Cognac

4-MIN READ4-MIN

Published: 12:00am, 16 Dec 2007

The centre of production for the drink author Victor Hugo baptised 'the liquor of the gods', this French town is also the site of elegant Renaissance homes and a hi-tech glassmaker.

1. Espace Decouverte en Pays du Cognac (bottom right; entry free; www.espace-decouverte.fr)

An ideal kick-off point for discovering the home of brandywine, L'Espace Decouverte houses a captivating exhibition telling of the life and times of the flat-bottomed boats, called gabariers, that carried cognac to northern France and brought back the wealth on which the town was built. Wend your way, via a boutique selling bottle openers and other cute cognac widgets, to the Charente quay outside, where the Gabarier Dame Jeanne awaits to take you on a tour (tickets Euro8/HK$92, tel: 33 5 4582 1071) of the Charente River, which King Francois I described as 'the most beautiful of my kingdom'.

2. Vineyards

A recent invention, compared with the wine that's been cultivated in this bountiful region since Roman times, cognac (below centre) evolved in the 17th century from kegs of wine that had turned to vinegar during river journeys to the north. Instead of dumping their acrid cargo, canny producers hit on the idea of distilling it. Et voila: the beverage Hunchback of Notre Dame author Victor Hugo later baptised 'the liquor of the Gods' was born.

These days, only grapes grown and harvested along a 32km band of chalky, well-exposed terrain surrounding brandywine's hometown can claim that prestigious appellation. As the popular local refrain smugly puts it: 'All cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac.' The best way to explore what vintners call 'cognac's golden circle' is to print out one of the four route maps at www.cognacetapes.com and hire a car from Europcar (www.europcar.com). Weave your way along the winding roads, via seas of vineyards and lees of wine, to visit the homes of a dozen brandy makers, who'll be glad to invite you inside to see and sup.