Category Archives: Spirits

Instead of heading north of Bordeaux, we’ll head south-east to a drier, warmer climate where there’s a long, rich history of local consumption of spirits made by individual producers rather than major brands.  We’ve covered Cognac so now we’re going to Armagnac (are-muhn-YACK), France’s second great controlled appellation for grape spirits.

The center of the trade is the city of Condom (tell that to your friends with a straight face).  While Cognac is broken down into 6 regions, Armagnac has 3 that were defined in 1936: Bas-Armagnac, the most westerly and home to the best spirits, Ténarèze in the center where the fullest-bodied styles come from and Haut-Armagnac to the east, where the wines are often sold off rather than distilled – you’ll see them labeled as Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascgone. When purchasing an Armagnac, the name of the subregion will appear on the label.

Only white grapes can be used for Armagnac production and you’ll recognize some of the names from Cognac production like Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche.  There are a few others, too – Colombard, Meslier, Jurançon and a hybrid called Baco 22A (sometimes called Baco Blanc).  It’s a hybrid because it’s a cross between the French vitis vinifera Folle Blanche and the American vitis labrusca Noah.  Noah itself is a cross between vitis labrusca and vitis riparia.  Hybrid=cross across species.

Since 1972 the use of pot stills has been allowed, just like in Cognac, but many producers still use the more primitive and traditional Armagnac still, a continuous still with two copper columns.  Another difference between the two regions lies in the oak aging.  Most Armagnac producers use the local, sappy Monlezun oak.  The combination of still and aging tends to make Armagnac a more rustic version of Cognac.  Cognacs may have more floral and grape-y notes while Armagnacs will have more dried fruit and prune characters.  Cognacs retain their bite, while Armagnacs are fuller-bodied and rounder.

Some of the labeling terms will be familiar to you, but the minimum aging requirements are a touch different.  *** (often written as VS) is one year old, VSOP is 4 years old and XO is five years old.  Hors d’Age means the youngest component in the blend is 10 years old.  Many producers will age individual casks from a single distillation and sell these with a vintage date.

For a fun and refreshing drink, look for Floc de Gascogne, a fortified sweet wine made with 1/3 Armagnac and 2/3 grape juice from the region.  The alcohol clocks in at 16-18%  and there are notes of honey, almond and jasmine.  I kept my bottle in the fridge and used it as an aperitif.

All Cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are Cognacs.  The best ones are made from low alcohol, high acid grapes.  Sounds a bit like Champagne, don’t you think?  No wonder I like it!

The Cognac region is just north of Bordeaux in the Charente and Charente-Maritime départments or districts of France.  The ancient city of Cognac, which sits on the Charente River is at the heart of the district.  The region was delimited by law in 1909 (i.e. to call your product a Cognac, it has to be made within the designated geographical area).  There are 6 districts or crus of Cognac: Grande Champagne (best), Petite Champagne (second best), Borderies (yup, 3rd best), Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires/Bois Communs.  You might also see Fine (feen) Champagne on a label and that means it’s a blend from the 2 best areas – Grande and Petite Champagnes.  The term Champagne here has nothing to do with the Champagne region, though both areas have very chalky soils. 

Since this region is on a navigable river close to the ocean, its wines have long been popular in England and the Low Countries.  The wines didn’t travel well since they were fairly light, so distilling them became the way to go.  Distillation became pretty common in the 17th century, but really took off in the 18th century when a number of families came to the region to control the trade: the Martells from Jersey, the Hennessys and the Hardys from Ireland, the Hines from Dorset and the Otards from Scotland.

Cognac is the 3rd largest vineyard area in France and up to 8 different grape varieties are permitted.  The two most important are Ugni Blanc – pronounced ooh-knee and also known as Saint-Émilion or Trebbiano (in Italy) and Folle Blanche.  The distillation season begins the November after harvest and runs through the end of March.  The Cognac is double-distilled in a copper pot still and aged in casks of Tronçais or Limousin oak for a minimum of 2 years.  During this process, the spirit mellows and softens, taking on color and flavor from the wood.  Some will evaporate, too and this is called the “angels’ share”. 

