22.11.2003: 5. And finally, Kim ..

foto T. Barstad

Kim Birkedal Hartmann, Kim, after having fulfilled his military service in Norway, was sent to London as a trainee in one of the major english wine and spirit company, Saccone and Speed. Thereafter, he studied during a year the american wine distribution in San Francisco. Back to Bordeaux, he graduated from IPC, an international wine and spirit school, worked for different wine and cognac trader and gained experience.

In 1985, he returned to Birkedal Hartmann and launched new products like the sparkling wines, Chamdeville and Paul Chamblain. Kim purchased the vintage armagnac company "Baron de Sigognac" in 1986 and sold it later.

Allways involved in new "wine things", he started the first wine and spirit magazine "Vinposten" and wrote, in 1992, the wine tasting handbook "Vinsmakerboken".

Now, Kim Hartmann sells his products round the world and is very proud to have launched non industrial cognacs like the Birkedal Hartmann cognacs 1887,VSOP, XO, Halfdan Extra Gammel. Some labels used on this bottles are the same as the ones used by his great grandfather Halfdan who started the company in 1887, 117 years ago.

As the supplier of VSOP cognac to the "House of the Lords" in England and the exlusive cognac supplier of the famous scandinavian group "Choice Hotels", we are proud to still be norwegian citizens. After four generations and almost 120 years, we continue the same artwork started in the town of Cognac by Halfdan Birkedal Hartmann in 1887.