Armagnac is the oldest French alcohol

 

Irrefutable traces of its production and consumption go back to the 14th century. But you can go back even further than that, to the times of the all-conquering Romans who introduced the vine culture to our region. The Arabs later brought the still, before the Celts introduced barrels. The name ARMAGNAC derives from Herreman, a knight who was granted the fiefdom of Gascogny by Clovis, France's 5th century king.

"Herreman" is believed to have been Latinised and then distorted into "Armagnac" by local language. Later, in a 14th century treaty on medicine found at the Vatican, Vital Dufour, Prior of Eauze discuss the 40 virtues the eau-de-vie. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the proof of the trade in Armagnac abounds: it could be found on the markets of St Sever, Mont-de-Marsan and even Aire-sur-Adour.

But Armagnac actually owes its commercial development to the Dutch. Whilst the English passage of any wine other than Bordeaux over the Garonne, the Dutch had the idea of developing the distillation of Gascogny wines in order to produce spirits, which were not covered by the embargo. So production increased, and to overcome the fluctuations in good and poor years, Armagnac was laid to age in oak barrels.

Through this, the miraculous roundness, aromatic intricacy and colour of this sublime marriage of oak and eau-de-vie were revealed. Much later, on the 25th May 1909, the region was organised through a Decree which delimited a production zone and on the 6th August 1936, the Armagnac AOC officially came into being. Since then, traders, producers and distillers have passionately continued to work Armagnac; an extraordinary product of the local soils, from extraordinary vines and techniques.

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40 virtues of Armagnac

Whilst Armagnac is the oldest French spirit, it was originally consumed for its therapeutic qualities. Some exceptional documents attest to this, in particular those of Prior Vital Dufour. This man of the church, known as the Prior of Eauze and Saint Mont, also pursued studies in medicine, and wrote a book dated around 1310 which is preserved in the archives of the Vatican:
" De Maitre Vital Dufour... a very useful book for maintaining health and keeping in good form..." :

"This water, if taken medically and soberly is said to have 40 virtues... It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility..."

Modern science takes up the baton

The concept of "French Paradox" has prompted numerous teams of researchers to specify the role of alcohol, grape and wood tannins in the benefits of moderate consumption of wine or alcoholic beverages. For Armagnac, recent scientific works show that this eau-de-vie has known therapeutic capacities. Its properties are due to the wood tannins that it contains following the long ageing process in oak barrels. Another medical team has also just proved the protective role Armagnac in blood platelet clumping (one of the causes behind cardio-vascular illnesses). All these observations tend to prove that moderate consumption of Armagnac (which is, after all, the best way of savouring it) is part, along with all the gastronomic products of South West France, of a diet and lifestyle which favours the good health of the region's population.