Everyone knows these names: brandy, cognac and Armagnac. What is the difference between these drinks? It will be erroneous to claim that these are different names for the same product. But in some ways they are similar. Relative cognac with Armagnac brandy. And in order to understand all these subtleties of difference and similarity, we will need to take an excursion into history, learn the basics of distillate production and decipher the mysterious phrase “appelations d'origine controlles”. This will not only raise our level of erudition, but will also allow us to choose a high-quality product on the market that will please us with excellent taste and rich bouquet.
History
“In the beginning, as they say, there was an egg.” But in our historical excursion, which will help us figure out how Armagnac differs from cognac, the original source was wine. His man learned to produce in time immemorial, even at the dawn of the Neolithic revolution. The development of technology did not stand still. People learned how to make dry wine, fortified, sparkling. And in the XV century, a distillation cube was invented. Winemakers discovered that the usual drink that passed through it receives not only additional strength, but also amazing taste. This double-distillation wine was called brandy. By and large, this is not even a drink, but the technology for its preparation. The word brandy comes from the phrase “burnt wine”. In different countries, this distillate was made a little in its own way. We’ll figure out what the difference between brandy is. Cognac, Armagnac, Greek metaxa, Italian grappa - these are all its varieties. These are all kinds of brandy.
Origin controlled by origin
Would you like to wear a Rolex watch made in China? Or eat processed cheese "Friendship" rolled up in mold and therefore called "Camembert"? Not? But you are drinking “Soviet Champagne”! And this is one and the same. In civilized and cultural countries, a gentleman's agreement has been adopted: to assign a toponymic name to a product produced only in a given area. This is called the appelations d'origine controlles. Thus, champagne and cahors are wines from the French provinces of the same name, just like Parmesan is cheese from Italy. Here is the first difference between cognac and Armagnac. The latter is a type of brandy born in Gascony. And the Charente is considered the homeland of cognac, or rather, the neighborhood of the town of the same name. Everything else is brandy. No matter how we copy the production process, no matter how tasty the drink may turn out, but it is no longer cognac or Armagnac. You can come up with your own names for your national brandy - calvados, metaxa or something else.
Why so strict
“If the name was stolen, so steal the climate from the ground,” say the French, having heard that there is such an oxymoron as “Soviet Champagne” or “White Stork” cognac. And the truth is, no matter how hard the manufacturers try, no matter how accurately they copy the original technology, the final product still comes out different. It is enough to find out what climate, and most importantly, which soils prevail in the regions where raw materials are grown for Armagnac and cognac. The difference with the hot Crimea, mountainous Armenia or Moldavian soils is obvious. Grapes for cognac ripen in the humid and cool Atlantic climate of Charente. The berry there does not gain much sugar. But brandy with a capital letter make the drink soil. The fact is that the fertile layer in the region is very narrow. Limestone lies beneath it. The root system of the vine draws minerals and nutrients from there, which also affects the wort.
Armagnac: what is it? History
For some consumers, the difference between the various representatives of the brandy family does not matter. It is enough for them to know that the drink is strong, obtained from the distillation of grape must. There are even such “experts” who are sure that “Armagnac” is an abbreviated name of Armenian cognac. But this glorious drink has its own story, and even more ancient than its cognac cousin. But even the sophisticated French have a misconception about when Armagnac appeared. That this is the “elder brother” of cognac is evidenced by the fact that the cube where the wine material is distilled once is simpler than the double unit for powerful alcohols, which appeared one hundred and fifty years later. Armagnac was first mentioned in documents dating back to 1348. However, until the sixteenth century all alcohols from the Gascony region were called so.
Armagnac: what is it? Title
Cognac is a strictly toponymic name. The drink got its name from the town in the vicinity of which it is produced. Although oaks of the Limousin province are used to make cognac, they saturate the spirits with the necessary tones, grape must, as experts say, is more important. But the origin of the word "Armagnac" scientists still do not know for sure. There is one hypothesis. Once, back in the 10th century, a knight named Herremann owned lands in the southwest of Gascony. In acts and land cadastres, which were then conducted in Latin, it was recorded as Arminius. In the Gallo-Roman dialect, this name was read as Armagnac. But this hypothesis is doubtful. After all, Armagnac alcohol, as we already mentioned, appeared only in the middle of the XIV century. Drinks have different time and place of birth in order to consider them identical or at least similar. But still big in distillates "Armagnac" and "cognac" the difference in manufacturing technology.
