Tag: BNIC

~ With the increased focus on the labelling of foodstuffs correctly, and in detail, we do get asked about the content of cognac, including allergens.  To ensure we have accurate information for our customers, we put the question to the BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac), Cognac’s governing body, and this is what they told us: Cognac is made exclusively by the distillation  of wines, produced in a limited area, from specific grape varieties.  After distillation, Cognac is aged in oak barrels.  Based on this production process, cognac does not contain any of the allergenic substances or products listed in European Regulations. Subsequent to… Read more

The premium drinks market is seeing a significant rise in demand as the worst effects of the pandemic subside.  The BNIC has just released figures that show a 31% increase in cognac exports by value, equating to an increase of 16% by volume.  These rises also compare favourably to the pre-pandemic demand in 2019.  “This growth reflects a real recovery of cognac, as well as new consumption habits,” the BNIC said.  Sales to the spirit’s largest market, the United States, climbed 11 %, sales to China, its second biggest, leapt 56 % whilst European sales were up 8%.  Cognac sales are also… Read more

To meet the ever growing demand for cognac, an additional 10,000 hectares of vineyards will be planted over the next three years, according to a BNIC Update (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac).  Over 3000 hectares of vineyards will be planted each year to increase the production capacity of the winegrowing operations.  The BNIC has also launched its new website, designed to give Cognac a twist.  The aim of the website is to reveal cognac’s true modernity, its spirit of conquest and its dynamism by respecting a centuries-old history and roots in an authentic “terroir”.  For more information take a look… Read more

During the war years the Cognaçais were required to provide the Germans with large quantities of brandy. They cheated of course by shipping spirits made from root vegetables thus maintaining their stocks of real cognac. It was during this period that Maurice Hennessy and a well known grower, Pierre Verneuil, followed the example of the growers in the Champagne region and created the wine and eaux-de-vie distribution bureau to preserve the cognac stock. When the war ended this organisation emerged as the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), cognac’s governing body.  Composed equally of growers and merchants, the BNIC acquired a great… Read more

The Cesium Thought Leadership (CTL) panel met recently to discuss the role industry bodies play in shaping the drinks industry. They concluded that these bodies have 4 areas of influence: education, interdependency, unified thinking and lobbying. The regulatory body for cognac is the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) whose mission is ‘to develop and promote cognac, representing the best interests of all cognac professionals including growers, merchants and members of other activities related to the cognac trade’. They control all stages of cognac production including the regulations required to manage the growing, wine making, distillation and ageing. Over the… Read more

Many of the established growers and merchants recognised the need to establish a body to control and manage the quality and sale of cognac. Much of the preliminary work had been done before the Second World War and a great deal of de facto independence from the government had already been gained – the Charente region had been divided into crus in 1909, as a natural consequence of the system of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée,  and  the geographical areas had been delimited by government in 1936. During the War a wine and eaux de vie bureau was created to try and… Read more