Cognac, France

Cognac
Cognac
Subprefecture and commune
	The Saint-Jacques gate in Cognac
	Coat of arms
	Location of Cognac
	Cognac Cognac
	Coordinates: 45°42′N 0°20′W / 45.70°N 0.33°W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente
Arrondissement	Cognac
Canton	Cognac-1 and 2
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Michel Gourinchas
Area 1	15.5 km2 (6.0 sq mi)
Population (2021)	18,448
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	16102 /16100
Elevation	5–53 m (16–174 ft) ; (avg. 27 m or 89 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Cognac (French: [kɔɲak] ^ⓘ, Occitan:Conhac) is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Geography

Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right bank area known as the Saint Jacques district. The town is situated on one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela and is home to the French Air Force training base 709. Cognac is 400 kilometers (250 mi) southwest of Paris.

Climate

Climate data for Cognac, France (1981–2010 averages)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.4 (65.1)	22.5 (72.5)	26.2 (79.2)	31.0 (87.8)	34.0 (93.2)	38.2 (100.8)	40.1 (104.2)	39.6 (103.3)	36.4 (97.5)	30.6 (87.1)	24.7 (76.5)	20.5 (68.9)	40.1 (104.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.4 (48.9)	11.0 (51.8)	14.4 (57.9)	16.9 (62.4)	20.8 (69.4)	24.3 (75.7)	26.8 (80.2)	26.7 (80.1)	23.5 (74.3)	18.9 (66.0)	13.0 (55.4)	9.8 (49.6)	18.0 (64.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.8 (37.0)	2.8 (37.0)	4.9 (40.8)	6.9 (44.4)	10.6 (51.1)	13.6 (56.5)	15.3 (59.5)	15.0 (59.0)	12.3 (54.1)	9.8 (49.6)	5.5 (41.9)	3.3 (37.9)	8.6 (47.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.5 (0.5)	−19.4 (−2.9)	−10.2 (13.6)	−2.9 (26.8)	−0.2 (31.6)	3.0 (37.4)	6.4 (43.5)	5.5 (41.9)	2.2 (36.0)	−3.8 (25.2)	−8.4 (16.9)	−14.5 (5.9)	−19.4 (−2.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	71.9 (2.83)	52.0 (2.05)	57.7 (2.27)	71.0 (2.80)	65.1 (2.56)	52.3 (2.06)	48.2 (1.90)	47.3 (1.86)	59.8 (2.35)	81.2 (3.20)	86.3 (3.40)	84.3 (3.32)	777.1 (30.59)
Average precipitation days	11.7	9.2	10.1	11.3	10.7	7.5	7.0	6.6	8.0	11.4	11.7	11.9	117.0
Average relative humidity (%)	87	82	76	74	75	72	69	72	76	83	87	88	78
Mean monthly sunshine hours	83.0	111.9	162.4	180.5	215.9	238.4	249.9	244.8	199.2	137.3	91.2	81.4	1,995.9
Source 1: Meteo France^[2]^[3]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)^[4]

History

Unknown prior to the 9th century, the town was subsequently fortified. During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed sides on several occasions as the result of fighting and treaties in the region.

The town gave its name to the 1526 League of Cognac, an anti-Habsburg alliance formed by Francis I, who granted it the lucrative right to trade salt along the river, which led to its later development as a center of wine and brandy.^[5]

