Vineyards of Cognac. Gastronomy, heritage, Charente river, Romanesque art, leisure and corporate events

 Gastronomy
 Heritage
 The Charente river
 The Romanesque Art
 Leisure and Corporate events

Copyright © : text from BNIC (Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac) - www.cognac.fr

Gastronomy

In the heart of the cognac vineyards, one may discover and appreciate a wide range of local specialties such as farming products, game, fish and sea food and of course cognacs, pineaux des Charentes and Charentais wines. With all these specialties an original and authentic gastronomy developed serving Charentais snails, oysters with their dressing with the Bouteville vinegar, goat’s cheese if not to mention soufflé with cognac and pineau...

Heritage

The cognac area owns a very dense and diversified heritage with several cities to discover. There one would glance through a book on French History or on architecture : Angoulême and its cathedral St-Pierre, the Roman thermes and the Arch of Romanicus in Saintes, the old harbors at La Rochelle, Rochefort, its naval dockyards and the legendary Ship L’Hermione of La Fayette and many other places of prime interest.

The Charente river

370 km long, the Charente river flows from Chéronnac in Haute Vienne department to the Atlantic Ocean near Rochefort. This wide and beautiful river was described by the king Henri the 4th as « the loveliest stream in my kingdom ».

The Romanesque Art

By the end of the first millennium, many sanctuaries were built in Angoumois, Aunis, Poitou and Saintonge regions along the pilgrimage ways to St-Jacques de Compostelle. This gave birth to the Romanesque Art : a new architectural fine art. The inside of churches was very simple with very expressive sculptures and extraordinary frescos carved in local chalky stones. Do not miss churches at Aulnay de Saintonge, Talmont, St-Preuil, Bourg-Charente, Bouteville or the abbey of Bassac and the abbey of Fontdouce.

Leisure and Corporate events

The cognac vineyards are a land varied and rich enough to offer breaks and escapes out of the beaten tracks, to offer hidden locations for seminars or incentive, opportunities for leisure such as horse ridding, golf courses, canoing on the Charente river...