The Floc de Gascogne is a regional apéritif from the Côtes de Gascogne and Armagnac regions of Sud-Ouest wine region of France. It is a '' vin de liqueur''

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

with armagnac, the local brandy. It has had ''

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

'' status since 1990. Elsewhere in France analogous drinks are made (

Pineau des Charentes Pineau des Charentes, (Pineau Charentais, or simply Pineau) is a regional aperitif of western France, made in the départements of Charente, Charente-Maritime, and (to a lesser extent) Dordogne. While popular within its region of production, i ...

in the

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appellat ...

zone, Macvin in Jura; there is also Pommeau, similarly made by blending apple juice and

apple brandy An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

History

Floc de Gascogne is produced according to a recipe that has been in use in the French region of

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

since the 16th century. The name "Floc de Gascogne" was coined by Henri Lamor, a winemaker from Cravencères, in 1954. The word "floc" comes from the

Occitan language Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valle ...

and means bouquet of flowers.

Characteristics

Floc de Gascogne is a mistelle, a ''vin de liqueur'' (a fortified sweet wine) made of 1/3 of armagnac and 2/3 of fresh grape juice both from the wine area '' Armagnac'' / '' Côtes de Gascogne''. Both of these must be produced by the same vineyard. Floc de Gascogne is produced in both white and rosé varieties. The alcohol percentage is between 16 and 18% vol. After blending, the Floc is kept for 10 months in the cellar of the producer and must be approved by a committee of experts before it can be sold under the appellation Floc de Gascogne. It is used as an aperitif most often, but also as a dessert drink. It should be consumed while cool, and is superb on ice. Almond, jasmine, roses, honey, black fruit and condiments are characteristic notes. Floc should be drunk within a year after the production. Once a bottle is opened, it may be stored for up to three months in the refrigerator.

Armagnac/Côtes de Gascogne region

The region is divided in three distinct production areas: *''

Bas-Armagnac Bas-Armagnac is one of the three plantation areas in the Armagnac area of France where grapes for the distillation of the Armagnac eau-de-vie can be cultivated. It extends over the Landes and Gers departments and represents 57% of the vineyards ...

'' *'' Armagnac-Ténarèze'' *'' Haut-Armagnac'' The production area is spread across three regions:

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

, Lot-et-Garonne and the Landes. Only

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

harvested in this region may be distilled to Armagnac. The Armagnac area and the Côtes de Gascogne have the same borders. The whole AOC covers vineyards totaling 15.000 hectares.

Grape varieties

*Floc de Gascogne blanc: Colombard,

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 ...

and Gros Manseng *Floc de Gascogne rosé:

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being use ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

and

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Floc De Gascogne Mistelle