Unspoiled and utterly French, Gascony truly deserves its crown as “La France Profonde”, famous for the quality of its foie gras, rugby, and of course, Armagnac.

Less than 5 hours by TGV from Paris, Gascony is bordered by many better known regions such as the Dordogne (Bordeaux) to the north west, the holiday resorts of Languedoc to the east and the towering wall of the Pyrenees to the south. Idyllically rural, it has managed to retain its quiet farmland charm, dotted with small villages and ruins of Roman castles, despite the influx of Britons, including Tony Blair who was spotted seeking a second home for a quieter pace of life.

There is no lack of sightseeing with the ancient forts in Labastide d’Armagnac and Marciac, the Gallo-Roman ruins in Seviac and the postcard perfect Larrisengle, Casteljaloux with its medieval charm and thermal spas. The locals remain fiercely proud of their origins as Gascons, identifying themselves as the descendants of the 16th century Musketeers D’Artagnan, Artemis, Athos and Porthos. Gascons remain masters of savoir-vivre and joie-de-vivire, taking the time to slowly savour every minute of their daily lives. It’s all about “slow” food, locally-produced and cooked with care for hours.

It’s Armagnac that is the pride and joy of the locals though. Armagnac is the oldest eau de vie in France, tracing its origins back to the 15th century and a good bottle can cost over £50, while the other, more affordable and equally prevalent Floc d’ Armaganc is the regional daily aperitif.

More recently Armagnac has been living in the shadow of its younger cousin, Cognac, and you could be forgiven for believing that Armagnac is a little enclave that remains untouched by time and modern industrial methods of drinks production, while Cognac is more fashion-driven and produced to appeal to the broad market. Both labels are to a certain extent unfair though as Armagnac has discreetly been building its image as a quality drink, along with experimenting with new product styles and presentation. Those who have ‘found’ Armagnac have done so because of the quality of the drink. Not because of celebrity endorsement.

Don’t miss our interview with Florence Castarède, the sixth generation of the family at the helm of the Armagnac house Nismes-Delclou, later this week.