| 31/08/99 |
Cognac producers catching fever 2000 with many creating a short run bottling
commemorating the event - Boutinet, Larsen, Landreau, Gautier
among them. |
| 31/08/99 |
Cognac, an independent guide to the people, the product and the
region written by Torula News correspondent is now available in the
bookstores in Paris - Brentano's, W.H.Smith, Shakespeare and others. Marie Claire Pajeile, Guide's illustrator opens a 3
weeks exhibition in Stockholm, Sweden at the Gallery Puckeln on 25 September 1999. |
| 31/08/99 |
Oncle Albert Très Vieux Cognac is a Grande Champagne product
from Jean-Luc Pasquet, a master distiller from Eraville. And now, for the first time, the background
to this unique product has been told exclusively to Torula News. Click here for details. |
| 31/08/99 |
Vignoble
Denechere (Le Clos de la Groie)
expands its product line with Très Vieux Pineau and five Cognac
based liqueurs. For details click here. |
| 29/08/99 |
The downward trend continues with Cognac sales showing dramatic
drop in the months of June and July of this year in comparison to 1998 - about 9% drop for
the two months. UK, Ireland, Russia, Japan and the USA are the markets registering double
digit drops in Cognac sales. Positive trends can be found in Korea, Malaysia, China and
Scandinavia with Norway showing double digit increase in Cognac sales. And finally, France
where some 90% of the total advertising budget is being spend by the BNIC,
shows a single digit drop in the month of June and a hefty increase in July. A typical
yo-yo effect of poor advertising campaign saved by the thirsty foreign tourists but the
final judgment will emerge when we see the August/September numbers. With the August
vacation ending next week, the Cognac industry is full of anticipation of the next action
by the Communication Committee of the BNIC, which is responsible for the
promotion and advertising of Cognac. (28/08/99Sud-Ouest,
Torula News) |
| 29/08/99 |
With Christophe Loubes (to Libourne) and Pascal Robineau (to Bordeaux) departure
from the Cognac office of the Sud-Ouest (a regional newspaper), will the
new team under Olivier Bonnefont live up to their predecessors reputation and inquisitive
reporting? We welcome the new team and look forward to a friendly competition. Cognac
industry needs more transparency, new strategies, higher visibility and less "do it
as we always done it" approach. The media (paper, radio, TV or Internet) is just one
catalyst that offers an opportunity to bring this change about. And it all begins at home,
in the Cognac region. |
| 29/08/99 |
Norwegians and their press are in love with Jon Bertelsen Cognacs
(from the house of quality of Leopold Gourmel). Check www.thoc.org for plenty of details. |
| 29/08/99 |
Cognac Long Drink web site offers lots of
choices even though not all pages are available yet. |
| 25/08/99 |
RémyCointreau
(a parent of Cognac Rémy Martin) owns 9.4% of Highland
Distillers (an owner of Famous Grouse blended whisky), whose shares jumped 25%
last week after a bid approach. Respectively, shares of RémyCointreau moved above F18 on
the Paris market. But the majority shareholder (28%) in the Highland Distillers is Edrington,
a Glasgow based whisky company that is owned by charity. And Jim Beam,
the American bourbon maker may have an interest in Highland Distillers, as
well. Of course, there is a possibility of an outsider bid, too. So, has RémyCointreau
enough cash and the fighting spirit to protect its shareholding? What will happened to
their distribution company that just happened to have the same shareholders? Or a new
battle royal is about to erupt (a la BNP/SocGen/Paribas) where the winner might, in due
process, grab the control of RémyCointreau? While the harvest in the Cognac vineyards
will begin in the late September, the share harvesting might occur around the same time
making it for an interesting autumn. (TheSundayTimes22/08/99, Torula News). |
| 22/08/99 |
The
great success of Thursday' "Les Noctambulations", a visitor
night walk through the history of Cognac, was confirmed last week when the group of four
British visitors found both walks sold out to their great surprise. Then they went around
Cognac trying to find BNIC sponsored and heavily promoted "Les
Ambassadeurs du Cognac", bars and restaurants with this designation. And
when they found none, they called Torula News. After heavy newspaper publicity (full page
ads announcing names of the "Les Ambassadeurs du Cognac"
participants), on the tails of plastering the region with "Cognac with ice
cubes" posters, the four British visitors left the region disappointed. We
checked the bars and restaurants around Place François Premier in Cognac, and found no
reference to the "Les Ambassadeurs du Cognac" designation.
