Paradise lies deep beneath Chateau Courvoisier and is aptly named for within this cellar's blackened walls and damp, musty atmosphere are housed some three thousand bottles of the Chateau's finer cognac. "All these bottles are absolutely priceless," says Monsieur Guy de la Celle, Director of Communications. With a certain Gallic non-chalance he adds, "We have two bottles from 1789, but the fact that they are this old does not mean anything in terms of true age if we consider that only time spent in the cask adds value."

To say that this place is paradise is an exaggeration of only the smallest degree, for it is truly favoured by the gods. A place of mild winters and of summers cooled by an Atlantic breeze. A place of bright clear skies warmed by a gentle sun. We are in the heart of Cognac: a picture postcard land of gently sloping hills and valleys whose chalky soil spills out either side of the River Charante in France's south-west.

It is otherwise known as Jarnac, 'a small town of 5,000 people which has been the headquarters of Cognac Courvoisiers since 1835. The company's annual production of 20 million bottles of the precious liquid makes it one of the world's leading cognac houses in company with Remy Martin, Hennessy and Martell. This extraordinary output contributes substantially to the one billion dollars generated by the region annually in sales.