Editor’s Note: If you’re like us, you’re convinced that the good life includes travel. So we’re adding stories about destinations near and far into the mix at “GoodLife.” We start in rural France, where a community has made one of life’s pleasures its life’s work. We’re talking about Cognac and cognac. Check out this beautiful city if you get a chance, but even if you can’t visit the town, the good news is that you can still get a taste of what they’re up to.
They don’t just drink cognac in the Charente river valley of Southwest France. They live it.
Driving through the pretty countryside, where small hills and valleys are dotted with perfectly spaced grapevines, you’d never know the wine produced here in this region above Bordeaux is used to make “the Noble spirit.”
But enter the city of Cognac and you know where you are. The big guys — Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell — are all based here along with smaller houses, and occupy historic buildings on much of the riverfront. Right across the Charente in Jarnac is powerhouse Courvoisier. Nearly everyone in the city of 20,000 and surrounding countryside seems connected with the famous French brandy. Cognac is big business in Cognac.