Not to miss

Cognac, the city

Have you ever heard of « Cognac »? One would suppose so! What does the name conjure up for you? An alcohol, a liqueur? Indeed! But above all, Cognac is a town, cradle of « the gods’ liqueur ».

The capital of brandy production stands amidst a landscape covered with rows of vines. Cognac has created close ties with the River Charente, and cellars belonging to the greatest names in the marketing and distillery trades closely neighbour telltale reminders of the past. The Château des Valois, birthplace of King François I, delights amateurs of history and cognac; it is now the property of Maison Otard. Every year in early April, the town hosts a well-known detective film festival.

The vineyards of Cognac constitute the 2nd largest area of production in France after Bordeaux and cover an area of 80,000 hectares.

Cognac, the brandy

Warmed in a brandy glass in a cupped hand, cognac is generally drunk at the end of a meal. It is nonetheless becoming increasingly common to serve it as an apéritif, often mixed with some soda. Don't be surprised, at apéritif time, to hear people in a local café requesting “un cognac-tonic”!

The “liqueur of gods”, as author Victor Hugo called it, owes its outstanding character to the warm, humid climate and the oil to be found in this region of Western France.

More about cognac: in “Lifestyle/gastronomy”

Leading cognac producers

In Cognac, Jarnac and Rouillas, the leading cognac producers (Camus, Hennessy, Martell, Otard, Renault-Bisquit, Louis-Royer, Rémy-Martin or Courvoisier) propose guided tours explaining the processes used to make cognac. The tours include visits to the distillation areas, cellars, bottling facilities and, sometimes, the estates themselves. They also include an audiovisual presentation and a tasting session.

Les étapes du cognac / On the way to cognac

“Les étapes du cognac” is an association bringing together over one hundred members connected in one way or another with cognac, Pineau des Charentes and  various fruits of the labours of the wine industry.

There exist several ways to explore the area: “The town of Cognac”, “Cognac and the vine”, “Cognac and the river”, “Cognac and stone”, “cognac and traditions”, “Cognac, stone and estuary”. See www.cognacetapes.com

More information : Inland > Cities > Cognac, the city and the brandy