Marie's blog : Get a pick into the life of a local

hursday, January 7th, 2016, Bordeaux awakens under a winter drizzle that does nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. Today, I'm meeting two Norwegian couples, true connoisseurs of very old cognacs. My mission? To reveal the secrets of small producers and taste exceptional cognacs far from conventional tourist routes.

Follow our adventure meeting the "craft makers" of extraordinary Cognacs!

Despite this crazy busy summer period and intense activity, I took the time to have a break at the Bordeaux Wine Festival called Bordeaux Fête le Vin...

Co-organised by the Pays de la Haute Gironde and the wine syndicate of Côtes de Bourg, this “discovery of the harvests” day had, as its objective, to promote the Haute Gironde wine growing areas.

This year saw a gathering of 8 Norwegians, 4 Columbians, 4 New Zealanders, 3 people from Hong Kong, 4 from Quebec and 1 from England. So, 24 people in all who had come together to discover what goes on behind the scenes in Côtes de Bourg wine harvesting.

Entrusted by a Burgundy wine broker, I had the opportunity to guide a really pleasant Columbian customer who had  come to visit wine producers with a view to stocking the French shelves of the supermarket chain he represents.

Yesterday, in the summer season of 2013, I tried out a very pleasant and somewhat original outing in the Bordelais vineyards that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to you – a Tapas walk at Château Boutinet.

Following the advice of my twitter friend Agathe from Charentes at the beginning of January, I found myself off to discover the secrets of the distillation of Cognac and the famous charente copper pot still with its “bonnes chauffes“.. Did you know that the proper thing in Cognac making process is the double distillation? The second heating is commonly called "Bonne Chauffe" (good heating); it will result the "heart", which once aged under oak wood will be sold under the name of Cognac.