Njengelungu lomndeni okhazimulayo wama-brandy aseFrance, i-armanyak ihluke kakhulu kozakwabo abanamandla, kufaka phakathi okuthandwa kakhulu kubo - i-cognac. I-Armagnac idume njengesiphuzo esimnandi, ukunambitheka kwayo nephunga layo kuyaphawuleka ngokuvezwa kwazo nangokuhlukahluka okumangazayo. Akusizi ngalutho ukuthi amaFulentshi athi ngalesi siphuzo: "Sinikeze umhlaba i-cognac ukuthi igcine i-Armagnac".
Mhlawumbe inhlangano yokuqala abantu abaningi abanayo lapho bethi "Gascony" kuzoba igama likaMusketeer d'Artagnan, kepha kumthandi wemimoya, kunjalo, yi-Armagnac. Ngaphandle kwelanga likaGascon, inhlabathi yobumba nokushisa kwangempela okuseningizimu, lesi siphuzo besingeke sivele. IGascony ilele eningizimu yeBordeaux futhi isondele kakhulu ePyrenees. Ngenxa yesimo sezulu esishisayo eseningizimu, amagilebhisi eGascony aqukethe ushukela omningi, othinta kokubili ikhwalithi lewayini lasendaweni kanye nekhwalithi ye-brandy. Ubuciko be-distillation kulo mhlaba babusebenza ngekhulu le-XII. Ngokusobala, leli khono lafika kumaGascons avela komakhelwane baseSpain, futhi mhlawumbe evela kuma-Arabhu ake ahlala ePyrenees.
Ukukhulunywa okokuqala kweGascon "amanzi okuphila" kubuyela emuva ku-1411. Futhi vele ngo-1461, umoya wendawo wamagilebhisi waqala ukuthengiswa eFrance nakwamanye amazwe. Emakhulwini eminyaka alandelayo, i-Armagnac yaphoqeleka ukuba ivulele indawo imakethe - i-brandy enamandla yayicasula. Futhi, mhlawumbe, i-Armagnac bekufanele ihloselwe ukuhlala emaphethelweni omlando ukube abakhiqizi bendawo bebengakwazi ukuguga emigqonyeni. Njengoba kwenzeka, i-Armagnac ithatha isikhathi eside ukuvuthwa kune-Scotch whisky noma i-cognac efanayo. Lokhu kutholakala kwenze ukuthi phakathi nekhulu lamashumi amabili likwazi ukukhuthaza, okokuqala eMelika bese kuba emakethe yaseYurophu, ama-Armagnacs amadala, anqobe khona manjalo abathengi abadakayo "abaphambili" kanye nama-gourmets.
Ingqophamlando ebalulekile emlandweni we-brandy yakwaGascon kwaba ukuvela ngo-1909 kwesinqumo sokumisa imingcele yendawo yokukhiqizwa kwayo, kwathi ngo-1936 i-armanyak uthole ngokusemthethweni isimo se-AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlee). Ngokomthetho, yonke insimu ye-Armagnac yehlukaniswe izifunda ezintathu ezingaphansi - iBas Armagnac (iBas), iTenareze neHaut-Armagnac, ngayinye enezici ezihlukile ze-microclimate nenhlabathi. Vele, lezi zinto zithinta izakhiwo zamagilebhisi, iwayini elitholwe kulo kanye ne-distillate uqobo.
I-Armagnac yaziwa ngokuhlukahluka kwayo okuningi nokunuka. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, amaphunga ayisikhombisa abhekwa njengokujwayelekile kakhulu kuye: i-hazelnut, ipentshisi, i-violet, i-linden, i-vanilla, i-prune kanye nopelepele. Lokhu kuhluka kunqunywa ngezindlela eziningi ngenombolo yezinhlobo zamagilebhisi angenziwa ngazo i-Armagnac - ziyi-12 kuphela. Izinhlobo eziyinhloko ziyefana naseCognac: foil blanche, unyi blanc kanye necolombard. Isivuno sivame ukuvunwa ngo-Okthoba. Lapho-ke iwayini lenziwa ngamajikijolo, futhi i-distillation (noma i-distillation) yewayini elincane kumele yenziwe ngaphambi kukaJanuwari 31 wonyaka olandelayo, ngoba entwasahlobo iwayini lingabila, futhi ngeke kusakwazi ukwenziwa utshwala obuhle ngalo .
