OLD-SCHOOL CRAFT Family-Owned Vallein Tercinier Has Independently Produced Cognac for Nearly 200 Years
Written by Rich Manning
I
t’s a cold, gray day in January, and I have spent an hour touring a distillery. I strolled the rustic, unfussy grounds, got up close to the equipment, and asked the distiller a few nerdy industry questions. As we make our way to the tasting room — or, more accurately, the dining room in the owner’s home — we’re greeted at the door by the owner’s mother. I walked by a drawing of Jesus framed by pistols and settled into a daytime treat of select pours, accompanied by flaky croissants and freshly brewed coffee. It felt like a craft distillery: homespun, authentic, transparent. I was at a craft distillery. However, I wasn’t in the United States.
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Photos provided by Vallein Tercinier
I’m at Vallein Tercinier in Cognac, France, roughly 3,600 miles away from the U.S. and somehow even further away from the big, branded cognac houses that typically engulf the consumer’s mindset. It’s the first stop on a four-day trip through the city. Subsequent visits to the area’s famous brands will provide the sparkle and sheen one might expect from labels with large reputations and larger marketing muscle. While they were terrific experiences, Vallein Tercinier, however, feels easy and comfortable like home, and not just because the tour of the family-owned distillery finished in a residential dwelling. It also feels like what American craft distilling could be decades into the future. W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M