Explore Cognac! En/Coming-To-France
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SALES MANUAL 2020 - 2021 1 SUMMARY ACCESS 3 INTRODUCTION By air 4 MAP Direct flights to La Rochelle from: Ajaccio, Bristol, Brussels- 5 THE SPIRIT AND VINEYARD Charleroi, Dublin, Geneva, Leeds-Bradford, London- 6 Cognac, the Spirit and Vineyard Gatwick, London-Stansted, Lyon, 7 2019 key figures for cognac Manchester, Marseille, Nice, Porto. (from Spring 2021 / update to 8 Pineau des Charentes check on the website) 8 Charentais wines www.larochelle.aeroport.fr Direct flights to Bordeaux from: 9 THE COGNAC HOUSES Paris Orly, Paris Charles de Gaulle, 10 The big houses of cognac Montréal and various routes from Europe 12 Other houses of cognac & winegrowers www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr in the vineyard By train 16 LEARN MORE ABOUT COGNAC 17 Museums and other sites around cognac LGV Atlantique / TGV: culture Paris Montparnasse - Angoulême (2h03) 19 Local savoir-faire of the cognac industry Paris Montparnasse - La Rochelle (2h49) 20 GASTRONOMY Charles De Gaulle – Angoulême : 22 Local produce & Gourmet delights 3h03 23 Cocktails bars TGV Bordeaux - Angoulême 24 Food and drink workshops Michelin (0h34) 25 starred restaurants TER from Royan to Other gourmet restaurants – Saintes (26mn) – Cognac (31mn) 26 – Jarnac (10mn) – Angoulême (27mn) 27 HERITAGE TER from Angoulême to – Jarnac (27mn) – Cognac (10mn) 32 WATER ALL AROUND - Saintes (31mn) – Royan (26mn) The river Charente 33 TER from La Rochelle to 34 Wellness – Saintes (48mn) – Pons (20mn) – Bordeaux (1h26) 35 OTHER ACTIVITIES 36 Cycling By road 37 Golfing 38 Festivals & Events A10 Paris: 450 km to Angoulême | 430 km 40 TOURS SUGGESTIONS to La Rochelle ACCOMMODATION A10 Bordeaux: 44 115 km to Angoulême | 190 km to 49 LOCAL CONTACTS La Rochelle A83 / N137 Nantes: 250 km to Angoulême |140 km to La Rochelle 2 Introduction Internationally renowned as one The vineyard stretches right from and distillers, from museums to of the finest spirits in the world, La Rochelle and the Oléron island numerous associated festivals, Cognac owes its great delicacy on the coast to Angoulême and this region remains authentic. Its to the exceptional region where the south of Charente by the vines and all these exceptional it comes from as well as the skills border of Périgord. In between, landscapes delight the many of the people who have been runs the river Charente that flows visitors who, each year, discover making it since the 15th century. through towns like Angoulême, or rediscover the cognac thanks Cognac or Saintes all the way to special and exclusive visits. Ideally located in the South to the ocean across a refined West of France, between the countryside of charming villages The cognac vineyard is a varied Loire Chateaux and Bordeaux, and small Romanesque churches. and unique place, where tradition the vineyards of cognac is only meets modernity perfectly. a few hours from Paris, directly Cognac has managed to Discover the treasures of the connected by the high-speed perpetuate its traditions and making, live the french art de train via Angoulême train station. know-how and is lively all year vivre, learn more about the long : the cognac experience can history of the international best The vineyards of Cognac cover be enjoyed in any season and brands, meet passionate people almost 78 000 hectares across caters for both the curious and and local producers, and stay the Charente and the Charente- those who are already ardent in one of the best hotels the Maritime départements, fans of this famous drink. From destination has to offer. representing the largest white the great names of cognac grape wine yard in France. (Baron Otard, Camus, Hennessy, Martell, Rémy Martin, Meukow and Courvoisier) to winegrowers Let’s take care of one another We hope you’re keeping safe and Gestures to protect Commitments by our well through the current crisis we all have to face. ourselves and others: partners to welcome you Our partners put in place the in the best conditions: correct procedures to protect Wash your hands very regularly the safety of our clients whilst with soap or hydroalcoholic gel maintaining the best levels of Wear a mask Wash hands very regularly with comfort and services. Respect social distancing, at least soap or hydroalcoholic gel Accommodations, restaurants, 1 meter between each person Wear a mask sites to visit, famous Cognac Use single-use tissues Clean and disinfect all contact houses apply all the special Cough and sneeze into your areas and equipment after each hygiene measures and elbow or into a tissue visit recommended precautions Do not shake hands or kiss people Visits temporarily adapted in a following the government new format (capacity, schedule…) procedures. We are looking forward to More informations on the French welcoming you again in the Diplomacy website: destination to Explore Cognac! https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/ en/coming-to-france 3 Location map ATLANTIC