Today was our long drive to the Perigord Noir. John arranged a visit to the town of Cognac to break up our trip. We had a great lunch at the Brasserie du Coq D'Or, and headed to the Hennessy factory for the English tour.
Hennessy makes more than 40% of the world's Cognac. The tour was very interesting and provided a good basis as we toured the wineries in the Carcassonne and Saint-Emilion areas. Janet and I had bought the least expensive tickets at 8 euros which included the tour and one tasting. It turned out that we were the only "cheapskates." Everyone else had paid several times more for 2 or three samples. We laughed. We had the same tour, learned a bunch, and neither of us likes Cognac.
I documented the process used for making Cognac in photos so I would remember it later. Here are some of the shots - the fermentation tanks, the new and old press, the distillation equipment, two shots of barrel making, aging in barrels, blending, and the finished product:
Barrels are all made of French Oak. This is important to both Cognac and each of the wines we saw. Some use a barrel only once and sell it to Scotland for aging whiskey, others use barrels for three years to save on costs. The insides are charred and the outsides soaked in water to curve the wood to the shape of the bands. All establishments were very concerned with finding the best quality suppliers for their barrels.
John had planned a stay at his sister's house this night, but when it was torn apart for rennovations, he surprised us with a visit to a goat farm. Janet loves goat cheese. I vacationed on my dad's family farm every summer when I was little. Heaven.There is one white male (what a life) and many brown females who supply the milk for cheese. The babies are all white.
The goat milk is mixed with rennet each day and poured into molds. The cheese is firm the next day and begins to age. The younger cheeses on the top of the rack are white. The older cheeses below are turning gray on the outside. We bought cheeses, apple juice and jams produced on farms in the area.
The rooms were cozy - I think I got my best night's sleep of the trip. What a great surprise.
Bon Chance from
Rozanne and Janet
in the country
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