If you’re looking for a luxury brandy, you should look no further than Cognac or Armagnac. But which one? To help you select the right fine brandy, Ideal Wine Company takes the Cognac vs Armagnac question and explores the similarities and differences between these two popular, reputable products.
Exploring similarities
Cognac and Armagnac are French white wine brandies, which are both made from famously undrinkable wine and distilled. Both Cognac and Armagnac have appellation d’origine contrôlée status. Therefore only drinks which are made via specific production processes can be called Cognacs or Armagnacs. This is where the similarities end.
Grapes and distillation
Vinepair notes that while both Cognac and Armagnac are made from “thin” wine, they use different grapes. Traditionally, Cognacs are solely produced from the Ugni Blanc grape. Armagnacs are made from a wider selection of grapes, specifically Baco Blanc, Colombard, Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche. As you can see from the map (left) Cignac is near the West Coast of France, whereas the Armagnac region is South of Bordeaux.
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