The art of tasting Floc de Gascogne

Advice for tasting

It is during the first few years, when it is young, that Floc de Gascogne not only expresses the talent of its aromas and the natural fruity taste of grapes but also different fragrances are revealed through Armagnac. Fragrances such as soft berry fruit, flowers, orange zest, spices and violets.

Floc de Gascogne should be tasted in its first years of maturing and chilled (7°C).As soon as the bottle is opened it must be kept vertically in the fridge with its cork in place,for no longer than three months.

The 3 steps for tasting Floc de Gascogne :

Visual examination (eye) will refer to the color, intensity, clarity and brightness of Floc de Gascogne.

For a white Floc de Gascogne the color chart will go from a pale yellow to a greenish yellow (for a young Floc de Gascogne) and on up to a golden color for more advanced white Floc de Gascogne.

The color changes according to the maturity and the different grape varieties. The combination of different grape varieties being compulsory in the elaboration of white Floc de Gascogne , the choice becomes decisive for the coloring.

For example a Floc de Gascogne elaborated with the Colombard variety will be paler than one made with Gros Manseng. Colombard juice is very clear, almost colorless and remains extremely stable over the years.

White Ugni is clear at the beginning but quickly goes towards brown spectrum. Gros Manseng has the yellow color of straw or even gold as it comes through the wine press and becomes ginger as it matures.

For the young Rosé Floc de Gascogne its color goes from purple to orange.

The color intensity for Rosé Floc de Gascogne does not depend on its age.

It is solely linked to the grape varieties, the specifications of the soil, the length of maceration. In other words, the choices made by its creator.

Therefore there is no definite color and this explains why Rosé Floc de Gascogne, its official name, is mainly called Red Floc de Gascogne.

It is the most common color.The effect of the grape variety only becomes decisive when the Tannat variety is used as it the one which is excessively rich in coloring.


Olfactory examination (= nose) is centred around the aromas of the product. When they are young Flocs de Gascogne, they give out floral scents which come from Armagnac. After maturing, the floral aromas will give way to the fruitiness of grape juice.

As far as red is concerned the fruity delicacy becomes dominant after a few weeks whereas for white it will only be obtained after several months.This young and fruity taste gives Floc de Gascogne its originality and uniqueness.The complexity given by the Armagnac must be in no way dominant.

For Red Floc de Gascogne the aromas are those of soft fruits such as blackcurrant, raspberry, blackberry, strawberry…

For white the most common aromas are those of violet, plum, pear, lychee, quince and honey.

All these aromas are essentially primary ones.


Tasting examination (=mouth) Floc de Gascogne must be served chilled for drinking (5-7°C),therefore its aromas are slightly masked. Tasting makes the olfactive examination more precise. Once in the mouth Floc de Gascogne will begin to warm up and this will then call upon other senses which will complement the tasting but also give a wider perception of the richness of its aromas.



The tasting examination also allows an appreciation of the basic flavors.

When tasted, Floc de Gascogne appears to be well balanced in sugar. The wholehearted feeling brought about by the alcohol is also sometimes present. There is no acidity, astringency, sourness or spicy taste Smoothness and sweetness prevail. This is why Floc de Gascogne is served chilled so as all these perceptions are balanced and it also avoids it becoming a feeling of heaviness or warmth.

All through one's tasting, it must be borne in mind that Floc de Gascogne is a product which is "young,fresh and fruity".