Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France with 19,000 inhabitants. It is a sub-prefecture of the department, some 120 kilometres north of Bordeaux. The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.
Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river’s left bank, with the smaller right bank area known as the Saint Jacques district. The town is situated on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella. Cognac is 400 kilometres (250 mi) southwest of Paris. Francis I granted the town the right to trade salt along the river, guaranteeing strong commercial success, which in turn led to the town’s development as a centre of wine and later brandy.
The town’s medieval quarter “Vieux Cognac” runs from the Tours Saint-Jacques, alongside the river, up to the Saint-Léger church. The area contains many unusual buildings, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, situated on narrow cobbled streets. Many contain sculptures of the salamander, the symbol of King François I, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated façades. The area also contains many Romanesque churches as well as several châteaux.
The town gives its name to one of the world’s best-known types of brandy or eau de vie. Drinks must be made in certain areas around the town of Cognac and must be made according to strictly-defined regulations to be granted the name Cognac. Cognac is a unique spirit in that it is double-distilled. This process can be viewed in one of the many “Grande Marque” Cognac houses which all have visitor centres. Most central in the town are Hennessy, Martell, Otard, Camus and Remy Martin. About 15 km (9.32 mi) East of Cognac is Jarnac, home to Courvoisier.
There are six vineyard areas around the Cognac area, all of which are within the Appellation Controlee for Cognac, but which are considered to vary in quality from the best growth area of “Grande Champagne” (nothing to do with the Champagne wine region in NE France), through “Petite Champagne” then “Borderies”, “Fins Bois”, “Bon Bois” and finally “Bois Ordinaire”. The best Cognacs are generally only made using Grande and Petite Champagne grapes, but all Cognac is produced by blending a variety of “Eau de Vie” which can be made from grapes from different locations, and from different vintages
