente River, which gave its name to the entire production area, provided a very convenient access to the Atlantic coast, which was a significant advantage in trade several centuries ago. Special barges with cognac barrels on board quickly delivered the strong product to the seaport of La Rochelle. The Gascon producers of Armagnac did not have such an opportunity. However, they took a philosophical approach to this situation and say that the French produce cognac for the whole world, but Armagnac only for themselves.
But for the average consumer, the taste differences between these drinks are much more interesting than all the production and historical details. The fact is that quality cognac, as a rule, is a blend of several or even many spirits of different ages, and they are blended to achieve a consistent taste and aroma of the same brand. Armagnac, again as a rule, is a millésime product, meaning it is usually made from grapes of a single harvest, which is indicated on the label. Since no two harvests are exactly alike, Armagnacs are all different even from the same producer, which many buyers appreciate. In glass containers, Armagnac stops its development and no longer changes, so it is bottled just before sale.
Also very popular in these parts is the drink Floc de Gascogne. It is produced by adding Armagnac to new must, creating a delightful combination of light invigorating strength with the aroma of fresh grape juice.
Visiting the Baron
Many Armagnac producers, in addition to their main products, offer purely tourist services to visitors - for example, staying overnight in their guest rooms. This is convenient not only for those who accidentally overdid the tasting of millésime drinks with hospitable hosts, but also for all lovers of educational recreation. After all, it is an opportunity to stay for a day or two or even a week in ancient noble estates with corresponding interiors and family legends, and leisurely travel around the area, getting acquainted with the sights. Among them there are also amusing ones, such as a large (by local standards) ancient city with the wonderful name Condom. Where this name came from, none of the townspeople really know, but the full name of this settlement sounds even more anecdotal: Condom-en-Armagnac. Tourists come here not only for T-shirts with the proud city name on the chest, but also to the Armagnac Museum with a large and well-stocked exhibition.
One of the respected Armagnac producers who receives tourists is Baron Philippe de Bouglon, who lives in the tiny but very old town of Labastide-d'Armagnac. In addition to a genuine noble title, he also has an ancient 18th-century estate with a huge park and an unmistakably French name - Chateau du Prada. A ten-minute walk from the estate are the baron's well-kept vineyards, and ten meters from his house are cellars with barrels where Armagnacs of different years await their time. In the house itself there are a few guest rooms; they can accommodate up to ten guests at a time, so the baron's estate rightfully belongs to the popular French mini-hotel network Gites de France (Chambres d'Hotes), and accordingly there is a corresponding sign on the gate at the entrance.
In the name of an even older estate belonging to the Castarede family, there is also the word 'château' - it is Chateau Maniban. The vineyards of this estate are clearly visible from any window of the well-preserved two-story mansion with a huge attic, where the younger generation of Castaredes spends the summer. For our market, there is a range of Armagnacs from this house under the Marquise de Livry brand, but it is better to taste all these versions on site, in the old estate, with comments from the producer himself. If you are lucky, you can see the head of the house, Jean Castarede, at a working tasting of Armagnac spirits. He does this important and responsible work in the mornings, when taste receptors are still fresh and receptive to all shades and nuances. And if you are even luckier and find the elder Castarede's daughter, Florence, at the estate, ask her to make foie gras with apples and Armagnac for dinner; she does this dish well.
Foie gras is liver
If anyone still does not know, foie gras is goose or duck liver, the pride of French gastronomy. The main region of its traditional production is precisely Gascony. To obtain the precious liver of a larger size (it can be up to a kilogram in weight!), the bird is kept on a special diet. The most posh restaurants in Paris consider it an honor to offer their visitors dishes from Gascon foie gras.
Here, for example, is a dish that is very simple in appearance and rather difficult to execute. You need to quickly fry a finger-thick slice of liver in a hot pan with virtually no fat, so that a thin crispy crust forms on both sides, while the inside remains tender, literally melting in the mouth. An excellent accompaniment in this case would be pickled pear. Also good is a simple liver pâté made with Armagnac, served with a juicy fragrant melon. Or imagine small pieces of goose liver neatly wrapped in bacon strips to form small cubes that are then baked in the oven. At first glance, the combination is quite heavy and fatty, but it turns out very tasty and not at all burdensome, especially accompanied by lightly sautéed vegetables. This signature dish is famous at the Gascon restaurant Chez Simon in the small town of Montreal.
It should be noted that Gascon geese and ducks are valued not only for their delicacy liver. The bird's meat is wonderfully smoked, fried, steamed, and baked here. Locals particularly respect the so-called 'carcasse', that is, the goose backbone with remnants of meat on the bones. Frankly, there is not much to eat there, but the ritual is interesting: Gascons like to grill these bones, and poultry and liver producers gladly sell them such 'carcasses' in immeasurable quantities.
For dessert, it is customary here to order an apple pie called 'croustade', that is, 'crispy'. Slices of apples, previously soaked in Armagnac, are hidden under layers of dough as thin as tissue paper, and you should see how experienced craftswomen manually arrange these weightless petals into a pie mold.