The History of an Ancestral Wine
Designed in the Middle Ages
In Armagnac, from the confrontation of three cultures, L'Armagnac was created. The Arabs with the “still”, the Celts with the “barrel” and the Romans introduced the vine.
7 centuries of history
Armagnac is the oldest brandy of Vin de France: Indeed, in the year 1310, the work of Master Vital Dufour, Prior of Eauze and Saint Mont, makes it the first testimony, in extolling in Latin the 40 virtues of this Aygue Ardente in his book “To keep health and stay in good shape”.
Subsequently, the history of this Wine merges closely with that of Gascony. In the 15th century, evidence of its commercialization appeared. Armagnac is, from 1461 according to René Cuzaq, a common product on the French market, especially that of Saint Sever in the Landes.
These mentions of "eau-de-vie in Gascony" are multiplying. Then, in the 17th century, traces of a real Armagnac market in Mont-de-Marsan and Aire-sur-l'Adour appear.
The eau-de-vie, circa 1730 is a real commercial product which undergoes fluctuations over the years, whether they are good or bad. To overcome these shortcomings, we put the brandy in reserve in what we call “wooden barrels” that we have known since the Gauls. At this moment, the magic operates! We discover a treasure there: a roundness, a color and especially the best scents that aging can offer as a heritage!
In the 18th century, during the United States War of Independence. An additional boom in business is given. Then, from the second half of the 19th century, the region's merchants built “cellars” in order to monitor aging and try to make Armagnac known and appreciated. Concerned about the quality of their eaux-de-vie, their reputation, and the sustainability of their businesses, the merchants were already seeking to improve the quality of their Armagnac wines. They then began to carry out very meticulous assembly operations, to control their stock and the characteristics of each batch and finally to carry out rigorous checks on the aging of these precious liquids.
The Gers then becomes the first French wine-growing department, ahead of Hérault and Gironde.
The region will then organize itself: the Decree of May 25, 1909 which delimits the production area of Armagnac eaux-de-vie and its three regions is then born. As well as the Decree of August 6, 1936, which provides a definition to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée Armagnac and the conditions of elaboration.
Armagnac was traditionally sold for the convenience of transport. After the Second World War, consumers, who had become more demanding, wishing to better understand the identity of the products, allowed the Armagnacs to be bottled, thus giving a better guarantee of authenticity to this Gascony brandy.