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Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), 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. This is in contrast to the pot stills used in the production of cognac, which is made predominantly from ugni blanc grapes. The resulting spirit is Aging barrel, aged in oak Barrel (storage), 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. Because the overall volume of production is far smaller than cognac production, the brandy is less known outside Europe. In addition, for the most part it is made and sold by small producers, whereas cognac production is dominated by big-name brands, especially Cour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armagnac (region)
The County of Armagnac (, ; ), situated between the Adour and Garonne rivers in the lower foothills of the Pyrenées, was a historic county of the Gascony, 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, Count of Armagnac, Charles de Lorraine, Comte d'Armagnac, the title of 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 beca ... [...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 ''Enc ... [...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 ageing, and some are produced using a combination of ageing and colouring. Varieties of wine brandy can be found across the winemaking world. Among the most renowned are Cognac and Armagnac from south-western 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'' (literally "water of life" in French). History The origins of brandy are tied to the development of distillation. While the process was known in classical times, it was not significantly used for beverage production until the 15th century. In the e ... [...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. 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 Garganega is ... [...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. In Cognac, the cultivation of Folle blanche is increasing again among enthusiastic wine farmers, but from a very low level. In Armagnac 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cognac (drink)
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 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 distilled in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in French oak barrels from Limousin or 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 produced by twice distilling wine made from grapes grown in any of the designated growin ... [...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 produce ... [...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 may be the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc. 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,winepros.com.au. 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 in ... [...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% alcohol by volume, ABV). Description The first column (called the analyzer) in a column still has steam rising and Wash (distilling), wash descending through several levels. The second column (called the rectifier) carries the Ethanol, 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 adv ... [...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. Barrels have a variety of uses, including storage of liquids such as water, oil, and alcohol. They are also employed to hold maturing beverages such as wine, cognac, armagnac, sherry, port, whiskey, beer, arrack, and sake. Other commodities once stored in wooden casks include gunpowder, meat, fish, paint, honey, nails, and tallow. Modern wooden barrels for wine-making are made of English oak (''Quercus robur''), white oak (''Quercus petraea''), American white oak (''Quercus alba''), more exotic is mizunara oak ('' Quercus crispula''), and recently Oregon oak ('' Quercus garryana'') has been used. Someone who makes traditional wooden barrels is called a coop ... [...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 stave (wood), 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. Barrels have a variety of uses, including storage of liquids such as water, oil, and alcohol. They are also employed to hold maturing beverages such as wine, Cognac (brandy), cognac, Armagnac (drink), armagnac, sherry, port wine, port, whiskey, beer, arrack, and sake. Other commodities once stored in wooden casks include gunpowder, Salt-cured meat, meat, fish, paint, honey, nails, and tallow. Modern wooden barrels for wine-making are made of English oak (''Quercus robur''), white Oak (wine), oak (''Quercus petraea''), American white oak (''Quercus alba''), more exotic is mizunara oak (''Quercus crispula''), and recently Oregon oak (''Quercus garryana'') ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