Ngokungafani ne-cognac, ekhiqizwa kusetshenziswa i-distillation ephindwe kabili, izinhlobo ezimbili ze-distillation zivunyelwe i-Armagnac. Kusetshenziswa iziphuzo zokuqala iziphuzo eziqhubekayo - i-Armagnac alambic (i-Alombia Armagnacqais), noma i-Verdier apparatus (eqanjwe ngomqambi), enikeza utshwala obunephunga elimnandi obukwazi ukuguga isikhathi eside.
I-Algeria Armagnacqais yayingasekho emncintiswaneni, kwaze kwafika ngo-1972 e-Armagnac, kwaqhamuka i-Algeria Charentais, ikhebula leziphuzo eziphindwe kabili elivela eCognac. Lesi simo sibe nomthelela omuhle ekwakhiweni kohlobo lwe-Gascon: kwaba nokwenzeka ukuhlanganisa izinhlobo ezimbili ezihlukene zotshwala, ngakho-ke ibanga le-flavour le-Armagnac landa nangaphezulu. Indlu edumile kaJanneneau yaba ngeyokuqala e-Armagnac ukusebenzisa zombili izindlela ezamukelekayo zokuphuza iziphuzo.
Ukuguga kwe-Armagnac kuvame ukwenzeka ngezigaba: okokuqala emiphongolweni emisha, bese kuba kokukade kusetshenziswa. Lokhu kwenzelwa ukuthi isiphuzo sigweme ithonya elinamandla lamaphunga anamandla. Emiphongolweni, ngasendleleni, basebenzisa i-oki emnyama ikakhulukazi ehlathini laseMonlesum lendawo. Ama-Armagnac amancane aqokwa "Izinkanyezi ezintathu", iMonopole, i-VO - ukuguga okuncane kwe-Armagnac enjalo iminyaka emibili. Isigaba esilandelayo yi-VSOP, i-Reserve ADC, ngokomthetho, le brandy ayikwazi ukuba ngaphansi kweminyaka engu-2 ubudala. Ekugcineni, iqembu lesithathu: Extra, Napoleon, XO, Tres Vieille - ubuncane beminyaka esemthethweni yiminyaka eyi-4. Kukhona, yiqiniso, okuhlukile: ngenkathi abakhiqizi abaningi begcina i-VSOP Armagnac emigqonyeni ye-oki cishe iminyaka emihlanu, uJanneau okungenani eyisikhombisa. Futhi ama-alcohol e-Armagnac Janneau XO asebekhulile e-oki okungenani iminyaka eyi-6, kanti kuleli klasi lase-Armagnac, iminyaka eyisithupha yokuguga yanele.
Ngokuvamile, ukubaluleka kwendlu kaJanneneau ye-Armagnac kunzima ukukuqagela. Okokuqala, kungokwenani lezindlu ezinkulu ze-Armagnac, ezadumisa lesi siphuzo emhlabeni wonke. Okwesibili, ingomunye wabakhiqizi abadala kunabo bonke esifundeni, esasungulwa nguPierre-Etienne Jeannot ngo-1851. Namuhla le nkampani nayo isesandleni somndeni owodwa, ohlonipha isiko ngaphezu kwanoma yini enye futhi uzinikele ngokweqile ikhwalithi. Ngakho-ke, njengeminyaka eyi-150 eyedlule, uJanneau - ngokungafani nabalimi abaningi abakhulu - ama-distill, avuthwa kanye namabhodlela umkhiqizo wawo lapho izivini zitholakala ekhaya.
Ulayini wakudala wendlu ufaka ama-Armagnacs adumile uJanneneau VSOP, uNapoleon noXO. Kunzima ukuphikisana ngobuhle nobubi babo, ngoba ngamunye wabo unomuntu wakhe, ngokungafani nanoma yini enye, umlingiswa. Isibonelo, uJanneau VSOP waziwa ngobuhle nokukhanya kwawo. UJanneau Napoleon umane amangaze ngephunga laso lamakha anenqwaba yamathoni e-vanilla, izithelo ezomisiwe namajikijolo. Futhi uJanneau XO waziwa njengenye yama-Armagnac athambile futhi abucayi kunazo zonke eGascony.