Study and careerSouth of France
How Floc de Gascogne is made, step by step
Fresh grape must, young Armagnac from the same estate, and two harvests' patience. The Floc de Gascogne method in order, with the grapes, the rules and how to serve it.
Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier
Updated October 2026 · 4 min read · Edited with AI
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The short answer: Floc de Gascogne is fresh, unfermented grape juice blended with young Armagnac, two thirds juice to one third Armagnac. The spirit stops the juice from ever fermenting, so the sugar of the grape stays in the glass. Both the juice and the Armagnac come from the same estate, and the finished Floc sits between 16 and 18% alcohol.
It is the aperitif of Armagnac country, in the south-west of France: the Gers, the Landes and Lot-et-Garonne. It has been an AOC since 1990.
What kind of drink is it?
Floc is a vin de liqueur (VDL): spirit added to grape juice before fermentation starts. That is different from a vin doux naturel (VDN) such as Banyuls, where the juice ferments a little before the spirit goes in. Floc's cousins are Pineau des Charentes (made with Cognac) and Macvin du Jura. For the exam, that one distinction, before or during fermentation, is the thing to know.
The method in five steps
- 1. Make the Armagnac (year one). After the harvest, white wine is distilled into Armagnac. Only white grapes are distilled: red grapes would give a hard, tannic spirit. The young Armagnac then rests about a year in stainless steel, so it stays fresh and does not take on wood.
- 2. Harvest again and take the juice (year two). For white Floc, white grapes are pressed. For the pink or red style, red grapes are left with their skins a short time to take colour, then the juice is run off. Nothing is fermented.
- 3. Fill the vat two thirds. The fresh must goes into the vat first.
- 4. Add the Armagnac (mutage). The last third is the young Armagnac. At this strength yeast cannot work, so fermentation never begins and the natural grape sugar stays.
- 5. Rest, then release. The blend rests in vat for a few months while the juice and the spirit come together. The producers' body gives 15 March of the third year, counting from the first distillation, as the start of sales.
The grapes
| Style | Main grapes | How the juice is taken |
|---|---|---|
| White (blanc) | Ugni Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng | Pressed straight away |
| Rosé (often called red by producers) | Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat | Short skin contact for colour, then run off |
- White (blanc)
- Main grapesUgni Blanc, Colombard, Gros Manseng
- How the juice is takenPressed straight away
- Rosé (often called red by producers)
- Main grapesCabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat
- How the juice is takenShort skin contact for colour, then run off
The spirit is always distilled from white grapes, even for the rosé: the colour and the red-fruit side come from the must alone.
The rules that make it Floc
- One estate. The must and the Armagnac are produced on the same estate.
- Mutage with Armagnac, never with neutral spirit.
- 16 to 18% alcohol in the finished wine.
- Made within the Armagnac area, under the AOC rules (AOC since 1990; protected in EU law as a PDO).
Where the name comes from
The producers trace the name to the Gascon phrase “Lou Floc de Nouste”: the bouquet of flowers from home. The recipe is old; a group of producers began selling it officially in 1976, and the AOC followed in 1990.
How to serve it
- Well chilled, as an aperitif. That is how Gascony drinks it.
- With food: foie gras and duck, melon, blue cheese, fruit tarts. The sweetness and the grape freshness do the work.
- In a small glass. It is 16 to 18%, so pour less than you would a table wine.
- Once open, keep it cold and closed, and enjoy it while the fresh-grape side is at its best.
For the other fortified and sweet wines of the exam, read fortified wines for Level 1 and the South of France for Level 1. For quick questions on VDN and VDL, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions, free to start.
Questions people ask
Is Floc de Gascogne a wine or a spirit?
Neither, exactly: it is a vin de liqueur, grape juice blended with Armagnac before fermentation. It ends up between 16 and 18% alcohol.
What is the ratio of grape juice to Armagnac?
Two thirds fresh grape must to one third young Armagnac.
What is the difference between Floc de Gascogne and Pineau des Charentes?
The method is the same; the spirit and the place are not. Floc uses Armagnac and comes from Gascony; Pineau uses Cognac and comes from the Charentes.
Does Floc de Gascogne age?
It is made to be drunk young and fresh, after a few months' rest in vat.
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