Q: For the majority of Chinese, they do not have much knowledge of Armagnac. Could you give us an education on that?

A: OK. It is part of my job as a wine ambassador to educate customers. Armagnac has been distilled since at least the 14th century, making it the oldest wine distillate of France (150 years before Cognac!). Considering the art and culture which always permeates the wine, I coined a word “Art-Maniac” to better communicate Armagnac.

You may hear about the phrase “French Paradox”. That phrase was created in the 90s of the last century to describe the phenomenon that although the French dine on some of the richest foods in the world, yet the population as a whole is slim, therefore the low incidence of heart diseases. The reason for the French paradox was explained as the medical effect of red wines which French people consumed on a daily basis.

As the oldest distilled wine in France, Armagnac was extolled as an elixir long long before the phrase French Paradox was coined. In 1310, a church cardinal proclaimed the drink had 40 virtues, including curing hepatitis and gout. While its medical qualities may be open to argument, this delectable spirit surely excites and soothes your taste buds.

Armagnac is made chiefly from the Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Bacco grape varieties. The Armagnac vineyards are situated in the Gascony region of Southwestern France. Armagnac is further divided into three sub-regions, the Bas-Armagnac, the Ténarèze, and the Haut-Armagnac. Among the three, Bas-Armagnac is the best area to produce quality Armagnac, where our estate Château de Laubade is rightly located.

The creation of Armagnac remains a traditional craft comprising of three stages: the fermentation, the distillation and the wood ageing.

Q: What are the common types of Armagnac?

A: Armagnac is often blended from different vintages. Armagnac labels are determined by the age of the youngest blend. Major official age designations for Armagnac include:

VS, which means Very Special. VS are also called three stars. VS are newer, with the youngest blend being at least two years old. As for L.E.D.A, we don’t sell any VS under the brand Laubade for quality purpose.

VSOP, which means Very Superior Old Pale. VSOP must be at least four years old.

XO, which means Extra Old. XO varieties of Armagnac must be at least six years old.

Vintage. Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages. Only after at least 10 years of wood ageing a vintage can be released, and spirits of a vintage must come from one single age. There are some premium Armagnac vintages more than 100 years old!

Q: Whenever people talk about Armagnac, they often make a comparison with Cognac. For China, a country only opened to western culture decades ago, many people here are more familiar with Cognac. Could you tell us the difference between the two kinds of distilled wine?

A: The combined effects of several factors lead to the difference between Cognac and Armagnac and make Armagnac so special.

Geographically, Armagnac is produced in Gascony area of Southwestern France, while Cognac is produced in the Cognac town area which is located about 100 miles north of Gascony. The soil of Gascony is sandy and its clay is rich in iron that gives a distinctive richness to the product, while the soil in Cognac area is chalkier.

Climatically, the Cognac production area is located close to the Atlantic Ocean, therefore more oceanic and humid, whereas the climate in the Armagnac production area is sunnier.

For grapes, as we mentioned above, Armagnac is comprised of four main grape varieties, which gives an inimitable complexity to the blend. But Cognac is primarily (98%) made from Ugni Blanc.

For distillation method, the distillation process is the main difference between the two brandies. Armagnac is produced by a single and continuous distillation method, which gives more fragrance, aroma and flavors, as opposed to double distillation for the Cognac, which lead to a higher alcohol concentration but fewer aromas.

For ageing, Armagnac is aged in black oak from the Gascony forests, Cognac in oak from Limousin region. The single-distillation process used to produce Armagnac gives it more time to age in casks, helping it to develop a more subtle, complex character.

For vintage, Traditional Armagnac is commonly vintage-dated and bottled at natural strength. Cognac is rarely vintage dated and most commonly reduced in alcohol to 40%.

Q: How about the sales of Armagnac in the world market?

A: About 6 million bottles of Armagnac are sold each year, while around 160 million bottles of Cognac are sold annually.