Cognac production
For all types of brandy, only white grapes are used. And in cognac it is a Uni Blanc variety. Wine under this name was known in the Middle Ages, but only double distillation lifted it to the top of fame and made it one of the symbols of France. Thus, the difference between cognac and Armagnac is that the first is a monosort product. About ten types of vines are used to make Gascon brandy. Uni Blanc should grow in a rather limited region of Cognac. Further, it passes through double distillation distillation cubes, resulting in very strong (69-73 degrees) alcohols. They are insisted in Limousin oak barrels, and distillation is carried out in a strictly limited period - from November 15 to the beginning of April. Different varieties of brandy have excellent ripening times. Cognac is infused for about nine years, and from maturity it only gets better.
Armagnac Production
So, we will understand further. What is the difference between Armagnac and cognac? The difference is already evident in the phase of selection of raw materials. In Armagnac, besides Uni Blanc, at least nine more grape juices merged. This blending allows you to control the taste of the drink. But cognac is an assembled brandy. It is obtained by mixing alcohols of different crops. Cognac's elder cousin, Armagnac, is a vintage (or millesim) liquor. In its production, alcohol is taken from the blend of wine wort of one crop (although the year is often not indicated on the label). Assembly allows you to control the aroma and taste of cognac. Therefore, a drink of the same brand meets the accepted standard. But with Armagnac, the situation is different. Each new crop gives its own specificity to the drink. Therefore, Armagnac is unpredictable and volatile. As, however, and the weather in Gascony.
Distillation method
The method of making alcohols for drinks Armagnac and cognac differs. The difference is in the cubes used. In both cases, young wine made from white berries is used. However, for cognac, it undergoes double sublimation in traditional copper tanks. They are called alambiki. Armagnac is distilled by continuous but single distillation in an apparatus resembling a steam locomotive. Such a cube is called the "Big Organ". As a result of a double sublimation, cognac spirits are stronger. To reduce the degree from seventy to forty, manufacturers are forced to dilute them with water. But the difference between Armagnac and cognac is the initial softness of alcohols. After a single distillation, they have a total of 52-63 degrees, and at the end of the exposure their strength drops to standard magpies. So there is no need to dilute them with water.
Exposure Method
What is the difference - Limousine or black Gascon oaks? So the inexperienced consumer of brandy will ask. But winemakers believe that the wood of barrels plays an important role in shaping the taste and aroma of drinks. Black Gascon oak has an extremely high tannin content. It gives Armagnac such an indescribable aroma, as well as a darker, more saturated color. It should be noted that the difference between Armagnac and cognac also lies in the fact that Gascon alcohol is aged in barrels longer than its counterpart. All this affects the tasting qualities of drinks. Armagnac is more specific, its taste is more rigid and burning. In the bouquet among the rich palette even the elusive shade of chili pepper is distinguished. Cognac and Armagnac are served in similar situations - like a digestif. But Gascon alcohol is more versatile: desserts, coffee, and orange juice are combined with it. For aficionado - men's gatherings with cigars - Armagnac is ideal. But cognacs do not all harmonize with tobacco, but only the most “hard” types of them.
Which is better: cognac or Armagnac
This question is extremely incorrect. As if we were solving a dilemma: which is better: tea or coffee? These are two independent and very distinctive drinks. Of course, cognac with Armagnac is closer than tea and coffee. Both of them belong to different types of brandy. And all lovers of strong alcoholic drinks do them justice. Even in our country, where, due to the Iron Curtain, people met real cognac not so long ago. And many did not hear about Armagnac. But with the fall of the "curtain", many products from the countries of "decaying capitalism" penetrated us and ... won the hearts. In 2009, the LiveJournal even created a virtual community of Russian-speaking users, the Club of cognac connoisseurs. Armagnac and its properties is one of the topics of discussion. But Gascon brandy is especially popular in its homeland. “We gave cognac to the world, but we left Armagnac for ourselves,” the French joke. And production volumes are proof of this. One hundred and fifty million liters of cognac are produced annually in France, and only six million Armagnacs.
The best brands of gascon brandy
If our consumer still sorted out the brands of famous cognacs, the situation is different with Armagnacs. There is still an “unplowed virgin land". But Gascon manufacturers in the conditions of fierce competition are honing their skills in order to offer the buyer the most refined drinks. What to choose if you will be in France or not stingy to go to a domestic winery with a name? What are the most famous brands? Armagnac Domaine d'Espérance is the most expensive and famous manufacturer. Indeed, the owner of the estate is a direct descendant of the musketeer d'Artagnan de Montesquieu. The family-owned Laberdolive wine house produces vintage Armagnacs, strictly adhering to old technology. Well established in the Chateau Ravignan market. This brand was very fond of Jacques Chirac, President of France.