OLD-SCHOOL CRAFT

Family-Owned Vallein Tercinier Has Independently Produced Cognac for Nearly 200 Years

Written by Rich Manning Photos provided by Vallein Tercinier

It’s a cold, gray day in January, and I have spent an hour touring a distillery. I strolled the rustic, unfussy grounds, got up close to the equipment, and asked the distiller a few nerdy industry questions. As we make our way to the tasting room — or, more accurately, the dining room in the owner’s home — we’re greeted at the door by the owner’s mother. I walked by a drawing of Jesus framed by pistols and settled into a daytime treat of select pours, accompanied by flaky croissants and freshly brewed coffee. It felt like a craft distillery: homespun, authentic, transparent. I was at a craft distillery. However, I wasn’t in the United States.

I’m at Vallein Tercinier in Cognac, France, roughly 3,600 miles away from the U.S. and somehow even further away from the big, branded cognac houses that typically engulf the consumer’s mindset. It’s the first stop on a four-day trip through the city. Subsequent visits to the area’s famous brands will provide the sparkle and sheen one might expect from labels with large reputations and larger marketing muscle. While they were terrific experiences, Vallein Tercinier, however, feels easy and comfortable like home, and not just because the tour of the family-owned distillery finished in a residential dwelling. It also feels like what American craft distilling could be decades into the future.

A LONG, INDEPENDENT HISTORY

The craft distilling industry in the United States has a relatively short history. Distilling’s place in American history traces back to the founding fathers, of course, but the craft sector’s resurgence has been going for about 20 years, save for a handful of early pioneers that stretch things way back to the early 1980s. However, even on the international stage the legacies of brands in the category are still being shaped.

Georges Vallein founded his namesake distillery in 1850. The company’s history spans six generations and the endurance of severe obstacles. They survived the infamous French phylloxera epidemic, which wiped out nearly 75 percent of their vines. They endured two world wars. They made it through an economic crisis in the 1990s that shredded the cognac industry and forced the closure of many small brands. They cleared these hurdles on their own merit while keeping all aspects of cognac production within the family, which is a bit of a rarity in the cognac market. “Very few family businesses have survived various regional or global crises, wars, or the absence of succession for five generations, while remaining totally financially independent,” explained Stephane Roudier, Vallein Tercinier’s sales manager and husband of current owner Catherine Tercinier. “It is very difficult today for an independent family business to be visible in a spirits market dominated by a few large companies.”

This difficulty gets amplified periodically, when bigger corporations call the distillery with offers to scoop them up. Vallein Tercinier would be a prize — their cognacs have earned several prestigious awards from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the International Wine & Spirits Competition. According to Roudier, the distillery is wary of entertaining thoughts of acquisition, and the wide range of support they’ve received over the years positions them to reject such offers. “Being acquired can be tempting or even necessary, but it can come with the risk of losing your identity and philosophy,” he said. “But thanks to the development of social networks, the help of magazines that don’t publish in exchange for a strong remuneration, and the support and confidence of our partners and distributors, we’ve been able to sufficiently share the quality and character of our bottles with people beyond our village.”

Winning An Uphill Battle

A craft cognac producer may have their contemporary American craft counterparts beat in terms of history and legacy, but they also have a disadvantage when it comes to the U.S. market. While big American brands carry considerable clout in terms of consumer consciousness, the craft sector’s explosive rise in the last decade has allowed it to garner a decent share of the spirits spotlight. The cognac category, on the other hand, is still largely defined by the “big four” Cognac houses: Hennessy, Martell, Remy Martin, and Courvoisier. The quartet account for anywhere between 85 and 90 percent of cognac sales in the U.S. depending on the data source.

While the data seems discouraging for a smaller cognac house looking to penetrate the American market, Vallein Tercinier leans into hope. Specifically, the hope that the discerning palates of American craft spirits drinkers will turn their interests toward smaller cognac brands such as theirs. “Some lovers of brown spirits look for products with character they may not find in mass-market products,” Roudier said. “Smaller houses like ours can attract their curiosity for their character and authenticity.”

According to Roudier, there are various components that help them connect with American craft spirits aficionados. The bevy of awards won by Vallein Tercinier provides their distribution partner, the Napabased wine and boutique spirits importer The Sorting Table, with extra promotional leverage. Roudier also cites the educational efforts of the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) as crucial to not only boosting brand awareness in the United States, but also growing appreciation for cognac and the cognac production process. “The BNIC website is great for gaining basic knowledge of the different crus, double distillation, and the art of aging and blending,” he said. “It helps people have a better understanding of the cognacs they’re tasting, and it encourages greater discovery of the diversity of styles and characteristics.”

Looking Ahead

Vallein Tercinier’s focus on staying independent isn’t changing any time soon. If anything, it’s been fortified. Catherine Tercenier recently passed the operational reins to her nephew, Guillaume, thus adding a sixth generation to the brand’s 180-plus year legacy. It’s a position he’s been preparing for his whole life, and this preparation provides a healthy measure of long-term assurance. “Guillaume was baptized in Cognac by his grandfather Robert Tercinier, raised with the family’s values and philosophy of life, and trained for years by our master blender who is still providing him the knowledge and secrets inherited from previous generations,” Roudier stated. “We are therefore certain that under the sixth generation, Vallein Terciner will remain an independent artisanal house for a few more decades, with the same objective of offering quality cognacs that provide people pleasure.”

Roudier’s sentiment of tradition, lineage, and craftsmanship carries considerable gravitas, given how long Vallein Tercinier has existed. The American craft and small-batch spirit sector does not have an equivalent to this yet and won’t until the mid-to-late 22nd century, long after we’ve passed. Yet this gap between craft cognac production and American craft spirits production gives us something intriguing to ponder. Each harvest, each bottle, and each shipped case produced now could end up being the foundation of a multi-generational, independent legacy celebrated tomorrow. When viewed in this manner, the future looks exceedingly cool.

Vallein Tercinier is located in Chermignac, France. Visit www.cognac-tercinier.com or more info.