1. Go three centuries back in history
Not to be missed, Maison Martell has dominated the landscape for more than three hundred years. Book your tour (with tasting), and be ushered through the humble doorway of the building erected by Jean Martell in the late 1700s. Be shown the holy of holies: the cellar where the precious spirit only gets better with age. End your tour in the “salle des montres”. A fantastic introduction to Cognac.
2. Get immersed in the Martell Foundation
You’ll have to come back at least once a year if you don’t want to miss the immersive installations on the ground floor. Not ours, but the Martell Foundation’s. Every year it invites a different artist to take over its 900m² of free space. The only rule: to create a complete, immersive, and evolving environment. No mean feat!
3. Perch on a rooftop
Come evening, keep climbing up the Gâtebourse tower until you reach the rooftop and its bar: Indigo by Martell. It’s our new favourite spot for a new take on the city, sipping on one of the cocktails of which only Maxime Le Gal, head bartender, knows the secrets. And if you want to keep your visit strictly Cognac, there’s plenty on the menu!
4. Sleep in the Chais Monnet
And was Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European project, one of the same family of wine merchants? Indeed he was. And tonight, you’ll be sleeping in their cellars. No need to panic! They have been renovated a little bit since 1838. Today, they are no longer home to the barrels containing the precious nectar, but rather a five star hotel in the perfect location in the heart of Cognac. You want the address?
5. Get your own cellar started at the Cognathèque
What’s the Cognathèque? It’s more than just a wine cellar. Far more! It’s the high temple of cognac! There’s dozens of varieties of Pineau de Charentes, and hundreds of cognacs... You wouldn’t even think there could be so many! Newcomers to the world of cognac can sample incredible spirits. Connoisseurs can learn the art of tasting.
Places to go
- A single address for the Maison Martell, the Martell Foundation, and Indigo by Martell :16 Avenue Paul Firino Martell, 16100 Cognac
- Hôtel Chais Monnet: 50 avenue Paul Firino Martell, 16100 Cognac
- La Cognathèque: 10 place Jean Monnet, 16100 Cognac
Journalist and editor
