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Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is then aged in oak barrels 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, but the overall volume of production is far smaller than cognac production and therefore is less known outside Europe. In addition, it is for the most part made and sold by small producers, whereas cognac production is dominated by big-name brands, especially Courvoisier (owned by Beam Suntory), Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armagnac (region)
The County of Armagnac (, ; oc, label= Gascon, Armanhac), situated between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the lower foothills of the Pyrenées, was a historic county of the Duchy of Gascony, established in 601 in Aquitaine (now France). In 960, the title of 'Count of Armagnac' was established, and thus the County of Armagnac was created. In 1751, following the death of childless Charles de Lorraine, Comte d'Armagnac, the county was absorbed into the Crown lands of France and the King, then Louis XV took the title of 'Count of Armagnac' (''Comte d'Armagnac''). In 1791, following the Decree dividing France into departments, the county was disestablished, but remains an important natural region of France. History Under Roman rule, Armagnac was included in the Civitas Ausciorum, or district of Auch, of Aquitania. Under the Merovingians it was part of the duchy of Aquitania. Near the end of the ninth century the part now known as Fezensac became a hereditary county. In 960 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baco 22A
Baco blanc or Baco 22A is a French-American hybrid grape variety. It is a cross of Folle blanche and the Noah grape, created in 1898 by the grape breeder François Baco. Folle blanche is its ''Vitis vinifera'' parent. Noah, its other parent, is itself a cross of ''Vitis labrusca'' and ''Vitis riparia''.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 27 Oxford University Press 1996 Baco blanc was developed to produce some of the same flavors as Folle blanche but without the susceptibility to American grape disease and phylloxera. In the 20th century it was widely planted in the Gascony region for uses in brandy production. Both Armagnac and Cognac (from the Charentes and Charente-Maritime districts north of Gascony) are brandies made from white grapes – Ugni blanc, Folle blanche and Colombard – but only Armagnac was permitted under French regulations to use Baco blanc and until the late 1970s, Baco blanc was the primary grape of Armagnac.Oz Clarke ''Encyclop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 with caramel colouring to imitate the effect of aging, and some are produced using a combination of both aging and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from southwestern France. In a broader sense, the term ''brandy'' also denotes liquors obtained from the distillation of pomace (yielding pomace brandy), or mash or wine of any other fruit (fruit brandy). These products are also called ''eau de vie'' (which translates to "water of life"). History The origins of brandy are tied to the development of distillation. While the process was known in classical times, it was not used for significant beverage production until the 15th century. In the early 16th cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ugni Blanc
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it has many other names reflecting a family of local subtypes, particularly in Italy and France.Robinson, Jancis ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' Mitchell Beazley 1986 Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac and Armagnac productions. History Trebbiano may have originated in the Eastern Mediterranean, and was known in Italy in Roman times. A subtype was recognized in Bologna in the thirteenth century, and as Ugni blanc made its way to France, possibly during the Papal retreat to Avignon in the fourteenth century. Pedigree An Italian study published in 2008 using DNA typing showed a close genetic relationship between Garganega on the one hand and Trebbiano and several other grape varieties on the other hand. It is therefore possible that Gargan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eauze
Eauze (; Gascon: ''Eusa'') is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. History Located in the heart of south-west France, 130 kilometers from the Spanish border, Eauze is originally a proto-Basque city that became Roman. It was the capital of the Roman province of Novempopulania until the eighth century. Its Latin name, Elusa, is identical to that of a titular see of Palaestina Tertia, suffragan of Petra. Geography Eauze is twinned with Ampuero (Spain). Climate The weather is typical of the southwestern French climate, characterized by an oceanic influence and high temperatures in summer. The annual sunshine is around 2,000 hours. In winter, frosts can be large and reach a minimum early morning temperature of -5 °C. On the other hand, summers are favorable to the strong heat and the proximity of the ocean accentuates the temperatures felt which regularly reach 35 to 38 °C. In spring and autumn, temperatures range from 12 to 27 °C. Sites of inte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folle Blanche
