Cognac, the name of the town we visited and also the name of the World's best known type of Brandy. In order to be named Cognac, the drink must be made in certain areas around the town of Cognac and must be made according to the regulations.
Within the town of Cognac, we saw the Cognac houses of several big brands which visitors can pay a fee for the tour during their opening hours. These brands includes Remy Martin, Henessy, Otard, Martell, Camus etc. A pity that these tours were available everyday in the summer, but only from Monday to Friday during winter. Hence, we didn't get to go for any tours.
But we did learn something about Cognac, and many other things, from the host of the Chateau we stayed at, Domaine De Chatenay.
The Chateau is really beautiful. I felt like a princess staying in a castle! Once we entered the Chateau, we were already "WOW"!!!! The elegant chandeliers, the posh tables, chairs and hallway, the princessy room and the impressive collection of Cognac!
Let me now bring you for a tour in the Chateau!
Open the main door, and we were attracted to the posh decoration of the Chateau. The royal chairs and table, and the hallway welcomed us.
Walked through the right door of the main entrance and we found ourselves to be in living room 1, regal style.
Walked straight through another door, we found ourselves to be in living room 2, french victorian style.
Walked straight through another door, we found ourselves to be in a posh dining room with a super elegant chandelier. We loved that chandelier!
All right, walking up the hallway, we came to a Cognac Club, with impressive collection of Cognac!
Next up, our princessy decorated room!
There were many other room types which you could see on the Chateau's website. We booked the standard room and it's already quite pretty. Only thing we felt that can be improved was the wash basin in the toilet was quite small.
The host of the Chateau offered us a Cognac degustation where we could smell the fragrance and try a sip of the Cognac he recommended. If we liked it, we could order a glass of Cognac. Hubby and I weren't familiar with Cognac and hence, we ordered what the host recommended. The Cognac he recommended has a tinge of floral and vanilla scents, which was suitable for new Cognac drinkers. It smelt really nice but when I drank it, it still has the 'fiery' feel in my throat. The host recommended to have a chocolate to go with the Cognac. It helped a little, but I prefer just eating the chocolate and save the glass of Cognac for hubby. Lol.
Had a long chat with the host and subsequently, a couple joined in the conversation. The host was the elder son of the Chateau proprietor from Armenia. I was impressed that he speaks 4 totally different languages fluently, French, English, Russian and Armenian. The couple was from Bordeaux and the guy was the son of the proprietor of a winery and vineyard outside Bordeaux. We also said hello to a Russian businessman who deals with the French embassy in Russia on alcoholic products! Man! It was truly an eye opener chat!
We also learnt that it requires a lot of effort and time in making a bottle of Cognac. One should really savour the Cognac to appreciate it. It's actually disrespect to the Cognac if you add other drinks to it. Lol, that's what we did in Singapore, we add green tea to it. Opps!
One interesting point, when we watch movie or dramas, we always saw the actors covering the Cognac glasses with their hands and swirling the glasses. That was actually 'just for show'. The host told us that in the past, when there was no heating in the room, people held the glasses to warm the Cognac. But in modern times, there're heating in the room which can keep the Cognac at room temperature and there's no need to warm the Cognac with hands anymore!
The next morning, we had our breakfast in the posh dining room. Breakfast was included in the room rate and it was a decent spread. We enjoyed our stay at Domaine De Chatenay and enjoyed the chat. We learnt a great deal of stuff!
The Chateau is really beautiful. I felt like a princess staying in a castle! Once we entered the Chateau, we were already "WOW"!!!! The elegant chandeliers, the posh tables, chairs and hallway, the princessy room and the impressive collection of Cognac!
Let me now bring you for a tour in the Chateau!
Open the main door, and we were attracted to the posh decoration of the Chateau. The royal chairs and table, and the hallway welcomed us.
 |
| Cute decoration placed on the table |
Walked straight through another door, we found ourselves to be in a posh dining room with a super elegant chandelier. We loved that chandelier!
All right, walking up the hallway, we came to a Cognac Club, with impressive collection of Cognac!
Next up, our princessy decorated room!
There were many other room types which you could see on the Chateau's website. We booked the standard room and it's already quite pretty. Only thing we felt that can be improved was the wash basin in the toilet was quite small.
The host of the Chateau offered us a Cognac degustation where we could smell the fragrance and try a sip of the Cognac he recommended. If we liked it, we could order a glass of Cognac. Hubby and I weren't familiar with Cognac and hence, we ordered what the host recommended. The Cognac he recommended has a tinge of floral and vanilla scents, which was suitable for new Cognac drinkers. It smelt really nice but when I drank it, it still has the 'fiery' feel in my throat. The host recommended to have a chocolate to go with the Cognac. It helped a little, but I prefer just eating the chocolate and save the glass of Cognac for hubby. Lol.
Had a long chat with the host and subsequently, a couple joined in the conversation. The host was the elder son of the Chateau proprietor from Armenia. I was impressed that he speaks 4 totally different languages fluently, French, English, Russian and Armenian. The couple was from Bordeaux and the guy was the son of the proprietor of a winery and vineyard outside Bordeaux. We also said hello to a Russian businessman who deals with the French embassy in Russia on alcoholic products! Man! It was truly an eye opener chat!
We also learnt that it requires a lot of effort and time in making a bottle of Cognac. One should really savour the Cognac to appreciate it. It's actually disrespect to the Cognac if you add other drinks to it. Lol, that's what we did in Singapore, we add green tea to it. Opps!
One interesting point, when we watch movie or dramas, we always saw the actors covering the Cognac glasses with their hands and swirling the glasses. That was actually 'just for show'. The host told us that in the past, when there was no heating in the room, people held the glasses to warm the Cognac. But in modern times, there're heating in the room which can keep the Cognac at room temperature and there's no need to warm the Cognac with hands anymore!
The next morning, we had our breakfast in the posh dining room. Breakfast was included in the room rate and it was a decent spread. We enjoyed our stay at Domaine De Chatenay and enjoyed the chat. We learnt a great deal of stuff!
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