Cognac Houses Unite to Address Climate Change

The Ideal Wine Company team has learned that several prominent Cognac houses have united to tackle the effects of climate change on French luxury brandy production.

Effects of climate change

Mediterranean countries such as France boast the perfect climates for grape growing, meaning they’ve developed world-class wine production industries. But climate change is warming these regions up and as the Ideal Wine Company has explained, this could forever alter France’s wine and Champagne industry.

Our neighbour across the English Channel is also the home of the world’s Cognac industry. One of the requirements of this signature brandy is that it must be made with grapes like Ugni Blanc, which boast high acidity levels. However the rising temperatures that are a hallmark of climate change could compromise acid levels found in grapes used to make Cognac.

New solutions

The industry has tried to tackle this issue by harvesting grapes earlier in the season. In the past 30 years, the harvest has been moved by 10 days to overcome higher temperatures. But with climate change becoming a more pressing problem by the day, this is a temporary solution at best.

Cognac houses Courvoisier, Hennessy and Remy Martin – you can buy the Remy Martin XO Champagne Cognac from us by the way, have united to try a new solution. According to Imbibe they’ve formed a research committee to test a new hybrid grape that will hold its acidity even when grown in hotter climates. Called Monbadon, the first crop of the grape will be harvested in 2018; the resulting eau de vie will be aged for at least three years before being used for Cognac.

Hybrid grape

Commenting on the project, Courvoisier master distiller Benoît De Sutter said: “We planted areas with Monbadon and a mix of Ugni Blanc and Folle Blanche in April 2015, testing different soils… Courvoisier’s vines are planted in the Fins Bois region, while Hennessy and Rémy Martin’s are in Grande Champagne.”

Continuing, De Sutter explained: “We’re doing the research to find whether the aromatic profile of Monbadon will be similar to Ugni Blanc… We already know that it has a higher level of acidity and lower level of alcohol than Ugni Blanc… It’s a very long experiment, but it’s for us to be ready in 30 years when global warming will really impact us.”

Try our Cognacs

We’re glad to hear this project could help Cognac overcome climate change. We love Cognac too much to lose it! If you want to see why people across the globe lover this unique French product, why don’t you purchase one of the Ideal Wine Company’s Cognacs? You’ll soon see why it’s so important we safeguard the Cognac industry from the effects of climate change! 

Turning Slag Heaps into Vineyards

The Ideal Wine Company has recently learned about something extraordinary. A wine producer in the north of France has turned one of the region’s infamous ‘slag heaps’ into a vineyard.

Blight of the skyline

France has been mining the coal seam that runs along its border with Belgium for roughly 300 years. Mining is a dirty game; it leaves behind a lot of coal residue and the miners had to put it somewhere.
They dumped it in the countryside, and over time mountains of the residue, or ‘slag heaps,’ grew up to blight the Northern French skyline. These heaps were once regarded as a national embarrassment, but the BBC has recently reported that the citizens of this region have decided to turn their greatest embarrassment into their greatest asset.

Charbonnay

They’re transforming these slap heaps, called ‘terrils’ by the French, into exciting new projects that have ignited a fondness in the hearts of our continental cousins for these environmental eyesores. Wine-grower Henri Jammet decided to do something truly revolutionary; he transformed one terril into what has become France’s most northerly vineyard.

He planted vines on the slopes of a slag heap in Haillicourt, Northern France, in 2011. Jammet created a vintage that he’s lovingly called ‘Charbonnay,’ a play on the words ‘Chardonnay,’ arguably the world’s most famous wine, and ‘bonnay,’ the French word for ‘coal.’ The novel winery produced 150 bottles in 2013, before doubling its capacity to 300 bottles last year.

“The wine is great.”

Speaking about the project, Jammet said "people here were very surprised, but the wine is great. The terril is stony - it drains well because it is on a slope; the earth is black which keeps in the warmth; and we face south - all things that help the vines."

The innovative wine producer elaborated, "obviously the soil is poor - but that is good. Vines need to struggle in order to bring out the best in the grape. Our wine is sharp because they don't have the sun up here to reduce the acidity - and it's got the proper Chardonnay citrus notes."

Buy a Bordeaux

The fact that the French can turn slag heaps into vineyards shows you just how good they are at making wine. If you want to sample a range of the country’s finest vintages, why don’t you buy a Burgundy from the Ideal Wine Company right now!

The History of Cristal Champagne

If you’re looking for a first-rate Champagne, you should buy a bottle of Cristal from the Ideal Wine Company; a sparkling wine brand that’s steeped in history, glamour and political intrigue.

Luxury vintage

No birthday, anniversary or graduation is complete without a bottle Champagne. France’s signature sparkling wine is the ultimate luxury vintage; it adds that little touch you need to turn any celebration into a special occasion you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

No Champagne says ‘special occasion’ quite like Cristal. Typically created from a heady mix of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, this Champagne brand is often considered one of the finest in the world. In part, this is because it has a fascinating and compelling history that has shaped its unique character ever since it was founded way back in the 19^th Century.

Wine of the Tsars

Cristal was founded by Champagne producer Louis Roederer in 1876, on the orders of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. This led him to create what has since become known as Cristal Champagne; the first ‘prestige cuvee’ (blended wine of the highest quality), a vintage that was fit for an Emperor.

The Russian autocrat ruled a very unstable empire, and he feared that he would be assassinated at every turn; he feared that enemies would use the Champagne to hide a bomb! With this in mind, he demanded that Roederer store the Champagne in a bottle that was clear, so that he could see the bubbles and drink in safety. This led the producer to create Cristal’s distinctive clear, flat-bottomed bottle.

Pop culture Champagne

Since its creation, Cristal has maintained its status as the ultimate luxury product; it wasn’t even commercially available until 1945. It’s the 90’s where things get really interesting.

 The 90’s were the age of hip hop and rap culture. Dance-pop and disco were dead, and urban artists such as Jay Z, Tupac Shakur, Puff Daddy and Biggie Smalls ruled the airwaves. These music megastars made a habit of referencing Cristal in their song lyrics, turning the brand into pop culture phenomenon that’s lasted well into the 21^st Century. Today, we associate Cristal with fast cars, giant mansions and mountains of cash; the jet set lifestyle.

Try Cristal

If this should tell you anything, it’s that Cristal Champagne has always been associated with success, glamour and luxury. If you want to find out why Cristal was the favoured brand of Tsars and hip hop stars alike, why don’t you try one of the Ideal Wine Company’s finest Cristals, the Louis Roederer Cristal 2000, today?