It is on the shores of the sea or great waterways that, throughout the world, the best expressions of human civilization emerged, and the Charente River is no exception. 381 kilometers, mostly navigable, that run peacefully through central-western France, in the New Aquitaine region, to the Atlantic Ocean. The access route to the world that first allowed the birth, and then the global success, of one of the most noble distillates: cognac.
Straightening the curves traced by the river, from Angoulême to Rochefort, the best-known and essential stop is the one under the walls of the Valois castle, in the medieval town of Cognac. Beyond the gates of Sant Jaques, a small jewel of twenty thousand inhabitants is revealed where, among cobbled streets and Romanesque-style churches, the carved salamanders are hidden, the symbol of King Francis I who was born here in 1494.
Just an hour and a half from Bordeaux and its incomparable vineyards, the town of Cognac, in the center of a harsh, austere and limestone territory, knew how to transform a mediocre wine, due to its low alcohol content and high acidity, although accompanied by a high concentration of perfumes, in the most sophisticated and sought-after brandy in the world thanks, above all, to his mastery in the cellar. It is the history of a community and its evolutionary adaptation to climatic and geographical conditions.
The ville of Cognac is surrounded by the largest white grape vineyard in Europe, made up of 75,000 hectares cultivated mainly with ugni blanc vines, the only ones that survived the devastation of phylloxera in 1878. This terroir rich in minerals and beaten by Atlantic rains is perfect for distillates, so much so that today, around the centuries-old tradition, an industry has emerged capable of producing 50% of the premium distillates (with a value per bottle greater than 30 euros) consumed in the world. Not only cognac, but also vodka, whiskey or gin.
However, it is the double-distilled wine spirit with a controlled designation of origin that treasures the entire history of this green and white landscape wrapped in intense countryside aromas. Everything revolves around the river, since the first barges began to be built in the 16th century, flat-bottomed boats that glided quickly to the ocean. At first, however, they did not transport cognac, but a burnt wine, Brann Vjn, which would later become brandy, made on site and marketed by the Dutch.
It was the English who encouraged local populations to distill their own wines. The industrious winegrowers of the region did not waste the opportunity, and from the Scottish stills they created the charenties: a device similar to that which distills whiskey but with the characteristic capital that guarantees better preservation of the organoleptic qualities. The innovation had unprecedented success, also thanks to efficient transportation that began to be carried out in small French oak barrels.
In the region today there are more than 250 cognac producers, but only four brands account for around 80% of world production: Courvoisier, Martell, Hennessy and Rémi Martin. The last three were born in the first part of the 18th century, with Hennessy and Rémi Martin being the true giants of the French distillate, whose magnificent and visitable facilities are central to the cultural and economic life of the small city of Cognac.
In particular, the cognac preferred by the Gallic courts, both kings and emperors, celebrates its first three centuries of life this year. In fact, it was in 1724, when the father of modern philosophy, Immanuel Kant, was born in Königsberg, a young farmer named Rémy Martin put all his pure and practical reason into the creation of a distillate that has since been an emblem of quality, elegance and love for the territory. The house’s VSOP, with its iconic opaque green bottle, has become a true status over time.
In 1874, to celebrate the sovereign who, seduced by the maison’s cognac, granted the young Rémy exceptional permission to expand his vineyards, the family decided to create a line of even higher quality worthy of the palate of a monarch. This is how Louis price of almost five thousand euros.
The rest is recent history. Starting in 1909, a production area was delimited consisting of six crus (zones), classified in descending order of value: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne and Borderies, on the one hand, Fins Bois, Bons Bois and Bois ordinaires, on the other. The DOP guaranteed international recognition and prestige to Cognac cognac, elevating it compared to brandies produced in Spain, Portugal, Armenia or Italy.
Its angular and acidic but at the same time harmonious and perfumed character is the reflection of the territory and the people who inhabit it, surrounded by austere architecture, built in limestone and inherited from that Benedictine culture that began winemaking in the 12th century. Being an obligatory stop for food and wine tourism that France promotes like no other country, Cognac is distinguished from the pomp of Champagne, the fairy-tale landscapes of Alsace, the sweet panoramas of Beaujolais or the Atlantic vigor of Bordeaux. Here the maisons, whether multinational or one of the many propriétaire viticulteur spread around the area, are sober and familiar.
They all proudly display the characteristic molds that live in the cellars and blacken the walls of the buildings. It is the manifestation of a fungus that feeds on the vapors generated during distillation, the so-called “angel quota”, equivalent to 22 million bottles that evaporate each year. This is no small thing if you take into account that RémY Martin, the second largest producer in the world, sells around 24 million bottles every year.
It is also said that the mushroom was a sign used by future husbands to verify the family assets of their fiancées: the more blackened the walls of their houses, the more cognac, and therefore wealth, would be hidden inside. The French State also used the same trick for tax purposes: you know, where there is cognac, there is opulence, albeit discreet.
