How is glass, useful for the packaging of cognac is made ?

The history of traditional know-how

Glass blowing is a technique invented in the 1st century BC in the Middle East. Since antiquity, workshops in Poitou-Charentes will transform glass imported from the Middle East. The development of glassware in Poitou-Charentes corresponds to the widespread packaging of cognac in bottles at the end of the 19th century. Between 1892 and 1898, Claude Boucher, master glassmaker, developed a semi-automatic machine for the blowing of glass (machine that bears his name), the father of modern machines to blow, these will be generalized in France and internationally. It should be noted that since 2019, the Glass Art professions have been included in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France.

Today, there are nearly 576 glass and crystal factories in France, nearly 40 «Meilleur Ouvrier de France» professionals in French companies.

Glass is obtained from sand with quartz (called silica), which will be heated to its melting point, that is to say to reach 1,300°. The glass maker will take a part of the mixture (called «glass paste», the parison) with a hollow cane of about 1, 40 meters (formerly called a “crack”) and will shape it by stretching it. This mixture will be worked with a torch, or more rarely, by hand. After having worked the material, the object will be cooked in an oven and then left to cool in the air in order to be cut and decorate.

The glass blower is the first professional to act to design the objects. It will shape the glass through blowing, stretching or twisting. He is going to “pick” a molten glass ball and come and work on it. So it is he who will form the glass, he can also color it by rolling the glass ball in powders, grains or glass plates colored with metal oxides (cobalt, copper, iron, gold).

Then comes the role of the tailor on crystals (or glass decorator) who will come to cut geographical forms (a predefined pattern) on crystal or glass pieces. He’s going to work with something out of the glass blower’s oven. He will first polish the glass to remove the cutting edges, then he will mark the location of the decoration by digging it with grinding wheels and then he will cut his motif. Finally, he will finish his work by smoothing everything to restore the sparkle to the glass.

In the wine estate, it is possible for houses to order custom bottles. For this, a mould will be designed to give a quality and personalized bottle. For this, designers, glass manufacturers, technicians will collaborate together to obtain the mold in which will be cast future customized glass bottles. 

 Working in the glass?

The glass blower is an essential profession in the field of cognac, because it allows to have quality bottles, necessary for the packaging of cognac. Their know-how is recognized, both in the shaping of objects and in the preparation of glass dough. To access this profession, there is a CAP glassblower, but also a BAC professional arts and crafts and finally a Diploma of crafts architectural decoration, option glass and crystal arts. 

As for the crystal tailor, master in the art of glass decoration, last step to transform bottles into decorative objects, this profession is accessible from the CAP to a +4 bin in engraving.