COGNAC

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Today we headed for Cognac, yes that Cognac. We had breakfast at the hotel and were off early today. Cognac is a short drive, but we only have today so we want to make sure we get there in time to see at least one producer. It is a partly cloudy day but very warm the humidity level as really picked up.

We had no difficulty finding the right direction out of town and took the Auto Route most of the way, the last 20 minutes was on a smaller national road and of course the scenery was much more delightful.

We arrived in Cognac at about 12:30; we pulled over at a parking spot by the river and walked into the city to find our hotel. We walked into the old part of the city up cobble stoned streets, got about half way and I realized my wallet was in the car, so back down we went, then back up. We found a good map (they tend to just post city maps on posts) and found were our hotel was. We then walked back down to the car and drove right to it. We had to park about 7 blocks from the hotel in a pay parking spot, no Doris Day parking for us today. We first walked to the hotel with out luggage so we could inquire about more permanent parking and check in.

When we checked in the woman found our reservation then looked at us and asked two beds? Or one? She did not seem to be pleased when we said one, homophobia even in France. Well it is a small country village, but whatever. She gave us the key and we walked up to the room. We are on the second floor, no elevator. It is a two star hotel, but it is amazing, large rooms, beautiful view out the window and good internet connection. The hotel also has a restaurant, which is recommended by the tourist office, so no searching for dinner tonight.

After checking out the room we went back to get our luggage. It is getting difficult for Jerry to lug his luggage as the wheel on his has broken, so it makes wheeling it along more like dragging it along. Mine works great, until I come to the stairs, with my broken rip I can carry the large one up the stairs, so Jerry had to.

Once we got to the room we re -packed. Put all the dirty clothes and things we don’t need in Jerry’s broken suitcase and everything else in mine. We then took Jerry’s back to the car where it will stay for the rest of the trip. We then went in search of free parking. The front desk clerk gave us horrible directions so it took us about 40 minutes to find the lot she was trying to guide us to. It is a large lot about 9 blocks from the hotel and it’s totally free.

We then strolled back heading for the tourist office to check on visits to the Cognac Houses. It is a good thing we did otherwise we would not have gotten to visit one at all. We fortunately got the last tour at the Hennessy house. Courvoisier (and it isn’t pronounced like we pronounce it) is not in this city but down road in Jarnac, so unfortunately we will not be able to visit it. The woman at the tourist office booked our appointment we had 30 minutes before it started. We then located a patisserie and purchased guess what (see today’s eats if you really don’t know). We then took out time walking back down to the river and the tour.

When we arrived, they didn’t have our reservation, but it wasn’t really a problem. We picked which tasting we wanted to go with our tour. We choose the XO (the really good stuff) tasting. Everything was half price because the river was too high to use their boats to get across the river to where the majority of the tour took place. Instead they drove us. If that is all it takes for half price, I am all for it.

I cannot even begin to describe the detail of making Cognac, I can say this, and I understand what it is so expensive. They lose so much of the underlying wine through the process of making the ou d’vee (and this is not spelled right I could not spell it if I tried really really hard), but it is what is left after they distill the white wine. So in a nut shell this is the processes:

1. Grapes picked and pressed
2. Wine made through both the alchoolic fermentation and the melatic fermentation.
3. Wine distilled (the first liter and the last 2 liters are discarded)
4. The remaining liters are then distilled again. It takes 10 liters of wine to get one liter of ou d’vee.
5. The ou d’vee is then put in barrels.
6. The barrels are routinely tested and tasted and aged for several years, we saw barrels dated as far back as 1893. Every 5 or so years the ou d’vee is put in a different barrel.
7. The mast blender then tastes the ou’d vee to make the cognac the type of cognac determines how many ou’d vee’s are blended together, some take up to 100. The blender tastes thousands during the months of blending.

Cognacs are not vintage they must taste exactly like the type of cognac they are making. (e.g. a vsop must take just like the vsop the year before) So they may blend and re blend until it is right.

We were also shown the process of how barrels are made. The most interesting thing is that the blenders are a family job, in other words you inherited it. You just don’t wake up and say I am going to be a master blender of cognac. Unless you’re born into it, you evidently don’t get that job.

