Wine tourism: the Explore Cognac brand validates ten new good addresses

Vinification with indigenous yeasts, distillation on lees, no addition of wood extract, no caramel: the eaux-de-vie produced by Lionel Gardrat, Michel Guillard and Jean-Jacques Vallé express all the singularity of a terroir. They testify to the care that the three partners take for this incredible corner of nature, with panoramic views of the Gironde estuary. This beautiful place is open to visits. In August 2025, it was awarded the official Explore Cognac label, like nine other wine tourism proposals in the land of Cognac.

Among these ten winegrowers, distillers, merchants or tourism professionals recognized by their peers, there are serious and passionate people, whose immense qualities have already been praised by "Sud Ouest". We are thinking in particular of Amy and Jean Pasquier , producers of organic cognac in Bellevigne; Paul Giraud , a leading figure among independent Charente winegrowers in Bouteville; or François Voyer in Échallat, an honorable house taken over in 2018 by its cellar master Pierre Vaudon , who has gold in his hands.

The list (details of which can be found in the box) includes other, more discreet figures whose initiatives pique our curiosity. For example, Florence Vilquin, a sophrologist in Cognac, believes that you should let go before tasting, if possible blindfolded!

Explore Cognac now lists around sixty great places to visit, experiences, and tours. The brand was created in 2022, under the aegis of the government agency Atout France, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and its regional tourism committee, Charentes Tourisme, and the National Interprofessional Cognac Bureau (BNIC). Explore Cognac now brings together an entire community whose members are co-opted. Whether young or old, these members promote the diversity of cognac.

The list of experiences Charentes in Flow from Hiersac (16). Gourmet river trip created by Laurette Didière, wine tourism specialist. Brillet in Graves-Saint-Amant (16). Floral workshop and tasting of Belle de Brillet liqueur. Les 1309 in Sigogne (16). Visit to a distillery "between tradition and modernity." Les Hauts de Talmont in Talmont-sur-Gironde (17). Visit designed as a geo-sensory experience. Pasquet in Bellevigne (16). Discovering a trusted address, among the pioneers of organic farming in the land of cognac. Voyer & Vaudon in Échallat (16). "The Nose of Cognac," the title of the tour, offers a gourmet and fun olfactory workshop. Paul Giraud in Bouteville (16). Where this independent winemaker highlights the importance of water in the land of eaux-de-vie. Terrace suite in Cognac (16). Tasting and dinner at Evelyne and Pascal's guesthouse. Quai des Pontis in Cognac (16). Dinner, a night at the hotel, and a visit to a partner wine merchant. Florence Vilquin in Cognac (16). This sophrologist invites you to a tasting "with your eyes closed, in a state of letting go and relaxation."