Top 100 white wines of Cognac
Discover the top 100 best white wines of Cognac as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the white 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
Shirakawa 1958 single malt set for release
Shirakawa 1958 is the only official single malt bottling from the demolished distillery, and is also said to be the earliest single vintage Japanese whisky bottled to date, although part of its back story remains shrouded in mystery. The whisky was distilled at the Shirakawa distillery, located 200km north of Tokyo, in 1958, and survived an era when Shirakawa’s malt whisky was almost all used in owner Takara Shuzo’s flagship ‘King’ blend. Shirakawa was opened in Fukushima Prefecture by previous ...
LVMH buys Napa Valley’s Joseph Phelps Vineyards
Philippe Schaus, chairman and chief executive of the Moët Hennessy division of LVMH, called Joseph Phelps Vineyards ‘an iconic name and an iconic winery’. Joseph Phelps founded his eponymous winery on a 260ha former cattle ranch in Napa Valley in 1973. He turned it into one of California’s most prominent producers, famed for its flagship Insignia – a Bordeaux-style blend – and its pioneering use of Rhône varieties, which kick-started the ‘Rhône Rangers’ movement in the Golden State. The founder’ ...
Decanter magazine latest issue: November 2022
Inside the November 2022 issue of Decanter magazine: FEATURES Value claret: Top 30 under £20 Georgina Hindle’s pick of the 163 affordable clarets she tasted Decanter Hall of Fame Award: Rosa Kruger Tim Atkin MW profiles the inspiring 2022 winner Decanter Rising Star Award: Apostolos Thymiopoulos Sarah Jane Evans MW introduces this talented Greek winemaker Clairette around the world Dry whites that impress Matt Walls Napa Cabernet 2019 Jonathan Cristaldi’s highlights of the vintage Thinking insid ...