Taxi Toulouse → Condom

Condom is the historic capital of the Tenareze, one of the three Armagnac appellations and France's oldest brandy (documented since 1310, some 150 years before cognac). This Gers sub-prefecture of 7,000 inhabitants is a town of understated elegance, with its Cathedral of Saint-Pierre (16th century, Flamboyant Gothic), its adjoining cloister housing the Armagnac Museum, and 17th-18th century townhouses with pale stone facades. The Pont Barlet, a handsome 13th-century bridge, spans the Baise, a navigable river connecting Condom to the Garonne lateral canal that once carried Armagnac barrels to Bordeaux. Condom sits at the heart of the Gers, the quintessential French department of the good life: foie gras, magret, confits, floc de Gascogne, apple croustade — terroir gastronomy of incomparable richness. The surrounding countryside, with its chateaux, pigeonnier towers and sunflower fields, is the setting of the film 'Le Bonheur est dans le Pre'. Armagnac cellars are open year-round: Ryst-Dupeyron, Janneau, and numerous family estates producing exceptional vintages. A taxi from Toulouse is ideal for a tasting day — no drink-driving worries on the return.