OCEAN 4 THE SPIRIT AND VINEYARD 5 Cognac, the Spirit and Vineyard Grown on an outstanding terroir, Cognac is rooted in a land of plains and gently rolling hills, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and crossed by the Charente River. Driven by its centuries-old traditions and the French way of life, Cognac has showcased its native homeland around the world for over four centuries! Cognac has always been a great traveller. Even its creation was the result of a journey, since distillation first appeared to help transport wine towards the kingdoms of northern Europe. While it can now be found all over the world, it will always stay true to its Charentes roots. The Cognac region, spread out over 6 crus, was officially delimited in 1909. It benefits from a sunny climate conducive to high-quality production: ideal temperature variations, countryside bathed in a unique, warm light, clay- what makes Cognac so special. were introduced and in 1936, the limestone soils… Each wine spirit Appellation d’origine contrôlée draws on these natural resources From winegrowers to or AOC (today's protected to develop its specific aromatic cellarmasters, from distillers to designation of origin, or PDO), characteristics. Three white grape coopers to boilermakers, Cognac was created. The entire industry varieties are primarily grown expertise has been passed down is thus committed to protecting on this distinctive, generous over the centuries. It all started a product with a growing terroir: Ugni Blanc (widespread), with distillation, a process reputation. Colombard, and Folle Blanche. introduced in the 15th century Cognac is a living heritage which by the Dutch to preserve the Cherished expertise is now passed has shaped the land where it quality of Charentes wines during down to a new generation which was created. Viticulture has transport. Three centuries later, aims to preserve and develop it in modeled the rural landscape until the stills were redesigned, marking the quest for even greater quality. the present day, while beautiful the arrival of double distillation. Modernisation and environmental dwellings and aging cellars have Then came the practice of aging protection are the watchwords been built by distiller families in oak barrels, which helped for these new winegrowers. and négociants. The quality of further improve the quality of materials used, as well as their wine spirits. The Cognac market To learm more about Cognac IG : ornate details, contribute to the began to develop in the 19th cognac.fr Cognac brand image. century when the first négociant houses were established. Bottles Cognac is the result of the unique then replaced oak barrels for wine expertise of all those who work spirits shipments. daily to produce a high-end In the 1870s, all French vineyards product. Their challenge is to were struck by the phylloxera combine creativity and innovation crisis. It took many years for the with respect for traditions, Charentais to recreate their prized while complying with a shared elixir from grafted vines. commitment to high standards The vines were replanted and the based on quality, authenticity, Cognac journey resumed. In the and attention to detail. This is 20th century, Cognac regulations 6 2019 Key figures for cognac 2019 KEY FIGURES FOR COGNAC* * Source: BNIC (gures for calendar year from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019) SHIPMENTS 216.5 97.9% MILLION BOTTLES TO MORE THAN +6.0% 150 COUNTRIES TURNOVER 3.6 BILLION EUROS +11.4% VS 53.3%* TOP 10 DIRECT SHIPMENTS VSOP 36.6%* IN MILLION BOTTLES OLD QUALITIES 10.1%* *IN VOLUME 1 | UNITED STATES 2 | SINGAPORE 3 | CHINA 102.4 26.3 25.5 37.8* EUROPE 4 | UNITED KINGDOM 5 | FRANCE 6 | GERMANY 9.1 4.5 4.2 105.6* 7 | HONG KONG 8 | LATVIA 9 | SOUTH AFRICA 10 | NETHERLANDS NAFTA 59.5* FAR EAST 4.1 3.6 3.3 2.1 *IN MILLION BOTTLES • NAFTA : CANADA, THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO. • FAR EAST : CHINA, HONG KONG, JAPAN, MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE, SOUTH KOREA, TAIWAN, THAILAND. CATEGORY • EUROPE: EUROPEAN CONTINENT. 4,276 60,000 WINEGROWERS = VOLUME = VALUE PEOPLE 283 WORK IN THE MERCHANTS NAFTA: +16.5% +24.7% COGNAC INDUSTRY 117 EUROPE: -4.1% -1.5% PROFESSIONAL DISTILLERS FAR EAST: -0.9% +3.3% OTHER MARKETS*: -3.6% +7.0% VINEYARD / COGNAC YIELD (*6.3% OF THE GLOBAL VOLUMES SHIPPED, EQUAL TO 13.6 MILLION BOTTLES) AVERAGE YIELD GLOBAL VOLUME HARVESTED TOTAL VINEYARD AREA: 7,693,889 HL VOLUME 77,938 10.55 HL HECTARES OF PURE ALCOHOL / HECTARE cognac.fr - @CognacUSA 7 PINEAU DES CHARENTES Pineau des Charentes, a fortified wine made from a blend of grape juice and cognac. The rich, bold aroma of Pineau des Charentes is the fruit of a unique expertise. For more than 4 centuries, the winegrowers and cellar masters have shaped this delicate wine by adhering closely to traditional production methods passed down through generations. The grape must and cognac eau-de-vie come from the same estate, the same vineyard, and made by the same people.