COGNAC

Wine-tasting and gastronomy breaks

Eating and drinking have always gone together in France and our short breaks range from serious tasting of the 'grand crus' in the Bordeaux region to a more leisurely introduction to the oldest French spirit - Armagnac - in deepest Gascony.

Cognac - the details

The airports of Rochefort, La Rochelle, Bergerac or Poitiers are all about 1hr distant.

Price per person (base 2 participants minimum): 425 euros

Includes:
3 nights in double room (superior)
welcome aperitif
3 dinners (half-board)
circuit 'Grand Champagne de Cognac' with tasting
visit of a Cognac distillery with tasting
a souvenir bottle of Pineau de Charentes

3 day hire car from any local airport (type VW Golf or similar, unlimited mileage, CDW)

BOOKING ENQUIRIES

other wine-tasting packages

Gascony - a real French spirt - Armagnac

Corbières - Languedoc's answer to Bordeaux

Bordeaux - the real thing

Gaillac - Albi and the Tarn: interesting wines

Cahors - the 'black wine' of the Lot Valley

4 day/3 night self-drive discovery break in Cognac: accommodation in chateau-hotel, visit to distillery and hire car included.

When it comes to spirits there's really only one name for those distilled from the grape: Cognac. This short break in south-western France introduces you to the town and the spirit of Cognac so that you may verify Victor Hugo's verdict: 'Liquor of the Gods'.

Day 1: arrival at Rochefort (La Rochelle) airport, pick up the hire car and en route for Cognac through the rolling countryside of the Charente.
Arrival and installation at the Chateau-Hotel, a nineteeth century château a few hundred metres from the historic centre of Cognac.
Discovery, on foot, of this historic town, the Cognac museum and the Château of François the First.
Overnight at the Domaine.

Day 2:
After breakfast we have arranged for you to visit either the 'Hennessy' or the 'Martell' distillery. This is a VIP visit, with tastings.
In the afternoon you could go out of town and visit a producer of the famous apéritif, 'Pineau de Charente', or discover the ancient city of Saintes or the seaside resort of Royan with its beaches and Casino. Overnight at the Domaine de Breuil

Day 3:
Today you are invited to do the "Circuit grande champagne" which is a 70 km tour of the best "terroir" of cognac vines. It's a relaxing day spent admiring the typical Charentaise architecture and stopping by a couple of small producers - one which makes wine and Pineau, the other Cognac. Each visit includes tasting and lasts about 60 to 90 minutes, depending on interest. (Reservations for these visits are made by the hotel the night before).

Day 4:
Breakfast. A last look around the town and maybe a drive down to the coast before heading back to the airport.

 

accommodation:

Chateau-hotel
You will stay in a magnificent 19th century chateau-hotel, a superb building set in a wooded 15 acre estate with pool. The hotel restaurant is highly regarded and the bar serves an extraordinary selection of ... cognacs.

reservation and enquiries