A matsayin memba na dangin daraja na Faransa brandies, armanyak ya bambanta da takwarorinsa masu ƙarfi, ciki har da mafi mashahuri daga cikinsu - cognac. Armagnac yana da suna a matsayin abin sha mai ban sha'awa, ɗanɗanonsa da ƙamshi suna da ban mamaki don bayyanawa da ban mamaki iri-iri. Ba don kome ba ne Faransanci ya ce game da wannan abin sha: "Mun ba duniya cognac don kiyaye Armagnac don kanmu".
Wataƙila ƙungiyar farko da yawancin mutane ke da lokacin da suka ce "Gascony" zai zama sunan Musketeer d'Artagnan, amma ga mai son ruhohi shine, ba shakka, Armagnac. Idan ba tare da Gascon rana, ƙasa yumbu da kuma ainihin zafin kudu ba, wannan abin sha kawai ba za a haife shi ba. Gascony yana kudu da Bordeaux kuma yana kusa da Pyrenees. Saboda yanayin kudanci mai zafi, inabi a Gascony sun ƙunshi sukari mai yawa, wanda ke shafar ingancin giya na gida da kuma ingancin brandy. An ƙware fasahar distillation a wannan ƙasa a cikin karni na XII. A bayyane yake, wannan fasaha ta zo ga Gascons daga maƙwabtan Spaniards, da kuma yiwuwar daga Larabawa waɗanda suka taɓa zama a cikin Pyrenees.
Na farko ambaton Gascon "ruwa na rayuwa" ya koma 1411. Kuma a cikin 1461, an fara sayar da ruhun innabi na gida a Faransa da kasashen waje. A cikin ƙarni masu zuwa, an tilasta Armagnac don samar da kasuwa don kasuwa - wani nau'i mai karfi mai karfi ya kasance a kan mummunan rauni. Kuma, tabbas, da an ƙaddara Armagnac ya ci gaba da kasancewa a bayan tarihi idan masu samar da gida ba su ƙware da tsufa a ganga ba. Kamar yadda ya juya, Armagnac yana ɗaukar lokaci mai tsawo don girma fiye da Scotch whiskey ko cognac iri ɗaya. Wannan binciken ya ba da damar a tsakiyar karni na ashirin don inganta, da farko ga Amurkawa sannan kuma zuwa kasuwar Turai, tsofaffin Armagnacs, wanda nan take ya ci nasara da masu amfani da giya "ci-gaba" da gourmets.
Wani muhimmin ci gaba a cikin tarihin Gascon brandy shine bayyanar a cikin 1909 na dokar da ta kafa iyakokin yanki na samarwa, kuma a cikin 1936. armanyak bisa hukuma ya karɓi matsayin AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee). Ta hanyar doka, an raba duk yankin Armagnac zuwa yankuna uku - Bas Armagnac (Bas), Tenareze da Haut-Armagnac, kowannensu yana da yanayi na musamman na microclimate da yanayin ƙasa. Tabbas, waɗannan abubuwan suna shafar kaddarorin inabi, ruwan inabi da aka samu daga gare ta da distillate kanta.
An san Armagnac don nau'ikan dandano da ƙamshi masu yawa. A lokaci guda kuma, ana la'akari da ƙanshin ƙanshi guda bakwai a gare shi: hazelnut, peach, violet, linden, vanilla, prune da barkono. An ƙayyade wannan nau'in ta hanyoyi da yawa ta yawan nau'in innabi wanda za'a iya yin Armagnac - akwai kawai 12 daga cikinsu. Babban nau'ikan iri ɗaya ne da na Cognac: foil blanche, unyi blanc da colombard. Yawanci ana girbe amfanin gona a watan Oktoba. Sa'an nan kuma ana yin ruwan inabi daga berries, kuma dole ne a aiwatar da distillation (ko distillation) na ruwan inabi kafin ranar 31 ga Janairu na shekara mai zuwa, tun da bazara ruwan inabi zai iya yin ferment, kuma ba zai yiwu a yi barasa mai kyau daga gare ta ba. .
Ba kamar cognac ba, wanda aka samar ta amfani da distillation sau biyu, ana ba da izinin distillation iri biyu don Armagnac. Don na farko - ci gaba da distillation - Armagnac alambic (Alambique Armagnacqais) ana amfani da shi, ko kuma na'urar Verdier (mai suna bayan mai ƙirƙira), wanda ke ba da barasa mai ƙanshi mai mahimmanci wanda zai iya tsufa.
Alambique Armagnacqais ya fita daga gasar, har sai a cikin 1972 a Armagnac, Alambique Charentais, cube distillation na Cognac, ya bayyana. Wannan yanayin yana da tasiri mai kyau a kan ci gaban Gascon brandy: ya zama mai yiwuwa a haɗa nau'o'in barasa iri biyu, don haka dandano na Armagnac ya kara girma. Shahararren gidan Janneau shine na farko a cikin Armagnac don amfani da hanyoyin da ake yarda da su na distillation.
Armagnac tsufa yawanci yana faruwa a matakai: na farko a cikin sabbin ganga, sannan a cikin waɗanda aka yi amfani da su a baya. Anyi haka ne don abin sha ya guje wa tasirin ƙamshi na itace. Ga ganga, a hanya, suna amfani da galibin itacen oak daga dajin Monlesum na gida. Matasa Armagnac an sanya su "Taurari uku", Monopole, VO - mafi ƙarancin tsufa na irin wannan Armagnac shine shekaru 2. Kashi na gaba shine VSOP, Reserve ADC, bisa ga doka, wannan brandy ba zai iya zama ƙasa da shekaru 4 ba. Kuma a ƙarshe, ƙungiya ta uku: Extra, Napoleon, XO, Tres Vieille - mafi ƙarancin shekarun doka shine shekaru 6. Akwai, ba shakka, keɓancewa: yayin da yawancin masana'antun ke kiyaye VSOP Armagnac a cikin ganga na itacen oak na kimanin shekaru biyar, Janneau na akalla bakwai. Kuma barasa na Armagnac Janneau XO sun tsufa a cikin itacen oak na akalla shekaru 12, yayin da wannan aji na Armagnac, shekarun tsufa sun isa.
Gabaɗaya, mahimmancin gidan Janneau ga Armagnac yana da wuyar ƙima. Da fari dai, yana cikin adadin Manyan Gidajen Armagnac, waɗanda suka ɗaukaka wannan abin sha a duk faɗin duniya. Kuma abu na biyu, shi ne daya daga cikin tsofaffin furodusoshi a yankin, kafa ta Pierre-Etienne Jeannot a 1851. A yau kamfanin kuma ya kasance a hannun daya iyali, wanda daraja al'ada fiye da wani abu, kuma shi ne kawai fanatically duqufar. inganci. Don haka, kamar shekaru 150 da suka gabata, Janneau - ba kamar yawancin manyan masu noma ba - distills, balagagge da kwalabe da kayan aikinta inda gonakin inabin suke a gida.
Layin gargajiya na gidan ya haɗa da shahararrun Armagnacs Janneau VSOP, Napoleon da XO. Yana da wuya a yi jayayya game da fa'idodi da rashin amfaninsu, saboda kowannensu yana da nasa mutum, sabanin wani abu, hali. Alal misali, Janneau VSOP an san shi da ladabi da haske. Janneau Napoleon kawai yana mamakin ƙamshin turarensa tare da tarin sautunan vanilla, busassun 'ya'yan itace da berries. Kuma Janneau XO an san shi da ɗaya daga cikin mafi taushi kuma mafi ƙanƙanta Armagnacs a cikin duk Gascony.