To a Gascon, there can be something almost sacrosanct about an after-dinner glass of Armagnac – the flavoursome, potent and historic brandy produced over just a few thousand hectares in southwestern France.
Sitting in a brasserie in Auch (pronounced Ohsh), within sight of the huge and impressive 15th-century cathedral of Sainte Marie, local wine connoisseur Guillaume Durand cradles a tulip-shaped glass in his hand and tells me about Armagnac’s finer details.
‘First, you look and smell,’ he says, swirling the fragrant amber-coloured liquid around, bowing his head to bring his nose closer to its quarry – but not too close, as he is quick to point out. ‘There should be fruitiness there, something to tell you about the grapes and a hint of caramel, toffee or nougat perhaps.’
