Low harvest in the Charentes
10 septembre 2008
The 2008 wine harvest in the Charentes is expected to reach 6.6 million hectoliters, a slight improvement on last year which remains a record low harvest.

Angels’ share : exceptional cognacs under the hammer
9 septembre 2008
On 25 September, an auction of exceptional cognacs will be organized in the course of a gala dinner. Several cognac houses have offered superb carafes containing old vintage cognacs. The lots can be seen on : www.lapartdesanges.cognac.fr.

New term and projects at the agricultural college in La Couronne
8 septembre 2008
This year the L’Oisellerie agricultural college in La Couronne will welcome 312 students and is offering a new diploma : a professional degree called “Legal advice and technical and economic development in the wines and spirits branch”.

Rémy-Martin raises its prices
5 septembre 2008
The Rémy Martin cognac house has announced an increase in the price paid to the winegrowers in its cooperative (1,224 suppliers in Grande and Petite Champagne) ranging from +12% to +14.9% in 2008. The grape harvest is due to start in the Cognac area on 6 October.

Price of bottles rising
5 septembre 2008
The European confederation of independent winegrowers (Cevi) has denounced a 10.6% average rise in the price of bottles. The finger is pointed at the two main manufacturers of glass bottles, Saint-Gobain (present in Châteaubernard) and OI.

Pineau honored in La Rochelle and Brussels
5 septembre 2008
Pineau des Charentes will be presented at the Grand Pavois from 11 to 14 September in La Rochelle. Pineau will also receive top billing on 20 and 21 September in the Belgian city of Brussels.

Pernod-Ricard may distribute Absolut vodka
4 septembre 2008
Pernod-Ricard may soon take over distribution of Absolut vodka, following an agreement between the 4 Maxxium shareholders to put an early end to the distribution agreement for the Vin & Spirit brands on 1 October. Rémy-Cointreau, a shareholder in Maxxium, will lose 224 million euros in the operation. The group expects to be affected by the economic crisis. According to the CEO, Dominique Hériard-Dubreuil, Rémy-Cointreau will have to contend with a year of stagnation.

Cognac as an aperitif with “So Yang”
4 septembre 2008
C ; Coates, formerly in charge of communication at the BNIC, has created “So Yang”, a blend of cognac and green tea (vine peach or ginger versions) with J. Petit, an independent producer from Berneuil. C. Coates is looking for a distributor for the French market.

Hennessy open for visits
3 septembre 2008
The Hennessy cognac house has an educational trail for visitors with numerous precious exhibits on display, such as a barrel dated 1893. Despite this, visitor numbers fell this summer by 15 to 20%.

Exceeding quotas : winegrowers convicted
3 septembre 2008
On 2 September, the Regional Court in Angoulême imposed fines ranging from 3,500 to 31,000 euros on six winegrowers from the Cognac area for exceeding their production quotas (QNV, quantity of wine normally produced).