Unfinished campaign or a case of ill spent money on a right idea - we ask. |
| 22/08/99 |
Climbing
out of a deep valley, the Spirits companies involved in the Cognac industry
showed healthy gains (2.68%) on Paris, New York and London markets last week, with the
exception of Allied Domecq (parent of Cognac Courvoisier). See TWIX, (a Torula Weekly Index). On a local front,
A. Hardy Cognac and Pineau des Charentes traders await decision
on their appeal against the judgment of the Tribunal de Commerce in Cognac which awarded
their company to the Jean-Claude Boisset Company of Nuit-Saint-Georges.
This decision is expected by the end of August 1999. |
| 18/08/99 |
Talk,
the newest magazine America is talking about finally arrived on our desk. This is the
latest of Tina Brown's (of Vanity Fair, The New Yorker) efforts. Full of content, photos
and advertising (i.e. champagne, rum) but you will not find a single ad for Cognac.
A curious situation in an industry that needs to sell and defends its market share in the
USA. |
| 18/08/99 |
Martine
Lelyon is a multimedia, multitasking artist working with ceramics, paint,
sculptures and other art media. After years in Comoro and Gabon, she settled in Charente.
Her presence was visible at the recent Blues Passions in Cognac; painted barrels (a joint
project with children of Maison de Cartier), painted staves at the Cognac producers
stands, sculptures on the lawn. Working with the material donated by Hennessy
and Taransaud she brought Cognac closer to the art. For Taransaud, she
makes ceramic replicas of cooperage tools and for others, she makes collages of Cognac and
wine labels. Click to sample it. |
| 18/08/99 |
It
was Wednesday, less than 20 hours ago. Phone rang. "Torula News?" a female voice
asked. "Yes" we answered. "Just read about Hennessy PureWhite.
Why are you not covering Jimmy, Jimmy Hennessy?" "Well, we know
it but ..." - we started to mumble. "Oh, but I just came from the Caribbean
Islands where I tasted Jimmy Hennessy and Coca Cola..." We
interrupted with: "And?..." She replied: "It was great, you need to cover
the world of Cognac, and I mean the world". We talked some more with this famous Cognac
producer from Grande Champagne. So, here you have it. And yes,
we tasted Jimmy and coca, a good long drink available on the Islands. |
| 15/08/99 |
Pierre
Gorin, Mark Hoellinger, Aurelie Laporte and others (i.e. Christophe Navarre on
the stage at Alcazar in Paris) of Hennessy are PureWhite;
they created ad, promo and PR campaign with Young Rubicam ad agency in
Paris, they live it (from London's K-Bar to Gay Parade
in Paris) and they are proud of it! And justifiably so. The Hennessy PureWhite
ad campaign reminds us of early Bennetton ads but there is still more to come;
challenging black&white print ads with photos by Diane Torpe, Conran's
designs (click here to sample it). Following on the
premise of "Cognacly" incorrect, Hennessy PureWhite offers
various promo
materials to the sellers of the product. For example, a violin case (a reminiscence of
the Chicago Prohibition days), a bar kit that contains modern, well designed and
functional items (a la Conran) and, the funniest yet among the Cognac producers, Happy
Thursday promo material (see Torula News 03/08/99). The campaign targets twenty-
to thirtysomething, urban, well educated trend setters from Berlin to Paris to Madrid and
icon personalities and labels like David Hockney, Louis Vuiton, Dior, Galliano.
