The history of Cognac – In the beginning, wine into water
As early as the 16th century, when the English had been chased from France for more than a century, we find the expression Vin du Cognac. Wines shipped along the Charente from the town of Cognac were traded, initially for salt but later for timber, furs and wools which had been shipped from England, Ireland and Holland.
The Coastal areas around La Rochelle were already developing vines as a stable crop and further south in Bordeaux the trade in wine was more advanced. Gradually vines were planted further inland in the Bois or woody areas usually on the slopes since the flatter land was still favoured for growing grain.
The term Vin de Ritzel or wines from La Rochelle was generally more favoured than the Vin de Cognac which had to be shipped a considerable distance from Cognac along the Charente by barge to Rocheforte and then onto La Rochelle. The wines were often found to be rancid due partly to being kept in cellars by the negociants until they could be shipped and partly to their long journey to the port for shipping to the more northerly ports. As a result they were condensed by distillation, a skill learned from the Dutch (who were skilled coppersmiths) and famous for their gins. The resulting water clear spirit became known by the traders as Eau de Vie or Water of Life.
In 1576 a local historian, J Corlieu emphasised that the “Grandes Champagnes de Segonzac” produced great quantities of fine wines that were shipped down the river all over the world. A century later these emerged as some of the best wines for distillation into condensed wine or eau de vie.