Charles Braastad, Managing Director of Delamain, has issued this statement: “After over a century, we are very pleased to once again be cultivating vines. We originally abandoned the practice in 1910 upon the sale of our ‘Bois Clair’ property in Saint-Brice. At the time it allowed us to focus on selection, blending and ageing of Grande Champagne Cognacs. From 2019 the house of Delamain is re-committing to the very first moments in the lives of our Cognacs, to their birth and growth in the vineyards.” There is considerable investment in terms of time and money required to produce cognac so this decision cannot have been taken lightly. Perhaps they are struggling to find enough high quality eau de vie for their cognacs? As demand for cognac is ever increasing and such a large proportion of that produced is purchased by the big houses, this is a sure sign that small firms like Delamain are feeling the squeeze.