By May Matta-Aliah
On Friday, November 26th May Matta-Aliah and Megan Wiig, Armagnac Ambassadors for NY and Chicago respectively, accompanied by 2 writers from the US set off to the magical land of Gascony where distillation was in full swing at the various houses dotting the countryside. Stop Number 1 on Saturday, November 27 was a memorable distillation party at the House of Delord in Lannepax. It was easy to forget where you were, once you stepped inside the garage doors, and were greeted by the sounds of dance music and cocktails shakers. A fabulous band of ladies added to the ambiance, as they rocked the house with their musical interpretations. Food was plentiful and kept on coming till the wee hours of the morning. At 1AM the Armagnac bottles were lined up for tasting, while the Alembic Armagnacais, continuously churning away in the background, reminded us of the magic of time in barrel that transforms this harsh young eau-de-vie into the wonderful richness we were enjoying so many years later. The valiant travelers enjoyed the festivities and danced the night away till 2:00AM. Not a bad way to start a trip!