As the Hennessy PureWhite is not available in the USA (our American colleague in New York
said: "Eat your heart, Tina Brown!") at present (for reasons that we differ on),
we might see a booming smuggling PureWhite activities by the New York and San Francisco
trend setters. The bottle is unique, the product is a Premier Cognac Blanc especially
developed for Long Drink consumption but retaining aromas and taste of a classic Cognac
(yes, you can find flowery and fruity aromas in the PureWhite). And Hennessy, while
positioning the product against other spirits (white, whitish or whiter) has told the
sellers point blank: "This is a natural, 100% grape product".
Having left its Cognac competitors well behind (i.e. Remyx from Rémy Martin,
Furio from H. Mounier) with a possible exception of Angel Night
from Logis de la Montagne, Hennessy is underway to create not only new category
of Cognac but a new method of drinking it, new converts to Cognac and most importantly for
the company, a new market for its products. Will we see e-PureWhite
(T-shirts, violins etc.) at www.libertysurf.fr ?.
Will the PureWhite finds its way, eventually into the USA market? With
the imminent roll out of the print campaign, the answers to those and other questions will
begin emerging. "Cognacly" incorrect or as Torula News
calls it "Shake (the Cognac industry), rattle ( the
spirits industry)'n'roll (the profits)"; and more of it. |
| 15/08/99 |
On
3 consecutive Sundays in September (5, 12, 19), behind the quiet of Tiffon
warehouses in Jarnac, they will race horses, they will bet and they will
drink Cognac. This annual fun is being organized by Jacky Navarre
of Cognac Navarre and promises this year to have some 100 horses in 7
daily races starting each Sunday at 14:00, jockeys from France and Spain and, based on
last years attendance, some 1000 daily visitors ..."And off they go!... |
| 15/08/99 |
Secretive,
dictatorial and arrogant behavior, photo ops with local politicians a priority and an
uneven (1 employee for most of the October to May period, several in July/August)
employment characterize efforts to get the gabare on the river Charente
in St.Simon, Charente. La Renaissance is on the water after a great
launching, as reported by Torula News, but it is still not finished while the tourist
season is about to end. At the same time, without great fanfares the City of
Saintes gabare was build by 5 people on time, so it could entertain the tourists
(i.e. promote Cognac) this summer. Jean-Jacques Delage
who is in charge of the Charente gabare (among his other Conseil General duties) could
take a few lessons from the City of Saintes. And maybe, Vivendi would ask how was their
F120,000 contribution spend? Click
here to view La Renaissance launch on 03/07/99. |
| 12/08/99 |
Amateur
Cognac Tasting Society has rescheduled its 25 August tasting at Cognac
Gautier to Monday, 27 September at Cognac Gautier in Aigre. It promises to be a
fabulous and exciting tasting and dinner in the chais of Gautier. |
| 12/08/99 |
In
addition to a very select list of Cognac on www.calvados.de, Germany has now (started in 1998)
another Internet site with a very ambitious and well thought out selection of Cognacs
and Pineaux - www.cognac-connection.de. |
| 12/08/99 |
The
occurring drought in the USA has affected American politicians when "Senators
propose warning labels on French wine - Three US Senators have proposed
warning labels on French wine saying "GOVERNMENT WARNING: Dried animal blood is
occasionally used as a clarifying agent in French wines." The threat comes only a few
days after China halted sales of French wine because of "contamination"
concerns. If this story is not reported properly, it could have a major impact on wine
consumption...". This is a direct quote from ENews, from the Beverage
Testing Institute at www.tastings.com. The
background to this story lies in the French officials discovering that winemakers in four
small regions in the south of France were using a banned bovine blood (of mad cow disease
infamy) byproduct to purify the wine. The wine is of table wine quality and was not
exported. It totaled only 85,000 liters out of a total French wine production of some 5.4
billion liters. We can understand Chinese overreaction (remember Tianamen Square) but the
