Armagnac and cognac: the difference in drinks. The main difference between cognac and armagnac

Everyone knows these names: brandy, cognac and armagnac. What is the difference between these drinks? It will be erroneous to assert that these are different names for the same product. But in some ways they are similar. Rodney cognac with Armagnac brandy. And in order to understand all these subtleties of difference and similarity, we will need to make an excursion into history, to learn the basics of distillate production and to 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 quality product in the market that will please us with an 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 to understand what distinguishes armagnac from cognac, The original source was wine. His man learned to produce in times immemorial, even at the dawn of the Neolithic revolution. The development of technology did not stand still. People learned to make dry wine, fortified, sparkling. And in the XV century, a still cube was invented. Winemakers discovered that the familiar drink that passed through it, gets not only an additional strength, but also amazing taste qualities. This wine, past the double sublimation, became known as "brandy". By and large, this is not even a drink, but a technology for its preparation. The very word "brandy" originated from the phrase "burnt wine". In different countries, this distillate did a little differently. We'll figure it out again, what's the difference between brandy. Cognac, Armagnac, Greek metax, Italian grappa are all its varieties. These are all kinds of brandy.

Name controlled by origin

Would you like to wear a Rolex watch made in China? Or eat a melted cheese "Friendship", rolled into mold and therefore called "Camembert"? No? But you drink "Soviet Champagne"! And this is the same thing. In civilized and cultural countries, a gentlemen's agreement is adopted: to assign a toponymic name to a product produced only in a given locality. This is called "appelations d'origine controlles". Thus, champagne and Cahors are wines from the same French provinces, just like Parmesan is cheese from Italy. Here is the first difference between cognac and armagnac. The latter is a kind of brandy, born in Gascony. A homeland of cognac is considered Charente, or rather - the neighborhood of the town of the same name. All the rest is brandy. No matter how we copy the process of production, no matter how tasty the drink might turn out, but it is no longer a cognac and not an armagnac. You can invent your own names for your national brandy - calvados, metax or something else.

Why so strictly

"If you stole the name, so also steal a climate with soils," the French say, after hearing that there exists such an oxymoron as "Soviet Champagne" or cognac "White Stork". And it's true, no matter how hard the producers try, no matter how accurately they copy the original technology, and the final product still leaves another. It is enough to know what kind of 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 Moldovan soils is obvious. Grapes for cognac ripens in the damp and cool Atlantic climate of Charente. Berry there does not gain a lot of sugar. But cognac with a capital letter make the drink grounds. The fact is that the fertile layer in the region is very narrow. Under it lies limestone. The root system of the vine draws minerals and nutrients from there, which affects the wort.

Armagnac: what is this? History

For some consumers, the difference between different 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 the abbreviated name of the Armenian cognac. But this glorious drink has its own history, and even more ancient than its cousin-brandy. But even the sophisticated French had an erroneous idea of when Armagnac appeared. That this is the "elder brother" of cognac is evidenced by the fact that the cube where the single distillation of wine material is more simple than the double unit for powerful alcohols, appeared one hundred and fifty years later. Armagnac was first mentioned in documents dating from 1348. However, until the XVI century, so called all the spirits from the region of Gascony.

Armagnac: what is this? Name

Cognac is a strictly toponymic name. Drink got its name from the town, in the vicinity of which it is produced. And although for the production of cognac used oaks of the province of Limousin, which saturate the alcohols with necessary tints, grape must, as experts say, is more important. But the origin of the word "armagnac" is still unknown to scientists. There is one hypothesis. Once, as far back as the 10th century, a knight named Herreman 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-Romanic dialect this name was read as Armagnac. But this hypothesis is doubtful. After all, alcohol armagnac, as we already mentioned, appeared only in the middle of the 14th century. The drinks have different time and place of birth in order to consider them identical or at least similar. But even more in distillates "Armagnac" and "cognac" difference in manufacturing technology.

