The Region

The Grande Champagne

Grande Champagne is the region 1st cru of Cognac, land of vineyard where men are passionate about vines. Between the atlantic coast and the Périgord, nature is omnipresent and the footpaths plenty, to the delight of the locals and tourists.From village to village and all year through, you can visit the numerous hillsides adorned with the different wineries. The roman churches, castles, fountains and rivers scattered across the landscape give character and set a considerable historical background to the land. Grande Champagne and its wine estates are open to all nature-loving visitors wanting to discover the local charm, and taste the products of the land.

You will find flyers and maps of the different tours and footpaths, or any other information by visiting the tourist information office of Grande Champagne, or calling the office at 05 45 83 37 77, or by visiting the website .

Segonzac

Segonzac is a village of 2300 inhabitants, located ouest of the « département » of Charente, 14km of Cognac, and 35km of Angoulême. The village is also located 8 km of Jarnac.

The N.141 (between Angoulême and Saintes), important part of the route linking central Europe to the Atlantic, lies only 5 km north of Segonzac.

The closest train-station is in Jarnac, where you can catch a TER to Angoulême , Cognac, Saintes and Royan.

Segonzac is the centre of its canton, in the arrondissement of Cognac. Its grounds extend over 3518 hectares, of which 1890 vines.

Selon la légende, c’est à Segonzac qu'aurait été inventé le cognac, au début du XVII^ème siècle.

According to legend, Cognac was invented in Segonzac, at the beginning of the 17th century, and it is to this town that students come from all over the world to study law, management and trading of fine spirits, as this is the only university in the world to provide such a diploma.

Here, you can also find the Technical Institute of Wines and Vines of the two Charentes, the International Centre for Fine Spirits, and the Spirithèque.

To hikers' delight, the hills surrounding Segonzac are full of footpaths going through the vines and woods, and from the top of these hills, you can catch a glimse of the region, thanks to the many viewpoints detailling the landscape. From an architectural point of view, the houses in Segonzac possess the local country-house charm. You can also find a very unusual church, possessing a roman tower (dated back to the 11th century), but a gothic apse (15th century), both classified as historic monuments. The town also has the biggest reformed church of the département (classified as historic monument).

Moreover, Segonzac is the first french town to receive the title of « slow town », delivered by the organisation « Cittaslow » in may 2010, stating it as a town synonymous with good living.

Website of Segonzac.