The culture of taste

In Gascony, tasting an Armagnac is not just limited to the simple act of tasting an artisanal eau-de-vie with delicate aromas.  Armagnac brings together several cultures within it and symbolizes a certain lifestyle.

An historical representation of the Gascon terroir, Armagnac embodies a savoir-faire, a culture, a region and a special moment.  When the time is right, the traditional small glass is filled with a few drops of eau-de-vie as is the custom in Gascony.  Sometimes served in a still warm coffee cup to appreciate the eau-de-vie at the ideal temperature, Armagnac is the conclusion to hearty meals.  Some take a lump of sugar and imbibe it with Armagnac then let it melt in the mouth.  In Gascony, this is known as a ‘canard’ (duck).

Armagnac is also a gesture.  That of the Armagnac drinker who holds his glass in the palm of his hand to heat it and let the eau-de-vie dance in order to release all of the richness of its aromas.  Like a good pass in rugby or the agile movements of an ‘écarteur’ (dodger) in the arena faced with a charging cow during a Course Landaise (an ancient form of bullfighting that involves no bloodshed), this choreography from the hand to the glass is a deep representation of Gascon culture.

A cultural community

The rugby men that revisit the match long after the final whistle or the hunters hidden in the ‘palombières’ (pigeon hides) regretting the missed game, all of them know this gesture of cradling the eau-de-vie and taking their time.  It is a whole community of culture that is to be found in Armagnac and sometimes outside of Gascony’s borders.

The Spanish and Mexican bullfighters that come to defy the bulls in the Landes and Gers never leave without having tasted this Gascon spirit that takes pride of place on the tables in the bullfighting clubs during the Southwest’s ferias (festivals) at least once.

Praise to the terroir, with its codes and customs, Armagnac has only one aspiration: to cultivate taste !