The Cognac Route
45°42′N 0°20′W
- Days
- 5
- Distance
- 140 km
- Pace
- Easy
- Waypoints
- 5
- Est. budget
- $3 300 pp
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
May to October; harvest in late September — cellars are busiest in October
Five days in the Charente: great houses in Cognac and Jarnac, small family growers in Grande Champagne, and slow lunches in the vineyards. Learn to blend your own cognac.
THE ROUTE, STOP BY STOP
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1
Cognactown · Day 1
A riverside town of Renaissance houses and blackened walls — the Baudoin mould.
Tip Walk along the Charente at dusk.
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2
Jarnacdistillery · Day 2
The river town of Hine and Courvoisier.
Tip Tour Hine’s cellars on the riverbank.
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3
Segonzacvineyard · Day 3
The capital of Grande Champagne, with the finest chalk soils.
Tip Taste with a small grower in the vineyard.
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4
Châteaubernarddistillery · Day 4
Where many houses keep their stills and warehouses.
Tip Watch the stills run in winter.
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5
Barbezieuxtown · Day 5
A market town surrounded by Petite Champagne vineyards.
Tip Visit the Saturday market.
Scenic drive notes
Distances are short — all within an hour of Cognac. Roads are narrow and often framed by vineyards. The Charente river is made for a morning boat trip.
Most small houses require reservations in advance and speak limited English.
Tasting-room etiquette
Cellar tours are cool and damp — dress warmly. Taste before adding water or ice; cognac aromas develop in the glass. The ‘angel’s share’ (evaporation) is a point of pride — ask how much the house loses each year.
Where to stay
Hôtel Chais Monnet, Cognac — a historic cognac house turned hotel; Château de Bagnolet — set in vineyards; a chambre d’hôte with a grower in Segonzac.
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