Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge: France

Three projects established in recent decades – Piedra Negra, Bemberg Estate Wines and Bodega Susana Balbo – clearly demonstrate the direction taken by the Argentine wine industry: the pursuit of high-quality wines through the discovery of new terroirs and winemaking research.

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.