Courvoisier

All these photographs were made in and around Jarnac, a small town in the heart of France’s Cognac region.

It is a beautiful part of the world. Warm, quiet and slow-moving. Vineyards stretch out across the countryside and almost everything seems to revolve around one thing: making Cognac.

I had the chance to follow the process from grape to glass, seeing the different crafts and people involved along the way.

I spent time with coopers selecting Limousin oak for the barrels, walking through the chalky soil beneath the grand cru vines and down into old cellars along the Charente River.

The cellars were dark, cool and musty. Rows of barrels disappearing into the shadows. This was where the spirit spent years quietly doing its work.

Then there were the Maîtres de Chai, working away from the noise and bustle, tasting and blending in quiet sessions that felt almost secretive.

What I liked most was seeing how many different skills come together to make something that, in the end, arrives in a glass.

The vines. The wood. The cellars. The people.

A lot of patience goes into a bottle of Cognac.