Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge: France

The irony of our time is that we believe it's us who are evolving – integrating AI, refining systems, improving what exists. Yet nature's intelligence runs deeper, and the vine has been perfecting survival far longer than we've been trying to improve it.

Since 2020 and the onset of the pandemic, the Cognac industry has been rocked by one crisis after another. Cash flow has been bled dry, transactions have dwindled and prospects are pretty lacklustre in its two key markets, the United States and China. For all that, Cognac has lost nothing of its global aura. And as the industry members we spoke to confirmed, there are reasons for hope, particularly for those active in France and Europe.

Laura Catena is the CEO and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine in Argentina. She is also a biologist, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University, and holds a medical degree from Stanford University, which explains her passion for promoting the health benefits of wine.