Cognac production

For all types of brandy, only white grapes are used. And in cognac it is a sort of Uni Blanc. Wine under this name was known in the Middle Ages, but only a double distillation took him to the top of glory and made one of the symbols of France. Thus, the difference between cognac and armagnac is that the first is a monosorted product. About 10 kinds of vines are used for the production of Gascony brandy. Uni Blanc should grow in a fairly limited region of Cognac. Further, it passes through distillation cubes of double distillation, as a result of which very strong (69-73 degrees) alcohols are obtained. They are insisted in barrels of limousine oak, and distillation is carried out in a strictly limited period - from November 15 to early April. Different brands of brandy have excellent maturity. Cognac is infused for about nine years, and from maturity it only gets better.

Armagnac production

So, we will understand further. What are the differences between Armagnac and Cognac? The difference can be traced already at the phase of the selection of raw materials. In Armagnac, there were at least nine more grapes, in addition to Uni Blanc. This blending allows you to control the taste of the drink. But brandy is an assorted brandy. It is obtained by mixing alcohols of different crops. The senior cognac cognac, Armagnac, is a vintage (or millesime) liquor. In its production takes part alcohol obtained from the blending of wine wort of one crop (although on the label the year is often not indicated). Assemblage allows you to manage the aroma and taste of cognac. Therefore, the drink of the same brand corresponds to the accepted standard. But with armagnac things are different. Each new crop gives its own specificity to the drink. Therefore Armagnac is unpredictable and changeable. As, indeed, the weather in Gascony.

Distillation method

The way of making alcohols for drinks Armagnac and cognac differs. The difference is in the cubes used. In both cases, a young wine is used from white berries. However, for cognac, it passes a double sublimation in copper traditional containers. They are called alambiki. Armagnac is distilled by a long but one-time distillation in an apparatus reminiscent of a steam locomotive. Such a cube is called the "Big Organ". As a result of the double sublimation, cognac spirits turn out to be stronger. To reduce the degree content from seventy to forty, manufacturers are forced to dilute them with water. But what distinguishes armagnac from cognac, so this is the original softness of spirits. After a single distillation, they have only 52-63 degrees, and at the end of aging their strength falls to the standard magpie. So there is no need to dilute them with water.

Method of aging

What's the difference - limousine or black Gascony oaks? So the inexperienced consumer of brandy will ask. But winemakers believe that barrel wood plays an important role in the formation of the taste and aroma of beverages. Black Gascony Oak has an extremely high content of tannin. It also gives Armagnac such an inexpressible aroma, as well as a darker, more saturated color. It should be noted that the difference between armagnac and cognac is also in the fact that Gascon's 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 there is even an elusive hue of chili pepper. Cognac and armagnac are served in similar situations - as digestiv. But Gascon's alcohol is more universal: it combines desserts, coffee, orange juice. For Afisianado - men's gatherings with cigars - Armagnac is ideal. But cognacs do not all harmonize with tobacco, but only the most "hard" their kinds.

Which is better: cognac or armagnac

This question is highly incorrect. As if we were solving a dilemma: what is better: tea or coffee? These are two independent and very original beverages. 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 pay tribute to them. Even in our country, where people got acquainted not so long ago because of the "iron curtain" with real cognac. And about Armagnac, and many have not heard. But with the fall of the "curtain" many products from the countries of "decaying capitalism" penetrated to us and ... won hearts. In 2009, in LiveJournal there was even created a virtual community of Russian-speaking users "Club of cognac connoisseurs". Armagnac and his properties are one of the topics of discussion. But the Gascony brandy is very popular at home. "We gave cognac to the world, and we left armagnac for ourselves" - Frenchmen joke. And the volume of production is a confirmation. Every year, France produces one hundred and fifty million liters of cognac, and only six million armagnacs.

The best brands of Gasco brandy

If with the brands of famous cognacs our consumer still somehow figured out, then with armagnacs the situation is different. There is also "untouched virgin land". But the Gascon manufacturers in the conditions of tough competition are sharpening their skills in order to offer the buyer the most refined beverages. What to choose, if you will be in France or will not be stinted to go into the domestic wine store with a name? What are the most famous brands? Armagnac Domaine d'Espérance is the most expensive and famous manufacturer. Of course, the owner of the estate is a direct descendant of the Musketeer d'Artagnan de Montesquiou. The family wine house Laberdolive produces vintage armagnacs, strictly adhering to the old technology. Excellent proved itself in the market Chateau Ravignan. This brand was very much loved by Jacques Chirac, the President of France.