On the Road Again with a visit to Cognac Country
With apologies to Willie Nelson, we continued our trip to France, having stopped to celebrate Good Friday with the good people of Zaragoza. Driving was relatively good because of the absence of overcrowding on the road, and for this reason there is not a lot to discuss about the drive itself, except to say that the further north we travelled the greener the scenery became.
This is because in this part of the country the rains come with more frequency, and in this regard they are the lucky ones. The river Ebro flows freely generating an excess of water that the south want to buy. Because of politics, the North won’t sell the water for reasons that even they don’t understand. It’s just part of the stupidity of men.
We carried on into France, and the only complaint I have is the robbery that is carried out by each little community taking tolls from travellers. I’m sure that the practice is excessive, and at one time it was the highwaymen who robbed the traveller. These days it is the authorities who carry out the ritual.
We spent the night in a rest stop in the town of Bordeaux that was pleasant enough. It is an important French town with many typical government buildings that are architectural works of art. However, we were anxious to reach our destination to visit with our friend in a little town called Couhé. I want to describe this little paradise in greater detail once I have had the opportunity to get to know it well.
We did a little day trip once we arrived and had a chance to settle down. France is wine country, or to be more exact grape country, and you find yourself in the midst of all of the well-known household names, such as the afore-mentioned Bordeaux, Chateaunauf, Champagne, Sauvignon, Beaujolais, and Cognac, to name a few. It was to Cognac that we took our day trip to visit the home of famous brandies, or to be more precise, Cognacs. Apparently anyone can make a brandy, but not a Cognac. There is only one Cognac district for many good reasons.
We paid a very pleasing visit to the home of the cathedral of fine Cognac, Remy Martin, a fine drink that I have been an aficianado of for over 50 years. We were given a well-presented tour by a young American in Cognac Country, a lovely exchange student named Laura. I was so impressed by her manner and cordiality that I promised her I would tell you that you would do well to include a visit to her establishment in your plans. The entrance charge is well worth it.
For me, a confirmed Cognac drinker, this was the equivalent of a visit to the fountain and the source. The visit takes two hours and includes a good description of the manufacturing process, and, of course, a sampling session. Whether it is V.S.O.P. or the XO line, for me Cognac is the best. When it comes to deciding which brand is at the top it may be a case of who has the best public relations, however, I have tried most of the well-known brands and I love them all.
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
With apologies to Willie Nelson, we continued our trip to France, having stopped to celebrate Good Friday with the good people of Zaragoza. Driving was relatively good because of the absence of overcrowding on the road, and for this reason there is not a lot to discuss about the drive itself, except to say that the further north we travelled the greener the scenery became.
This is because in this part of the country the rains come with more frequency, and in this regard they are the lucky ones. The river Ebro flows freely generating an excess of water that the south want to buy. Because of politics, the North won’t sell the water for reasons that even they don’t understand. It’s just part of the stupidity of men.
We carried on into France, and the only complaint I have is the robbery that is carried out by each little community taking tolls from travellers. I’m sure that the practice is excessive, and at one time it was the highwaymen who robbed the traveller. These days it is the authorities who carry out the ritual.
We spent the night in a rest stop in the town of Bordeaux that was pleasant enough. It is an important French town with many typical government buildings that are architectural works of art. However, we were anxious to reach our destination to visit with our friend in a little town called Couhé. I want to describe this little paradise in greater detail once I have had the opportunity to get to know it well.
We did a little day trip once we arrived and had a chance to settle down. France is wine country, or to be more exact grape country, and you find yourself in the midst of all of the well-known household names, such as the afore-mentioned Bordeaux, Chateaunauf, Champagne, Sauvignon, Beaujolais, and Cognac, to name a few. It was to Cognac that we took our day trip to visit the home of famous brandies, or to be more precise, Cognacs. Apparently anyone can make a brandy, but not a Cognac. There is only one Cognac district for many good reasons.
We paid a very pleasing visit to the home of the cathedral of fine Cognac, Remy Martin, a fine drink that I have been an aficianado of for over 50 years. We were given a well-presented tour by a young American in Cognac Country, a lovely exchange student named Laura. I was so impressed by her manner and cordiality that I promised her I would tell you that you would do well to include a visit to her establishment in your plans. The entrance charge is well worth it.
For me, a confirmed Cognac drinker, this was the equivalent of a visit to the fountain and the source. The visit takes two hours and includes a good description of the manufacturing process, and, of course, a sampling session. Whether it is V.S.O.P. or the XO line, for me Cognac is the best. When it comes to deciding which brand is at the top it may be a case of who has the best public relations, however, I have tried most of the well-known brands and I love them all.
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
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