American politicians should be ashamed of it. (ENews, IHT11/08/99), Torula News) |
| 10/08/99 |
A
recently released FT European Performance League tables for
beverage industry indicate poor share performance with only Heineken
showing a positive share price change as of end of 1Q99. Among top 8 were Pernod Ricard, a
parent of Cognac Bisquit ranked 3rd and Allied Domecq, a parent of Cognac
Courvoisier ranked 6th. For more details click www.ft.com
|
| 10/08/99 |
Last
weekend's Pineau des Charentes "Portes Ouvertes (Open Gates)"
in the Cognac region generated more visitors (French and foreign) and
more sales than the previous year, according to the viticulteurs that Torula News spoke
too. This may translate into good year-end, century-end and millennium sales in the last 4
months of the year for Pineau as well as Cognac and Vin
de Pays Charentais. Product prices are climbing up, especially in the lower end
categories but the quality of those products are often below the consumer expectation. A
potential spoiler for what could be a rousing finale of the last 4 months. |
| 08/08/99 |
Jean-Paul, Solange and François Mery are
one of the most visible and active viticulteurs in the region. They work from their
property in Sales d'Angles as well as from their summer sales shop next to the Château
de Cognac Towers. The shop is large and well organized offering not only Mery's Cognac,
Pineau and Sparkling Grape Juice but other regional products
like honey, walnut oils, conserves, brass pots and trinkets. Pineau (18% vol.) they offer
is a 3 year old Rosé and 2 year old White with a variety of labels. Their Cognacs are all
Grande Fine Champagne; 5ans and VSOP. The VSOP scored 6/10 on the Amateur
Cognac Tasting Society (ACTS) score card showing nice flowery and vanilla aromas
on the nose and beginnings of rancio with spice hints on the palate. It is round if a bit
short. They use Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Folle Blanche grapes. A few months at the winery
in Australia, clearly helped François to hone his marketing skills and his English. No
wonder that he is involved in Fête du Cognac, Young
Viticulteurs Association and a few other activities. |
| 08/08/99 |
When the eclipse
passes through the Cognac region on the 11/08 it should also be noted
that J&B whisky stole the advertising punch on the Cognac industry
with its 'eclipse' ad. |
| 07/08/99 |
English
is here to stay. That is the conclusion of a business survey of diverse businesses in
Europe; European Central Bank, Vivendi. Galleries Lafayette, Hennessy, BMW,
Gemplus, Bertelsmann even the French Economics Ministry and many
others. And when the French Minister of Education, Claude Allegre
described English as a useful working tool, like PC or the Internet, and said it should
not be considered foreign in France than the recent appointment of Eric Wishart, British,
to be the editor in chief of Agence France-Presse (AFP) did not come as a surprise. Barry
James of the International Herald Tribune wrote about it in an excellent
article recently. These developments should send a clear signal to the Cognac
producers, small and big; get ready to do business in English. Should BNIC, local Chamber of Commerce
or University
of Eaux-de-vie in Segonzac offer business English
courses to the industry? Better sooner than later. (IHT05/08/99, Torula
News) |
| 07/08/99 |
The
House of Representatives in the USA has approved legislation that would
grant states power to enforce laws restricting the sale of alcoholic beverages
over the Internet. The American Senate has approved a similar measure which was
designed to reduce "on-line bootlegging" including the availability of alcohol
to minors. Proponents of this legislation said that what began as a cottage industry had
fermented (!) into a coast-to-coast, $1 billion-a-year business. Although Cognac
sales on the Internet into the USA are negligible, this legislation may put halt to the
end-of-the-year plans to unveil a major spirits (Cognac included) selling Internet effort.
And, of course, how long will it take Brussels to follow with the same legislation. The
echoes of prohibition are getting louder. (IHT5/08/99,Torula News) |
| 06/08/99 |
You
are on the beach, you are on the VTT, you walk or you surf - its holiday time. Your brain
is carefree and your imagination uncumbered. And of course, you drink Cognac.
