Distillerie Colombier
Guests are welcomed on the distillery owners' estate with its William pear orchards. Tastings and sales available.
Pear brandy in France was born in Villette-de-Vienne, thanks to Joannès Colombier who, by virtue of his position as a distiller, distilled part of his production of Williams pears. Mr Fernand Point, famous restaurateur of La Pyramide in Vienne and a friend of Joannès Colombier, delighted with the finesse and fruitiness of the product, asked him, in the 1930s, to set aside his production for him. Today, Sophie and Stéphane Jay have taken over the entire operation and distillery, keeping alive the know-how and quality that made the Colombier brand famous.
Secrets of the trapped pear:
Every year, since Maison Colombier came into being, the producers put bottles in the trees to trap pears inside. This process is done at the beginning of May when the little pears are just forming. They select a small pear by inserting it through the neck into the bottle, which they hang downwards by the head so that rainwater doesn’t get inside.