Cognac gets boiling
In winter, more than 2,000 stills boil away, night and day, giving the area a very special atmosphere: a combination of the fires, evaporating alcohol, water, the rotund copper stills and ruddy bricks – this is the process known as the chauffes.

To concentrate the ‘heart’ of the cognac and to eliminate certain undesirable elements generated at the beginning (têtes) and end of the process (queues), the result of the first distillation, première chauffe, giving the brouillis, is redistilled – la bonne chauffe.
The eau-de-vie then becomes cognac by maturing slowly in oak barrels, made from the best, close-grained Tronçais or Limousin oak without glue or nails – an art in itself. The oak’s tannin gradually penetrates the eau-de-vie, giving it its unique amber hue. Over the decades in the chai, the cognac breathes in air which deepens the colour to dark brown. Now the cellar master’s art is needed to decide which ‘young’ cognacs will best blend with which vintage ones.
The ultimate blend is transferred to very old barrels, or sometimes to glass flagons called dames-jeannes (hence demi-johns). There is no turning back after this step, which effectively halts the maturing process by depriving the cognac of air. The barrels then go to a very dark chai called – yes! – Paradise, where they rest in peace.

Mechanical manufacture of glass was invented in 1893 by Cognac-born Claude Boucher. Europe’s largest bottle factory is at Saint-Gobain-de-Cognac, producing up to two million bottles a day. To learn more about this mysterious alchemy and to experience first hand the smells, tastes and visual impact of the vast stills, nothing beats a tour of one of the Cognac houses to see how the miracle happens, step by step, from vine to cellar.

Cognac, the town
Jean Monnet (the economist and brain behind the EU) was a native of Cognac and so was François Ier, contemporary of the English Henry VIII. The French king was born in the Château des Valois in 1494. This 13th-century stronghold suffered greatly in the Hundred Years’ War, seized in turn by the French and English sides. The Valois family rebuilt it in the 15th century and moved the court here.

Deservedly one of France’s most popular tourist destinations, Cognac is an exciting city all year round. Old-fashioned hospitality blends well with the ultra-modern, efficient tourist office and an exciting cultural programme… against a nostalgic backdrop of barely changed 15th-century alleys around the market and along the quays. The museum houses 16th- to 20th-century paintings, including those of local artists. Other rooms are dedicated to archeology and folk arts and crafts. Cool down or let off steam in the 10-acre grounds of the Hôtel de Ville, where walkways meander around ponds, fountains and ancient oaks.

Around and about
The tourist office has sightseeing itineraries (in English). Les Étapes du Cognac are four signposted vineyard trails to introduce you to the charms of the cognac trade and its people.
See www.cognacetapes.com.
Or you can just follow your nose, past fine riverside villages like Bourg-Charente (with the imposing château on the other side of the river) or Bouteville with interesting ruins and a panoramic view. Châteaubernard has more sweeping views, a dolmen and a 12th-century Templars’ church.

The splendid Château Chesnel, 5km north of Cognac on the Saint-Jean-d’Angély road, is a castle well worth its salt (and cognac), built in the early 1600s by the family of the governor of Cognac. It is still in the hands of the same aristocratic family by marriage. The tour in English ends in a tasting of the house cognac and pineau. The charming countess Marie-Hélène de Roffignac herself takes you round the fine unspoilt interior, the walled grounds and the stills and cellars, where the oenologist explains the distilling process.

You’ll also hear some fascinating historical snippets, such as how, during the French Revolution, her ancestor René-Annibal de Roffignac offered his own head for the guillotine instead of King Louis XVI’s. From June 15 to September 15, visits on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 10.30am and 2.30pm, and on Sundays at 3pm, or all year round if booked ahead (see left).