The relationship that Cognac has with foreign countries is not new and its evolution has relied on this relationship for centuries.

Cognac is famous the world over and numbers speak for themselves. Out of the 126,5 million bottles of cognac sold in 1996, 119 million (94,3%) were exported. The United states of America are the greatest amateurs with over 27,7 million bottles, followed by Japan (with 18,2 million), the United Kingdom (12 million), and Hong-Kong (11,2 million).

The phylloxera virus crisis

If there is one crisis that really affected the history of cognac it is that of the invasion of the phylloxera virus during the 1870's. The origins of the disease are still unknown. The phylloxera is a minute six legged insect that is only just visible to the naked eye. It has two long antennae and looks a bit like a tic or a louce or even a cicada when it has wings.

The animal attacks the vine from above and from below. It lays its eggs on the leaves. The eggs cause a rash. Other eggs on the roots produces nymphs that attack the fine root hairs. The roots rot away slowly and the plants dies progressively.

Phylloxera spread devastatingly accross the region. Many vineyards were destroyed and land values plummeted. Before the arrival of phylloxera, a hectare (247 acres) was worth 7000 french francs. After the crisis it was not worth more than 600 french francs...

In order to rebuild the devastated vineyards, a new method was used for the first time in 1876. Vines from Texas, which are resistant to phylloxera, were used as hosts for grafting.