Tag: The Charente Scene

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 plantedRead more

Whilst in France recently, I found an air of wellbeing amongst the cognac producers of the Charente.  Last year’s super harvest, coupled with the current demand for cognac, means that their pockets are rather fuller than is usual for theRead more

Official figures for the bumper 2018 harvest have yet to be published but it is anticipated that for the first time ever, the quantity of eau de vie produced will exceed 1 million hectolitres of pure alcohol. Despite the much-publicisedRead more

Harvest in The Charente Harvest this year in the Charente region was particularly early.  It started on 10th September when historically, the average date is 23rd September.  According to the BNIC it is expected to be the smallest harvest since 1945Read more

Much of the news from the Charente recently has been about the severe frosts that occurred at the end of April. The air temperature dropped to between -3 and -4°C on two consecutive mornings, affecting around 70% of the vineyardsRead more

The 31st of March in the Cognac region (also known as The Charente) is the last day in the year when cognacs may be distilled from the wines produced from the previous grape harvest. Most will have been distilled inRead more

Christmas is always a time in The Charente when the end of year figures are important, both financially and commercially, to assess the sales and market growth. In a way, the Christmas lights and festivities in the town mean more to itsRead more

Major Houses Require More Vines in The Charente Hennessy, with sales to America alone of 4 million cases of mainly VS and VSOP a year, have successfully pressed the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) for an increase of 1%Read more

We have come to expect the Charente to have relatively calm and normal weather at this time of the year but heavy rain and hail storms have hit the region, as they did 2 years ago. The storms, which causedRead more

It seems that in order to get a bit more brand awareness, some cognac houses on the Charente Scene have been changing their image. Larsen has updated its style and changed its strapline from ‘Cognac of the Vikings’ to ‘SpiritRead more