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Maison Michel Forgeron · Segonzac

The soul of Cognac, the memory of a terroir

Discover the history, traditions and craftsmanship of Cognac, through the eyes of Maison Michel Forgeron.

Cognac Grande Champagne — With the expertise of Maison Michel Forgeron

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Old demijohns belonging to Maison Michel Forgeron, protected by wicker baskets and bearing handwritten labels.
The demijohns of Maison Michel Forgeron © Maison Michel Forgeron

Maison Michel Forgeron

Based in Segonzac, in the heart of Grande Champagne, Maison Michel Forgeron publishes this guide to share its knowledge of Cognac, its terroir and its history.

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    Maison Michel Forgeron, a family Cognac house in Segonzac, in the heart of Grande Champagne.

Moments at the Maison

Cognac in pictures

Memories of the 1990 grape harvest in Cognac: Francine Forgeron looks back

Francine Forgeron shares her memories of the harvests around 1990, a time of friendship, good crops and changing prices in the Cognac vineyards.

Read the transcript

Francine Forgeron: “The Polish guy danced the polka like a god. We had polka nights. As a team, it was an extraordinary year. The harvest was decent, not as good as in ’89. In ’89, the harvest was huge. But in ’90, we were light-hearted, because the harvest we were bringing in would sell well. In ’89, prices had soared thanks to the Japanese market. Suddenly, bulk prices had quadrupled in three years. The cognac economy was booming. So we were relaxed, we could enjoy the harvest, because we knew this crop would be easy to sell. The demand was there.”

Original French: « Le Polonais dansait la polka comme un dieu. On faisait des soirées polka. Côté équipe, c’était une année extraordinaire. La récolte était correcte, pas aussi bonne qu’en 89. En 89, la récolte avait été énorme. Mais en 90, on avait le cœur léger, parce que la récolte qu’on rentrait se vendrait bien. En 89, les prix s’étaient envolés grâce au marché japonais. Tout à coup, les prix du vrac avaient quadruplé en trois ans. L’économie du cognac était florissante. Alors on était détendus, on pouvait profiter des vendanges, parce qu’on savait que cette récolte serait facile à vendre. La demande était là. »

A vertical video of about 40 seconds, in French with English subtitles; French subtitles are also available in the player.

Essential guides and articles

Key reading to understand Cognac.

Discover Maison Michel Forgeron, a family Cognac house in Segonzac, in the heart of Grande Champagne. Explore our history, traditional craftsmanship and guided tours.