Top 100 other wines of Cognac
Discover the top 100 best other wines of Cognac as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the other wines that are popular of Cognac and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Cognac
Cognac is the most famous brandy in the world, more famous even than its OldGascon cousin, Armagnac. It comes from the Charentais, a vast region of western France immediately North of Bordeaux, and takes its name from the historic town of Cognac - the long-standing epicentre of local brandy production. In French, cognac is technically classified as an eau-de-vie de vin - a category that covers all spirits distilled from wine. The Full and official name of the brandy is actually "Eau-de-Vie de Cognac" or "Eau-de-Vie des Charentes", but the Short version has become so common that these longer versions almost never appear on labels.
Although little known, the Charentais is one of the largest vineyards in France. It is made up of two administrative departments (Charente and Charente-Maritime), each of which produces more wine per year than the whole of Burgundy. While some of this wine is basic table wine (sold as IGP / Vin de Pays or Vin de France), the vast majority is produced specifically for distillation into Cognac. Legally protected and regulated since May 1936, Cognac was among the very first AOC titles confirmed when the INAO was created in the mid 1930s.
News from the vineyard of Cognac
Rethinking the wine bottle for the future
There’s been a focus on making wine production less energy intensive as well as environmentally friendly in order to address climate change. The efforts continue but, as is the case for electric cars where it’s the battery technology that needs innovating, it’s in wine bottles where we’re seeing rapid change. It comes in a two-pronged attack to reduce energy use in manufacturing and then an even bigger emphasis on reducing bottle weight for shipping to reduce fuel usage and thus CO2 production. ...
Grand Marnier moves into luxury sphere with two high-end expressions
The liqueur – famed for its use in making Crêpes Suzettes, but also a classic cocktail ingredient – has created a new Exceptional Range, beginning with the launch of Grand Marnier Quintessence. Quintessence combines rare old hors d’âge Cognacs from the Grande Champagne sub-region with the essence of bitter Citrus bigaradia (Seville orange) peels, double-distilled to intensify their flavour. The blend was taken from an old recipe found in the Marnier Lapostolle family archives by Grand Marnier ma ...
Bollinger Group purchases Sancerre estate Hubert Brochard
The Champagne house expanded into the region when it acquired Maison Langlois-Chateau in Saumur back in 1973. It then bolstered its presence in Sancerre with the acquisition of Château de Thauvenay in 2016. Now it has tied up a deal to bring the family-run Hubert Brochard estate into the fold. ‘The acquisition of Hubert Brochard estate represents a unique opportunity to consolidate our footprint in this fantastic region and to continue to promote, in France and internationally, its savoir-faire ...