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Why a site dedicated to Cognacs?
Just because Cognacs are fantastic spirits, and independant guides to Cognac are not so common!
Tasting cognacs is really a wonderful experience. Moreover, not even tasting, but only nosing a
great Cognac
can be fascinating in itself.

First, a cognac is a waltz of fragrances and
aromas: from simple wild flowers to sophisticated oriental bouquets, from fresh fruits to baskets of candied fruits and jams,
almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, candied fruits, mild or hot spices, teas,
tobacco, Indian incenses, bread and chocolate.... The list of perfumes and delicacies seems never-ending...
Then, the process of production is as complex as rich
in traditions.
The name "Cognac" is
famous worldwide, but do you know that Cognac
is also a town?
Perhaps you have heard the names of the most famous
Cognac houses, but do you know that even these gigantic firms do not produce
themselves all their "eaux de vie", the new-make spirits that will - one day,
after years of aging- become a cognac ready to be tasted? Nearly all the spirits produced in Cognac come from
thousands of small producers, called the "bouilleur de crus" which means
"distillers». They distil the wines produced in Cognac area in tiny alembics
(each alembic has a capacity of 25 hl, about 650 gallons...less than 6 baths or 2
spas!) and sell the spirits to the Cognac houses...and from time to time, produce
and bottle their own cognac.
So even when the firms belong to huge groups, and
export millions of bottles, the making of their eaux de vie looks more like
handicraft than like industry!
Producing Cognac
is so long, so difficult, so expensive, that nowadays it could not be invented:
nobody would invest in such a stupid business!Profitable, of course, but after
so many years!
The history of distillation itself is captivating. It is closely connected with the history of perfumes and with alchemy, which
means not only an early form of chemistry and physics, but also philosophy,
spirituality and ...witchcraft.

From Egypt to Italy,
from China to France, from Arabia to Ireland,
alchemists made experiments in their labs during centuries, throughout all the
Middle Ages. They wanted to change all metals in gold, and to find the ultimate
remedy that would cure all men's disease...
They did not achieve these goals, yet they discovered
the secret of "aqua vitae", the water of life: distilling fermented liquids,
and especially wines, to make spirits. A liquid form of gold?
Now there is another corporation of artisans, the
coopers, whose science dates also back to antique times. Then the cellar
masters, the custodians of the Cognac
temples who patiently age and transform the « eaux de vie » year after year
before blending them.
The history of area is full of sound and fury.
Cognac
and cognacs would not exist nowadays if men in Antique times had not been
seeking the best salts throughout the world to preserve food; if English kings
had not fallen in love; if the Dutch had not explored all oceans since 15th
century to buy and sell wines and papers; if Sweden had not exported copper; if
Russian tsars had not loved drinking strong alcohols... And moreover, if young
and intrepid adventurers had not come from the North of Europe, from Ireland,
Holland, England, Jersey... They were running after their own fame and fortune,
they gave prosperity to a whole region.
Cognac
and Cognacs survived through centuries, trough religious wars, peasant's uprisings,
French revolution, Napoleon blockades, and phylloxera disease...for the enjoyment
of all spirits lovers.
The image
would not be complete without the delimitation of the producing areas,
"the Crus", first sketched by the mythic yet real duo composed of Mr
Coquand, geologist, riding his horse across the hills of Cognac at the end of the 19th century with a
broker expert in spirits tasting. In the grand saga of world wines, that
wonderful story can compete with the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Pança!
Cognac is epic poetry
Robert Louis Stevenson said once that "Wine is bottled
poetry", well I would say, "Cognac
is epic poetry". A bottle of Cognacs is like a magic lamp: when you open it,
you liberate generations of alchemists, knights and sailors, who offer you the
dream of dead cellar masters' ghosts...
Follow me through the world of Cognac, trust me, you will not regret the
trip!
And you will clearly be convinced of one thing: Cognac, it's just gold in your glass.
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