Marie-Claire Digby visits Cognac, the heart of brandy country
There were many things I didn't know about cognac the drink before visiting Cognac the pretty cobbled town on the Charente river in western France. Chief among them was that a balloon-shaped goblet, or snifter, is not the best glass to drink it from. Cognac should be served in a tulip-shaped glass that will allow the vapours to dissipate rather than gather menacingly in the bowl of the glass.
I also discovered that cognac served frozen in shot glasses is really good with oily fish, such as salmon, or any type of sushi. And if you choose to mix the drink, irreverently, or so I thought, with ice and soda, or ginger, the locals won't regard you with derision. They just want us to drink it, lots of it, and although proud of their product - all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac, I was reminded more than once - they're not fussy about how we down it.
Cognac has been manufactured in the medieval town from which it gets its name since the 17th century. Not surprisingly, the place has a genteel, prosperous feel, although, in the local style, many of the most impressive buildings and gardens are hidden behind tall walls. Houses are positioned in such a way as to conceal rather than display their splendour. "Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés", or "to live happily, live hidden away", is a local saying.
It's worth exploring the cobbled streets and alleys, though, to catch snatched glimpses of life behind the walls. Introverted buildings conceal elegant gardens, terraces, even swimming pools, and one town-house resident is rumoured to run a herd of deer in his expansive walled garden.
One thing that isn't hidden, though, is the source of the wealth that sustains Cognac: the scent of the spirit evaporating from the oak casks held in storage permeates the town. It has been described as the scent of 1,000 baking Christmas cakes, and no wonder: every year 2 per cent - about three million bottles - of the total volume of cognac produced evaporates from the barrels. This "angels' share" also accounts for the black fungus - Torula cognacensis - that stains walls and marks out the best-endowed cellars in town.
Walking down Rue Saulnier, or Salt Street (Cognac was an important salt-trading post), towards the Charente, you'll pass the Musée des Arts du Cognac, a pleasant place to learn a bit about the town and its sustaining brew. Homework done, you've really got to taste the amber nectar to decide for yourself what all the fuss is about. All the big cognac brands have a presence in the town, and the range of visits and tastings is endless. However, a new initiative from the house of Rémy Martin - the Fine Champagne Cognac Club - has raised the bar on cellar visits.
In addition to welcoming 18,000 visitors a year to its estate at Merpins, a few kilometres outside Cognac, Rémy Martin has put together a range of more exclusive visits that give greater access to the real workings of the cognac world and allow a small number of visitors into the company's hidden cellars and private estates.
The Fine Champagne Cognac Club, launched this year, is based at La Maison Rémy Martin, the company's gorgeous town house on Rue de la Société Vinicole. "We decided not to try to increase our visitor numbers but to make the visits more special," says Rémy's Marie-Christine Coates.
The cost is surprisingly affordable: just €20 will buy you the entry-level visit, which includes an informative, but not too staid, tour of the company's headquarters and private cellars, and an informal tasting session in the leather-clad salon.
These twice-daily tours are limited to eight people, and the highlight of the experience, for most, is the tasting session. Lise Peltier, a Rémy guide, took me through the process. First up, frozen VSOP cognac is served in chilled shot glasses, with salmon sushi rolls. It's an interesting pairing, and the cognac doesn't overpower the fish. Next, a more complex XO Excellence cognac is offered with foie gras and, more daringly, chicken satay. Hmm, I'm not convinced. But the best is still to come: the XO meets its match in a dark chocolate souffle, and it's a perfect pairing, the flavours of both the cognac and the chocolate exaggerated and amplified.
If you've opted for one of the full-day personalised tours (€240), the experience doesn't end in the tasting room. After your tour you'll be whisked off to lunch by one of the Rémy ambassadors, whose job is to travel the world promoting the brand, and you'll get the chance to meet some of the company's growers and distillers on their properties out in the countryside.
Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac Club, 20 Rue de la Société Vinicole, 16102 Cognac, France. Reservations: 00-33-545-357666. www.remy.com
GETTING THERE: Cognac is 100km (60 miles) from La Rochelle, which is served by Ryanair, and 120km (75 miles) from Bordeaux, which Aer Lingus flies to, both from Dublin.
EATING: The "best" restaurant in the Cognac area is the elegant Michelin-starred La Ribaudière, on the waterfront at Bourg Charente. The market menu is €35, the menu gourmand is €45/€50, and for €70 you can take a table in the Cognac Salon and have the sommelier select five cognacs for you, around which your menu will be designed. (La Ribaudière, Port Bourg, 16200 Bourg Charente, www.laribaudiere.com). For a more down-to-earth experience, try the grilled meats at the homely
La Cagouillarde, in Segonzac, a few kilometres outside Cognac and in the heart of the grape growing region. La Cagouillarde, 18 Rue Gaston Briand, 16130 Segonzac (00-33-5-45834051).
SLEEPING: The Logis du Fresne, on a vineyard at Juillac le Coq, is a charming manor house decorated in cool, Scandinavian style with lots of pale painted wood, linen curtains and squishy cream sofas. There's a pool, and lovely gardens to explore in the company of Nolka, a golden retriever. Double rooms €105-€115, family suite €165. www.logisdufresne.com. In Cognac, on the pedestrianised Rue D'Angoulême, is the vibrant, colourful Hotel Heritage. Behind its traditional facade, the Heritage has a past almost as colourful as its chartreuse-green entry hall and dramatic red diningroom. Doubles €60-€65. www.hheritage.com.