Cognac Frapin launches new-look website

As consumer interest in Cognac continues to rise, producer Frapin has relaunched its website with new sections dedicated to cocktail recipes, food pairing and tours of the French château.

The website, according to the Frapin, has been “restyled and improved” with the addition of thee new pages, called “cocktails”, “gastronomy”, and “visit of the house”.

The gastronomy page advises Cognac-lovers on the best foods to pair with their chosen drink.

“During meals at Château Fontpinot,” it says, “we combine our Cognacs with different families of food: meat, fish, shellfish & crustaceans, fruits & vegetables, cheeses, desserts.”

“Finding the right balance between acidity, bitterness, fat, sweet, salty is essential so that the food does not outweigh the cognac and vice versa.”

The cocktail section, meanwhile, suggests recipes for drinks including a Winter Sazerac, Tropical Side-Car, and Alabazam.

Frapin makes its high-end Cognacs from 240 hectares of Ugni Blanc vines in chalky soils in Grande Champagne; the grand cru of the Cognac world.

The news comes as Cognac has started to gain popularity with drinkers in the On-trade.

Cognac exports grew by 10% last year for the third time in a row, reaching their highest ever levels in both volume and value, according to data from France’s Bureau National Interprofessional du Cognac (BNIC).

To add complexity to its Cognacs, Frapin distills on the lees; a practice that’s quite unusual in the region.

The company’s biggest markets are the US and China, but last year, owner Jean-Pierre Cointreau told the drinks business that there is “work to do” in the UK.

“This is a good moment for Cognac ­– the brown spirits category is growing and Cognac sales are on the rise. We’re really pushing Cognac cocktails and food pairing to reach a younger audience,” Cointreau told db.