The history of Cognac actually starts in the third century. The region and the beverage Cognac has a long history and involves all kind of nations, merchants, kings and aristocrats, natural catastrophes, wars and cold winters. Despite all this, the product kept getting better and better, century after century. Read the full history of Cognac, “the spirit of the gods”.

The first vines in the region

First century: Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus forbids cultivating wine
III. century: Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus reintroduces the law and grants the Gallic people to own vineyards and to produce wine.
XII. century: Guillaume X., the Duke of Guyenne and Poitiers, orders to plant vineyards in the region of Poitou Charente.
1204: First merchants from La Rochelle come to England to sell wine.
1270: Salt and wine from the region of Saintonge are traded in Hamburg (Hanse).
13th century: The Frapin family settles in the region of Charente.
1337: With the beginning of the 100 Year War between England and France, wine from the Charente region is exported to Great Britain.