PRESS RELEASE
25.04.2024
Cognac Educators 2024 : A 100% french class
Seven French professionals – bartenders, cellarmen, sommeliers and journalists – have just graduated as Cognac Educators at the Logis des Tourelles in Cognac. In the presence of representatives of the Cognac interprofession (BNIC) and promotion godfather Germain Canto. These seven new graduates, from the Cognac appellation area and from France, will strengthen the local and national community of Cognac Educators, joining the more than 80 enthusiasts approved by the BNIC and active throughout the world in spreading the culture and knowledge of Cognac.
From left to right: Pierrick Baudry, Jacques Soulat, Oriane Chambon, Gabrielle Vizzavona, Germain Canto, Guillaume Le Dorner, Arthur Wargniez and Maxence Moreau.
©BNIC / Albane de Roffignac
This year, the seven candidates for the new class of Cognac Educators are based in the Charente region of France, and even further afield, in Paris. Whether they are barmen, cellarmen, sommeliers or journalists, they all have a common goal: to help raise the profile of Cognac in France. With Guillaume Le Dorner, barman and manager of the Luciole bar, Arthur Wargniez, barman at Konoisseur, Maxence Moreau, chef and partner at Origins, Oriane Chambon, sommelier consultant and trainer, all from Cognac, Jacques Soulat, cellarman and founder of Maison Soulat, from Angoulême, Gabrielle Vizzavona, a wine and spirits journalist, and Pierrick Baudry, bar manager at Maison Souquet, all from Paris, the Cognac Educator programme is expanding to include new experts ready to spread the culture of Cognac in France and around the world.
This new 100% French promotion will strengthen the community of nearly 80 Cognac Educators run by the BNIC around the world. Launched in 2010 by the Cognac Interprofession, the Cognac Educator programme aims to accredit French and international influencers who are committed to spreading the culture and knowledge of Cognac in their country. For more than 10 years, Cognac Educators have been running conferences on Cognac, speaking at trade fairs and taking part in initiatives within the interprofession. Since its inception, the Cognac Educator programme has enabled dozens of wine and spirits experts in 21 countries to gain accreditation. The Cognac Educators have organised more than 1,500 masterclasses and trained more than 60,000 professionals in their own countries, helping to raise the profile of the Cognac appellation around the world.
Before graduating, the seven candidates spent three days immersed in the world of Cognac. Between visits to trading houses, distillers, coopers, winegrowers and ambassadors of the House, the candidates were able to meet passionate men and women who are involved every day in the production and marketing of this unique spirit. All topics were covered, from production to consumption on the various markets, as well as more technical aspects relating to the appellation’s specifications, tasting and new environmental practices, a new feature of the 2024 programme. A series of written and oral exams, in front of a panel of professionals, rounded off this immersion and enabled them to become real experts on the product, its sector and its appellation.
Welcome to our new trainers!
Visit https://www.cognac.fr/en/tasting/cognac-educator/ to discover the portraits of the Cognac Educators.
