While brandy is made all over the world, no other country has elevated fruit spirits quite like France. Everyone knows Cognac, naturally, but听it's听not the only game in town. There are two other French spirits with equally rich histories which tend to fly under the radar.听It's听time to discover Armagnac and Calvados.听
, award-winning drinks writer, is here to offer an introduction.听
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What is Armagnac?听
Armagnac is an inland region in Gascony, in south-west France with a continental climate of hot summers and cold winters. It has strikingly beautiful countryside of rolling hills,听woods听and small towns - the very definition of La France Profonde. The fiercely proud locals claim that their grape brandy is the oldest in France.听There's听a mention of the region's eau-de-vie in a document from 1310.听
Nevertheless, today Armagnac is dwarfed by its rival to the north, producing annually around听six听million bottles to Cognac's 180 million. While Cognac is dominated by four big brands which are owned by multinational companies, Armagnac is more disparate with many producers also making wine, keeping听livestock听and growing other crops.听
Armagnac听is听an Appellation听d'Origine听颁辞苍迟谤么濒茅别听governed听by the Bureau National听Interprofessionnel听de听l'Armagnac听(BNIA).听There are three sub-regions: Bas Armagnac,听containing听around 3,500 hectares with sandy clay soils; Armagnac-罢茅苍补谤猫锄别听which has 1,600 hectares where the soil is heavier and said to produce听less听fine spirits; and the much smaller Haut-Armagnac which only makes up about 2% of production.听
What grapes are used in Armagnac?听
Ten grapes are grown throughout the region. The most planted are Folle Blanche (the historic grape of Cognac),听Ugni听Blanc (the main grape of Cognac today),听Colombard听and Baco. This last one is a hybrid grape, the only one allowed in an AOC in France.听
How Armagnac is made听
The harvest takes place in听October,听and the grapes are fermented. This is followed by La Flamme de听l'Armagnac: the distilling season then runs until the end of March. Most distillers use an Armagnac Alembic, a short column still, which produces a full-flavoured听spirit of between听52% and 72.4% ABV.听It's听not unusual even at听larger producers for these to be听wood-fired.听A small quantity is听double-distilled听using a Charentais still as in Cognac.听
An Alembic still.
Ageing takes place in a mixture of new French oak casks which are around 400听litres听in capacity. For longer ageing the spirit will often be moved to older barrels so the wood influence听doesn't听get too strong. Most Armagnac is sold听under age听designations such as听VS (the youngest spirit in the blend must be at least one year old),听VSOP (four years) and XO/Hors听诲'脗驳别听(10 years). You also see a lot of vintage-dated Armagnac as well as Armagnac Blanche, a white spirit popular with bartenders. The minimum strength is 40% ABV.听
It's听hard to听generalise听about the flavour of Armagnac as听there's听so much variety in the category but听on the听whole,听it tends to be听more fiery听than Cognac. In younger brandies听you'll听find flavours of fresh peach and apple often with听a pungent听spiciness. As it ages it develops flavours of prune,听tobacco听and cr猫me听产谤没濒茅别. Older versions can offer extraordinary value for money.
What is Calvados?
The biggest difference between Armagnac and Calvados is that the latter is made from cider apples and in some cases pears rather than grapes. It can only come from a designated region in Lower Normandy in Northern France. The best-known cities in Calvados are Caen and Bayeux. Many Calvados producers also make cider as well as pommeau, a mixture of brandy and fresh apple juice.
The town of Bayeux.听
How Calvados is made
The fruit varieties ripen at different times so the harvest typically runs from September right into December. The apples are pressed and fermented to make cider. For distillation, producers either use the Charentais still as in Cognac or a short column still similar to that used in Armagnac.
The Calvados distillate is initially matured in large French oak vessels called foudres, which range in size from 1,000 to 10,000 litres and are used repeatedly over many decades. These do not give the spirits an overtly oaky flavour, but they do allow for slow oxidation to take place. And the aging regulations are more flexible than in both Cognac and Armagnac, so you do see some unusual cask finishes in the region including rum and even tequila.
There are three AOCs in the region which all have their own rules. AOC Calvados can be made with fruit from anywhere in the region and distilled using a pot or column still. The minimum ageing requirement is two years. Then there's Calvados Pays d'Auge which comes from a sub-region which is famed for its cheeses Camembert and Pont-l'脡v锚que. Only pot stills can be used with the same ageing requirements as plain Calvados. The third AOC is AOC Calvados Domfrontais from the Domfront region. It must include a minimum of 30% perry pears which should be distilled in a column and have a minimum of three years in oak.
There are various age designations for Calvados: Calvados Fine, Trois 脡toiles, or VS, minimum two years; Vieux or R茅serve, three years; VSOP four years; and XO, Tr猫s Vieux, or Hors 诲'脗驳别 must be aged for at least six years. You also see some vintage releases and age statements. Most Calvados is bottled at 40% ABV which is the legal minimum strength.
It probably sounds like an obvious thing to say but Calvados tastes distinctly of apples. A sip is like walking through a Norman orchard in autumn. The flavours can range from a clean fresh taste in a VS Calvados to something funky like a farmhouse cider in spirit form in a Calvados Domfrontais. Longer-aged expressions are smoother and after long ageing can compete with Cognac for sophistication.
Drinking Armagnac and Calvados
Both Armagnac and Calvados are enormously popular in their home regions where no proper meal is complete without a little nip of brandy. They say that Armagnac burns a hole in your stomach so you can make room for more food. With both, around half of production is consumed domestically. Until quite recently outside their heartlands, they were seen as old men's drinks, but this is beginning to change as a new generation discovers them. Calvados is particularly popular among bartenders while many single malt and bourbon lovers who have seen their favourite brands double in price are discovering the ridiculous value you can find in Armagnac.