So, lets pause a minute and imagine this...a viticulteur works the
vineyard, distills and at some point in the process, he or she sells the eaux-de-vie
to a trading house (negocé). Same applies to a distiller. The trading
house (i.e. Martell, Hennessy, Camus, Rémy Martin, Larsen,
Delamain, Courvoisier) than assembles (ages and blends) these eaux-de-vie into
Cognac and sells it under its own name. In this process, all the trading houses take
special care that the supplier (viticulteur/distiller) follows house rules and adheres to
quality. But the suppliers are invisible to the consumer and yet, many of them bottle
their product and sell them under their own label in quantities substantially lower than
the trading house. So why not to award and recognize those suppliers in a constructive
fashion. Let the trading house award them a "By Appointment to Name of
the Trading House eaux-de-vie producer name" label so they can
add to the bottle, if they choose it. Should the supplier sell the eaux-de-vie to more
than one house, they could list multiple trading houses or just the one to whom they sell
most. What will this accomplish? First and foremost, it would further increase pressure on
the bottling supplier to keep up the quality of the product. Secondly, it would help
selling it. And finally, it would help suppliers and trading houses to solidify their
relationship. A win-win situation! No need for bureaucracy, no need for years of meetings
and debates, just a simple idea so easy to implement. And if "By Appointment..."
sounds to royal make it "Supplier to...". Well, back to the beach, the
VTT, walk or surf but comes September lets implement it. |
| 05/08/99 |
As
the Cognac region barely recovers from the Cognac&Blues activities, Pineau
des Charentes takes the center stage with "Portes Ouvertes (Open
Gates)" between 6 and 8 of August. A great opportunity to visit producers
and enjoy their renown hospitality. |
| 04/08/99 |
Drink
(wine, beer or spirits) in moderation is good for you so check www.arcol.asso.fr |
| 03/08/99 |
"Cognacly
incorrect" is the theme of a new advertising, promotion and PR campaign for Hennessy
PureWhite. A brilliant concept and a great idea which we believe will shake,
rattle&roll not only consumers in France, Spain, Germany and Japan (initial markets
for Pure White) but the Cognac establishment as well. It also proves, that Hennessy under
Navarre is an undisputed leader in the Cognac world; last year introduction of Single
Distillery products, superb XO Grande Champagne and, now, this
outstanding campaign for PureWhite. During the recent Blues Passions Festival, using Lucky
Peterson concert as a background, Hennessy gave locals a chance to peak at the campaign.
Promo posters, bar ads (?Thursday with ideas on how to drink PureWhite - with Cola, with
Tonic, on the rocks; Pure Kiss, Pure Happy Thursday, Pure Sweet),
T-shirts and simply sheer presence of Hennessy people in the park bodes well for PureWhite
future success. More on the campaign in the coming days. |
| 02/08/99 |
Jean-Marie Paquet
produces Cognac Le Coup de Jarnac (Selection and Reserve qualities) in
the Fins Bois cru and his cousin Frederic Barriére runs a Ferme Auberge de la
Grand'Plante in Triac-Lautrait where he offers charentaise cooking and our
favorite Millas Charentaise. They participated in the Blues Passions with very good
results. |
| 02/08/99 |
A historical place and a
classy events including night visits and Philippe Charpentier music (jazz
and classical) at L'Abbaye
de Fontdouce between 9 and 13 August with tastings of Cognac
based cocktails promise to offer a very interesting series of events. |
| 02/08/99 |
Good
Morning Paris is an interesting Internet
publication that covers all you need to know in Paris plus Cognac
selections based on our Guide. |
| 01/08/99 |
Cognac&Blues - Day 4 at the Blues Passions in Cognac |
| 01/08/99 |
Cognac&Blues - Day 3 at the Blues Passions in Cognac
|
|
Global News for:July'99
June'99 May99 April '99 March'99,
February'99 January'99
1998 |
