The Landscapes of Cognac | Gilles Bernard, Michel Guillard

Viticultural, geological, geographical, historical, economic, cultural, industrial, sustainable. So many perspectives to discover the landscapes of the six cognac crus. As part of the Inventory of Territories collection, François Baudez Editions have set out to publish a book entirely devoted to the landscapes of the controlled designation of origin "Cognac". From Angoulême to the islands of Ré and Oléron, passing through the banks of the Charente River, the vineyards of the former provinces of Aunis, Saintonge, and Angoumois have produced a wine that, once distilled, produces the world's most famous brandy: cognac. The Landscapes of Cognac catalog all the diversities of the six crus composing the controlled designation of origin, both geographically, historically, economically, artistically, architecturally, and humanly. Because it is primarily humans who shaped these landscapes - it is they who offer us the spectacle of these terroirs where the geological period from which they originate is revealed by the color and texture of the soil, by the variations in the vine alignments based on the orientation of each plot. Despite the numerous constraints he faces, the cognac man knows how to be a distiller, master blender, merchant, or industry captain concerned with the environment. All these traces can be found in the different landscapes we present to you: simple barrel of the modillon adorning the apse of the Romanesque church, gate of the wine farm, classic house, rows of outdoor vats, old cellars with walls blackened by torula, gleaming stills like contemporary architectures are among the components of the cognac landscapes.