Folle blanche, also known as Picpoule, Gros Plant, and Enrageat blanc, is a wine grape variety from southwest France. It was the traditional grape variety in Cognac and Armagnac production until the 20th century. Folle blanche is an offspring of Gouais blanc, with the other parent so far unidentified. It has been mostly replaced by its hybrid offspring Baco blanc due to phylloxera damage. Baco blanc (also known as Baco 22 A) is a cross of Folle blanche and the ''Vitis riparia × Vitis labrusca'' hybrid Noah. Folle blanche is also the parent of the very hardy and disease-resistant Baco 1 (or Baco noir), a cross of Folle blanche and a ''Vitis riparia'' variety. Baco noir and Baco 22 A, like Folle blanche and their other parents, produce a very acid wine. This makes them more suited to distillation than less acidic grapes. Folle blanche is used in the Loire Valley area and in Brittany around Nantes to produce Gros Plant du Pays Nantais, a very dry and often tartly acidic wine tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) designation, with production methods and naming required to meet certain legal requirements. Among the specified grapes, Ugni blanc, known locally as Saint-Émilion, is most widely used. The brandy must be twice Distillation, distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French Aging barrel, oak barrels from Limousin or Forest of Tronçais, Tronçais. Cognac matures in the same way as whiskies and wines barrel-age, and most cognacs spend considerably longer "on the wood" than the minimum legal requirement. Production process Cognac is a type of brandy, and after the distillation and during the aging process, is also called ''eau de vie''. It is produc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colombard
Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French wine grape variety that is the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc.winepros.com.au. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François and the nearly extinct Cognac grape Balzac blanc.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 82, Allen Lane 2012 In France, it was traditionally grown in the Charentes and Gascony for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac respectively. Today it is still among the permitted white grape varieties in Bordeaux wine, and in Gascony for Vins de Pays Côtes de Gascogne and the white Floc de Gascogne.Maison des Producteurs du Floc de Gascogne, F-32 800 Eauze aperitif drink. The wine is known for its distinctive flavours of Guava. Old vine grapes are crushed by some northern Californian producers and made into a fruity white wine of interesting chara ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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% ABV). Description The first column (called the analyzer) in a column still has steam rising and wash descending through several levels. The second column (called the rectifier) carries the alcohol from the wash, where it circulates until it can condense at the required strength. A column still is an example of a fractional distillation, in that it yields a narrow fraction of the distillable components. This technique is frequently employed in chemical synthesis; in this case, the component of the still responsible for the separation is a fractionating column. A continuous still can, as its name suggests, sustain a constant process of distillation. This, along with the ability to produce a higher concentration of alcohol in the final distillate, is its main advantage over a pot still, which can only work in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barrel (storage)
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, usually alcoholic beverages; a small barrel or cask is known as a keg. Modern wooden barrels for wine-making are made of French common oak (''Quercus robur''), white oak (''Quercus petraea''), American white oak (''Quercus alba''), more exotic is Mizunara Oak all typically have standard sizes: Recently Oregon Oak (Quercus Garryana) has been used. *"Bordeaux type" , *"Burgundy type" and *"Cognac type" . Modern barrels and casks can also be made of aluminum, stainless steel, and different types of plastic, such as HDPE. Someone who makes barrels is called a "barrel maker" or cooper (coopers also make buckets, vats, tubs, butter churns, hogsheads, firkins, kegs, kilderkins, tierces, rundlets, puncheons, pipes, tuns, butts, pins, tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aging 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 staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids, usually alcoholic beverages; a small barrel or cask is known as a keg. Modern wooden barrels for wine-making are made of French common oak (''Quercus robur''), white oak (''Quercus petraea''), American white oak (''Quercus alba''), more exotic is Mizunara Oak all typically have standard sizes: Recently Oregon Oak (Quercus Garryana) has been used. *"Bordeaux type" , *"Burgundy type" and *"Cognac type" . Modern barrels and casks can also be made of aluminum, stainless steel, and different types of plastic, such as HDPE. Someone who makes barrels is called a "barrel maker" or cooper (coopers also make buckets, vats, tubs, butter churns, hogsheads, firkins, kegs, kilderkins, tierces, rundlets, puncheons, pipes, tuns, butts, pins, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rémy Martin
Rémy Martin () is a French firm that primarily produces and sells cognac. Founded in 1724 and based in the commune of Cognac, it is among the oldest cognac producers still in existence. and one of the "big four" cognac houses (along with Hennessy, Courvoisier and Martell), responsible for producing most of the world's cognac. The brand specialises in creating Cognac Fine Champagne. The brand is owned by the spirits conglomerate Rémy Cointreau, which it co-founded in 1990. Rémy Martin typically represents around 90% of the group's operating profit, selling around 2.2 million nine-litre cases of cognac annually. Rémy Martin is also part of the Comité Colbert, an association "to promote the concept of luxury". History The name Rémy Martin comes from the company founder, born in 1695 near Rouillac in southwestern France. A vintner by trade, in 1724 he created a cognac trading house. On his death in 1773, the business passed to his grandson, also named Rémy.Dictionnaire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