Fodor’s says absolutely; nothing about Cognac. But it is worth the side trip. One day will suffice, but spend the night. After you get to the city the first thing you do after checking in to your hotel is go to the tourism office and get your tours booked. They average about 9 Euros and the tourism office will book them for you for free. If you want to taste Courvoisier, then plan an extra day for the drive to Jarnac, which is outside of Cognac, I would have liked to do that but time did not permit on this trip.

After our tour and tasting, we had a very nice XO, it is dark and the taste olala. We also had it with some ice, totally mellows it out but still very very nice.

We had hoped to also do a tour of Otar, the first (I think) cognac house in the area. But we missed the tour by 5 minutes. So instead we walked around took some pictures and then walked through the park of the Hotel de Ville (which as you know is the city hall) Cognac has the most impressive Hotel de Ville we have seen. Lovely gardens and beautifully building. We strolled through the park and back to our hotel for a little wine before dinner. As I already mentioned we were eating in our hotel since the restaurant was right there.

The hotel, restaurant and cognac bar are owned and operated by what Jerry describes as French Hippies. They were very laid back (although slightly homophobic as previously mentioned and a little condescending to non-French speaking tourists) and we were treated to a wonderful dinner and dinning experience. We ate in the garden, which was entirely covered by two wisterias, when it is in full bloom it will be amazing. Dinner was excellent, even thought I ordered suckling pig and got lamb. The server was clearly very new and things were lost in translation even though we pointed at what we wanted.

The most amazing part of the dinning experience was a trip to the Cognac bar. After dinner, you are invited to the bar, where they literally pull down 10 or more different Cognac’s and you smell each one to determine what you want your after dinner drink will be. The smells were also different and varied. Jerry and I each picked a different one, both very strong on the nose and so so nice to drink. If I smoked cigars it would be a perfect match.

After dinner and our Cognac we walked to the central square for some pictures, then returned to the room for bed. We have an early day, as Chambord is 4 hours a way and we want to make sure we have time to tour the Chateaux.

TODAY’S EATS

Breakfast: Standard French breakfast offered by our hotel in Bordeaux.

Lunch: On the go from a patisserie in Cognac, yes jamon and cheese on a baguette.

Dinner: At Café Hotel Heritage. We both did a prix fix menu:

Jerry: Entrée, Terrine De Canard Persillee (country style duck pate); Plat, Poisson, pumpkin quiche (yes pumpkin quiche is was fucking amazing) purple mashed potatoes.

Me: Entrée, Bulle De Tartare de Legumes et Rilletts de Cabillaud Espuma an curry. (Egg white curry on top of a wonderful blend of chopped raw vegetables in a great light vinegar sauce); Plat, Was suppose to be a suckling pig chop but ended up being rack of lamb (one its lamb to I care, two, it was a new server she made a small mistake) served with the most buttery mashed potatoes I have ever had.

We both had a chocolate tart for dessert and a Pignon Chartnes as an aperitif (kind of the before we make cognac wine). Finished with the Cognac bar.

Wine: Red Burgundy Aegerter.

REVIEWS:

Tourism Office: I really; can’t say enough about all tourism offices in France, we really need to get up to snuff in the states on this. But in Cognac it is large well staffed and very friendly. They will make your cognac appointments free of charge and make dinner recommendations.

Café Hotel Heritage: A two start I don’t understand why it is not a 3 star. Rooms are large and comfortable. Centrally located, 5 blocks from free parking. Has a great restaurant and have I mentioned the Cognac Bar? A double room all for only 70 Euros. Wi-Fi is free and secured and very strong signal.

Cognac: Although the city is small, and not in the travel guides, it has a lot to offer. One day and night does it, unless as I said you want to go to Jarnac for Courvoisier.

DAILY TIP.

Unless you have all the time in the world, take the Auto Routes, yes less scenic, more costly, but you get where you need to go fast, thus more time to see the place where your going. Also, no gas issues, they take your credit card and or cash. Yes it costs more, but if time is important it really is the only way to go.

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Photos

Chateaux Otar
The orignal Cognac House

The view from our Room
Cognac

Entry to Hotel de Ville
City Hall

The Cognac Bar
Smell want you want to drink.