One reason for this is, compared to the mass-production of Cognac, Armagnac in contrast is a hand-crafted brandy. Cognacs are produced mainly by large companies, while Armagnac are made by hundreds of small, independent and often family producers who treat the production more like a labour of love.

Because of the large-scale production of Cognac and the following economy-of-scale, Cognac has more marketing muscle than Armagnac, which led to people outside of France more familiar with Cognac than with Armagnac. 60% of Armagnac are consumed by French people, but only 2% of Cognac are bought in France.

Geographically, the Cognac production area is easily accessible by river, the primary mode of commercial transportation in the Middle Ages, to the Bordeaux wine traders who then shipped it to northern Europe. The Gascony region where Armagnac is produced is much more isolated and lacks navigable rivers for transporting goods.

Nevertheless, Armagnac is synonymous with authenticity which is much appreciated in the traditional French market but also in 52 countries throughout the world where you can find our Château de Laubade!

Q: We know that traditionally Chinese people prefer white spirits to wine. Then how about the sales of Armagnac in China, and how about your company’s foray into China?

A: The selling of Armagnac in China only began a few years ago. Some wine dealers in Southern China regions like Guangdong and Hong Kong introduced Armagnac to Chinese people, but on a small scale. You can only buy them in China’s major metropolitan areas, in some select departments.

Our company, L.E.D.A., for several years also used Hong Kong dealers to bring our main brand Laubade to Chinese consumers. But with emerging markets like Russia, India and China showing more and more promise, this February L.E.D.A. sent me to come to the country to represent the wine full-timely. I am maybe the first person acting as Armagnac ambassador in China. After a few months’ preparation, we launched our China presence in July this year. We have great confidence in our Chinese partner who is taking Armagnac seriously and is carefully building a distribution network catering to high-end consumers throughout the country for this niche product. Like tasting Armagnac, it takes patience to develop a customer base which was traditionally unaccustomed to the wine, and we are well prepared for all the possible difficulties ahead.

(At last, we had the luck to appreciate a bottle of XO Château de Laubade brought along by Mr. Roux. From the way Mr. Roux treats the aromatic elixir, you can’t help guessing that he must be an epicurean type of person in his personal life. Later, after we learned Mr. Roux’s resume, our guessing was verified by his origin as the son of a wine-producing family with a wine heritage and his master’s degree in International Wine Management. If he was not the Armagnac Ambassador, who else shall be?)

Q: How to taste and drink Armagnac? You know that many Chinese people drink a cup of spirits at one go, which surely can not be applied to the drinking of Armagnac.

A: To drink Armagnac ideally we use a tulip-shaped glass. A glass with a rounded belly and a chimney that tapers can help focus Armagnac's aromas even better, but some other glasses known as “cognac or brandy” glasses can also fit.

The first step to enjoying Armagnac is taking in its bouquet. It is suggested to open the bottle and pour the glasses about 15 minutes prior to drinking to let the fragrance emanate out. Armagnac has many natural aromas –spices, roasted nuts, and dried fruits. You can gently shake the glass to let the fragrance waft upward. But keep in mind that sticking your nose too close to the glass and sniffing too deeply will not result in a pleasant experience: strong-scented alcohol esters can hurt your nasal passages.

The next step is to sip about half a spoonful. The taste will develop warmly, washing over your palate, your gums and cheeks. As you sip, take time to notice the richness of the brandy and its amazing length. It is also pleasurable to observe the color and clarity while you sip it, from the shining golden sparkles of a VSOP to an intense amber color of Laubade 1949 vintage for instance.

Usually Armagnac is appreciated by epicureans as an after-meal drink in a quiet room with sofas and cigars at around 21 degree Celsius. Armagnac also goes well with many foods and desserts, like dark chocolate, roasted nuts, marzipan, toffee, etc.

Finally if anyone likes to have it mixed with ice or even tonic water as a refreshing drink I will let him do it. Although I will not advise you to drink it like that if you really wish to get all the complexity and hidden secrets when tasting a Bas-Armagnac from Laubade!