SB visits… Cognac

In the past, Cognac has been associated with smoking jackets, balloon glasses and a male-dominated audience – but that’s all changing. SB headed to France to find out how the spirit is stepping away from these stereotypes into a new, more vibrant era.

SB visited vineyards, coopers and distillers in Cognac

Although the mere mention of Cognac can conjure up images of cigars, smoking jackets and balloon glasses, the category is making changes to its image as it strives to entice younger drinkers.

From new, disruptive brands entering the category to innovations in production and service from established marques, changes are shaking the traditional spirit-making region.

Patrick Raguenaud, president of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), said: “The new generations are more and more attracted to authentic, unique and quality products. Cognac falls perfectly in line with this trend. Enjoying the consumption of Cognac in a variety of ways also contributes to the growth of Cognac and opens it up new generations of consumers.”

While Cognac may boast four million-case-selling brands, the industry has a more rural feel to it than you may expect from one of France’s biggest exports. In spite of this rural feel, innovation remains rife, with barrel finishes, tweaks to maturation techniques and even cocktail-making sweeping the French countryside.

Raguenaud added: “Cocktails are a very popular way of enjoying Cognac, especially to new generation of consumers. Cognac is one of the first spirits used in cocktails in the 19th century when cocktails such as Mint Julep or Sazerac were created.

“This is especially the case where cocktails and spirit cultures are prominent, particularly in Great Britain and the USA, where significant number of spirits and cocktail bars offering Cognac prominently in their menus reaching new young professionals who are interested in authentic and unique products.”

In order to showcase the changing face of the spirit, the BNIC invited a group of drinks journalists out to France to uncover more about Cognac.

As well as a chance to visit vineyards, coopers, distillers and maturation warehouses, the trip also featured an exploration into the versatility of the spirit, with pairing dinners and a cocktail-making masterclass at Bar Louise, in the heart of Cognac.

Click through the following pages to find out more about SB‘s visit to Cognac.

The trip began bright and early in Cognac, right at the centre of the wine-growing region. A selection of vintage French cars arrived at the hotel to take the assembled journalists for their first taste of what the region had to offer.

Travelling from Cognac out into the vineyards, which would soon be bursting with grapes, the drive was a chance to explore the Grande Champagne, Petit Champagne and Fins Bois regions. While traversing the French countryside, it was immediately obvious how the variation in landscape between regions could affect the grape growth, and ultimately the Cognac’s final flavour.

The first stop after a visit to the vineyards was Bourgoin Cognac.

Situated in the heart of Tarsac, France, this Cognac house manages its own vineyard and distils its spirit using the three alembic stills that it operates on site. The house traditionally made spirit for other brands in the region, but now distils, ages and sells Cognac under its Bourgoin brand. The Cognac house’s range includes vintage bottlings, spirits aged in Microbarriques and a verjuice made using grapes from its vineyards.

After tasting a selection of the spirits made by Bourgoin Cognac, it was now time to explore its cellars.

As one of the newer Cognac brands bottling spirits in the region, Bourgoin treats its ageing Cognac to a funky light show to keep it feeling fresh and youthful. SB wasn’t sure what effect this has on the final spirit, but it made for one of the most photogenic maturation warehouses we’ve ever been to.

After visiting one of the smaller brands in the region, the logical next stop was one of Cognac’s biggest brands: Courvoisier.

Maison Courvoisier in Jarnac, France, is the spiritual home of the Beam Suntory-owned brand and houses a visitor centre and several maturation warehouses.

A tour through Courvoisier’s visitor centre taught SB about the brand’s history, production, close ties to Napoleon, links to the Eiffel Tower and its evolution through the years.

After learning as much as there was to know about Courvoisier, SB and the other journalists then visited one of the brand’s maturation warehouses on the banks of the Charente river. Once inside, there was a chance to sample Napoleon Fine Champagne, a blend of aged Grande and Petite Champagnes Cognacs.

The group was then led to an exclusive cellar underneath Maison Courvoisier, which houses some of the brand’s oldest liquid. Inside, Courvoisier master blender Patrice Pinet introduced the group to L’essence De Courvoisier, one of the brand’s most exclusive bottlings.

The next morning, following a dinner at French brasserie Le Coq d’Or, which featured some of the best French Toast SB has ever tasted, the group travelled to Bache-Gabrielsen. At the Cognac house, SB was introduced to the range by cellar master Jean-Philippe Bergier, who explained how the brand is innovating in the category with vintage bottlings and cask-finished releases – such as its American oak-aged bottling.

Following the tour of Bache-Gabrielsen, the next stop was Delamain in Jarnac. The aged Cognac producer is undergoing a period of change as it approaches its 200th anniversary, but retains its traditional approach to Cognac-making.

Delamain specialises in old bottlings and while visiting the site, SB had the chance to sample Cognacs in varying stages of maturation – from barrels that had recently been filled to those that had matured for several years.

That evening, the group took part in a Cognac cocktail masterclass, which included the chance to sample a multitude of cocktails in a variety of styles, all putting Cognac at their heart.

The following morning, and SB‘s last day in Cognac, was filled with a trip to the Doreau Tonnellerie to find out more about the production of the oak barrels used to mature Cognac.

The Doreau Tonnellerie cooperage began operating in 1989 and now produces casks for Cognac houses across the region. While visiting the site, SB learned how staves are cut and the way barrels are assembled, charred and sealed – before being laser-printed with Doreau Tonnellerie’s logo.

As SB‘s time in France drew to a close, the final stop on the tour was Frapin in Segonzac, France.

Frapin is a single estate producer, so manages its own vineyards in the region, presses the grapes itself, distils on site and ages its spirits in warehouses across the estate.

Established in 1270, the house manages 240 hectares of vineyards in Grande Champagne. Every year, the grapes from the vineyards are harvested and brought to presses like these pictured, which gently crush the fruit to extract as much juice as possible. The juice is then fermented to make a wine.

Like every Cognac producer, Frapin uses alembic stills to distil its wine into eaux-de-vie, which will then be filled into barrels to mature before it can be sold as Cognac.

After a visit to Frapin’s distillery and warehouses, it was time to finish off the trip with a special Cognac pairing lunch in the château in the centre of Frapin’s estate. During the meal, SB was treated to salad topped with truffle grown on the estate; a dish comprising courgettes, cauliflower and mushroom; and a triple chocolate pudding – each paired with a different Cognac in Frapin’s range.