Written by Menswear Style in Food & Drink on the 28th February 2020

The Chateau De Gensac business, specialising in the production of Armagnac and wine, has been built on a passion for new challenges and living life to its full potential. Now in the hands of owner Jan Schuermann, 47 and his wife Kim, the Gensac story is one of opportunity and drive - a drive to create an excellent product with commercial attraction.

It was Schuermann’s godfather who originally spotted the potential for further cultivating wine in the region and embarked on building the Gensac name - his godson taking over the helm properly 3 years ago to commercialise and build.

“The château is very close to my heart. My ambition is to create a modern-day wine and Armagnac that has been curated with excellence and detail but with a focus on the relevance for today’s society,” says Schuermann. “There is a certain stigma and maybe stuffiness associated to the wine industry in particular, and of course some consumers are very knowledgeable, but we are creating something here with a fresh vibe," he adds. While the 13th Century history of the Château is very much treasured, Jan and Kim have their eyes firmly fixed on the here and now for the product.

“We both believe in combining tradition with modernity. The importance of networking and partnerships will be at the heart of our success. We want to be interactive, playful and experiential,” he explains. With regards to production, grapes at the Château are picked by hand for their top wine offerings to ensure that only premium ingredients for the product are collected to meet the highest quality standards. As a result, Gensac wines are able to compete with the best of their guild. The Armagnac is France’s oldest and most traditional spirit. By maturing and refining the Armagnacs in new French oak barrels, Gensac achieves a unique and distinctive product that, today, sits among the best of their kind.

“We have a team of 10 permanent employees who take care of the entire estate and about half are dedicated to the wine and Armagnac side of our activities. This increases substantially with temporary staff during main seasonal works such as the harvest,” Adds Schuermann. With a goal to build a selected global presence, the business mainly sells wines and Armagnacs across Europe, but has recently added Canada and Hong Kong to its reach. 

For more information and to buy both the Gensac wine and Armagnac please visit houseof-malt.co.uk and gensac.com

Owned by Jan Schuermann and Kim Schuermann, we put the spotlight on French Armagnac and Wine producer Château de Gensac.