In November 1651, it was besieged by rebels led by Prince de Condé during the 1648-1653 civil war or "Fronde"; it was relieved in December by a force under Comte d' Harcourt and given additional trading privileges by Louis XIV as a reward for its resistance.^[6]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	2,846	—
1800	2,827	−0.7%
1806	3,134	+10.9%
1821	2,947	−6.0%
1831	3,409	+15.7%
1841	4,118	+20.8%
1846	4,947	+20.1%
1851	5,835	+18.0%
1856	7,085	+21.4%
1861	8,167	+15.3%
1866	9,412	+15.2%
1872	13,677	+45.3%
1876	14,900	+8.9%
1881	14,087	−5.5%
1886	15,200	+7.9%
1891	17,392	+14.4%
1896	20,228	+16.3%
1901	19,483	−3.7%
1906	19,469	−0.1%
1911	19,188	−1.4%
1921	18,876	−1.6%
1926	17,452	−7.5%
1931	17,404	−0.3%
1936	16,305	−6.3%
1946	17,479	+7.2%
1954	19,026	+8.9%
1962	20,798	+9.3%
1968	22,062	+6.1%
1975	22,237	+0.8%
1982	20,660	−7.1%
1990	19,528	−5.5%
1999	19,525	−0.0%
2008	19,066	−2.4%

The inhabitants of the town are known as Cognaçais.

Landmarks

The Old Town. The town's medieval quarter "Vieux Cognac" runs from the Tours Saint-Jacques, alongside the river, up to the Saint-Léger church. The area contains many unusual buildings, built between the 15th and 18th centuries, situated on narrow cobbled streets. Many contain sculptures of the salamander, the symbol of King François I, as well as gargoyles and richly decorated façades.
The Château des Valois, an important medieval trading post.
The Saint-Léger church. Church Exterior^[7]^[8]
The musée d'Art et d'Histoire (art and history museum)
The musée des arts du Cognac (art museum)
The Saint-Gobain glassworks and barrelworks
Cognac Public Garden

The area also contains many Romanesque churches as well as several châteaux.

Cognac brandy

The town gives its name to one of the world's best-known types of brandy or eau de vie. Drinks must be made in certain areas around the town of Cognac and must be made according to strictly defined regulations to be granted the name Cognac.

Cognac is a unique spirit in that it is double-distilled. This process can be viewed in one of the many "Grande Marque" Cognac houses which all have visitor centers. Most central in the town are Hennessy, Martell, Otard, Camus and Remy Martin. About 15 km (9 mi) east of Cognac is Jarnac, home to Courvoisier.

There are six vineyard areas around the Cognac area, all of which are within the Appellation Controlee for Cognac, but which are considered to vary in quality from the best growth area of "Grande Champagne" (nothing to do with the Champagne wine region in NE France), through "Petite Champagne" then "Borderies", "Fins Bois", "Bon Bois" and finally "Bois Ordinaire". The best Cognacs are generally only made using Grande and Petite Champagne grapes, but all Cognac is produced by blending a variety of "Eau de Vie" which can be made from grapes from different locations, and from different vintages. It is the cellar master's skill that ensures that a brand's Cognac is recognizable regardless of when it is produced since he can blend multiple eaux de vie to achieve the right taste for his house.

Different qualities of Cognac are produced by all brands, and include VS ("Very Special"); VSOP ("Very Superior [or, more commonly, "Special", though the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac specifies "Superior"] Old Pale") and XO ("eXtra Old"). (English terms are still used, since in the early days of Cognac production it was the British and Irish who were the main consumers and also became some of the main producers of Cognac, using techniques acquired from the distillation of whiskey, etc.) These are controlled by the length of time the Cognac is allowed to mature in oak barrels, a minimum time being required at each grade level. The longer the Cognac matures in the barrel the smoother it will generally become. Once it is bottled no further development takes place. Most houses still have barrels of Cognac dating back to the 19th century sitting in their cellars waiting for fine blending by the Cellar Master.

Notable people

The glassmaker Claude Boucher, inventor of the glass-blowing machine in around 1880, lived and worked in Cognac
The car manufacturer Louis Delâge was born in Cognac in 1874
Francis I (king of France between 1515 and 1547) was born in the town's castle in 1494. The town's main square is named after him and a statue of the king, on horseback over his enemies, stands at the center
Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, born in Cognac in 1838, discovered the elements Gallium in 1875 and Samarium in 1878
Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, was born in Cognac in 1888
The French adult film star and model François Sagat was born in Cognac.
The French poet Octavien de Saint-Gelais was born in Cognac in 1468