Let’s touch on a few other things you might see on the label:

You’ve probably noticed that the letters represent English rather than French words, pointing to the traditional importance of the English market.  Usually these letters are used together and since 1955, they’ve had age significance.  For example, VS is at least 2 years old, VSOP is at least 4 years old, XO is at least 6 years old.  The years represent the minimum amount of time the spirit spent in barrel. 

Cognac can improve in wood for up to 55 years, but this is risky – there will be significant loss from evaporation and there’s a risk of over-aging, making the prices exorbitant.  Keep in mind that once the Cognac is bottled, it neither varies nor improves.  The producer has already done the work for you, so once you buy a bottle, just drink it (ideally not in one sitting) and once the bottle’s been opened, consume it within 6 months.

I remember watching Hanna-Barbera cartoons when I was little and seeing the empty bottle of alcohol with the triple X on the label and the worm smiling out from the bottom.  The person who had consumed the spirit inside would be wearing a cowboy hat as well as a dark mustache.  I had no idea what had been in the bottle, but I remember thinking that worm must be one tough cookie.

Turns out those worms were originally used to help test the strength (and safety) of the spirit before hydrometers and other analytical equipment was developed – just like how the sailors used to light their rum on fire to make sure it hadn’t been diluted.  If the worm pickled and was preserved, the spirit was good.  If the worm decayed, the spirit had to be re-distilled.

Contrary to popular belief, the spirit in question is mescal, not tequila.  All tequilas are mescals, but not all mescals are tequilas.  Sure, they’re both Mexican and made from agave (which is NOT in the cactus family), but here are some differences:

1. Mescal is made from a number of different agave varieties, while tequila only uses the blue variety of agave.
2. The agave used to make tequila is cooked using ovens or autoclaves, while the agave used to make mescal is cooked in underground ovens using charcoal.  The smokiness imparted from this charcoal accounts for the major taste difference between tequila and mescal.
3. Traditionally, mescal was distilled once and tequila twice.  Most mescal on the Mexican market today though has been distilled twice, too.
4. Tequila is originally from the Jalisco state in Mexico and mescal is from the Oaxaca State.

So, where did these worms come from?  The worms are moth larva and live inside the agave plants.  Two types are found – a white one called blanco and a red one called rojo.  The white worm prefers the leaves, while the red one lives closer to the roots.  I guess enough people found the worm as charming as I did because now they’re grown commercially for inclusion in mescal bottling.

Liming has many definitions: “liming the soil” or “liming the lawn” – applying lime (calcium hyrdroxide) to acidic soils to raise the pH, soaking hides for the production of parchment or to remove the hair before tanning, using birdlime (a sticky, plant-based substance) to catch birds and most appropriate for our purposes, a Caribbean expression for hanging out.

In the 18th century, liming came about as a term for relaxing in the islands with friends at the end of the day, sharing stories and drinking rum.  In terms of etymology, was it the British soldiers (limeys) in the colonized Caribbean or the fact that rum is really tasty with lime?  It was a practice of the Royal and Merchant Navies of Britain to supply their sailors with lime juice (limes were more prevalent than lemons) to prevent scurvy. James Lind, a surgeon and pioneer of naval hygiene, was responsible for determining the link between citrus fruits and scurvy.  He was inspired to conduct one of the world’s first clinical trials after noticing that Dutch sailors who ate cabbage had little problems with scurvy.

Can you imagine how it smelled below decks on those Dutch ships?

Thirsty humans can be a creative lot, making a spirit from a perennial tropical grass.

Rum is produced in over 100 countries today. While many consider the Caribbean to be rum’s home, accounts from the time of Alexander the Great mention the use of sugarcane.

While the exact origin of sugarcane is not known, it was introduced to Europe by the Arabs around 636 A.D. It never took off though, because it needed a longer growing season and warmer temperatures than Europe could offer. Columbus took cane cuttings from the Canary Islands to the West Indies. The early Spanish settlers working in sugar factories in the West Indies realized that the residual molasses from sugar production fermented easily.

The name rum could come from the Spanish ron – chances are good the Spanish were on to distilling before the British decided to use the sugarcane plantations in their colonies as a source of economic growth. It could also be from the Latin saccharum, meaning sugar, or from rombustion, meaning a strong liquid or my favorite, rumbullion, meaning a great tempest.

The two main types of rum depend on which form the sugar cane is in at the time of fermentation. Continue reading →