No, we don't drink cognac in the office. Although sometimes we really want to. And maybe even need to, you know, for inspiration. :-) We did, however, have the opportunity to go to a tasting of some of the finest French cognacs from family-owned wineries around Cognac (in the Grande Champagne region of France). We tried everything on our own palates and it was absolutely amazing! At least for me, my co-driver was not so enthusiastic.
Task 1 : The right location
We went on the experience without a voucher, don't do that. I'll make it short, we did a little tour around Prague before moving to the right address. We parked on the street next door and made our way to the Páv Best Western hotel in the centre of Prague, just a short walk from Heaven. The friendly receptionist directed us to the back of the ground floor where a luxurious lounge opened up, ready for about 20 people. We settled in, waited for the others to arrive and the show could begin...
Task 2: Multitasking
Beautiful setting, great presentation, pictures, interesting information, funny stories, plus a glass of luxury cognac in hand, its aroma full of all kinds of things and its delicious taste... well, try to take it all in at once. Fortunately, the gentlemen who led the tasting are experienced professionals, so they always left us time to smell the cognac (you know the best way to smell it is to rest the glass on the tip of your nose?) and then enjoy its taste before continuing with the explanation.
During the presentation, we learned everything there is to know about cognac. The gentlemen personally go to get their cognacs and have close relationships with the owners of the family wineries, which was wonderfully evident in their explanations. In addition to factual information about the history of cognac, what the different appellations mean, what varieties are used, when the harvest takes place, etc., we also learned about each family and laughed at many stories.
Task 3 : Choosing a favourite
In total we tasted a pineau and 5 cognacs. Do you know what a pineau is? We learned that it is a mixture of cognac and grape juice. And they knew it was a great aperitif in the 16th century, when it was accidentally created. Tasting it was followed by Maison Dudognon V.S.O.P., Jacques Denis XO, Maison Dudognon Vieille Réserve, Daniel Bouju Royal 60% and Daniel Bouju Tres Vieux. What can I tell you, a unique experience for all the senses. Shades of yellow and brown, or rather caramel, honey, amber and sunshine, aromas of fruit, vanilla, flowers...a complete fairy tale.
After all the samples, we were given the important and responsible task of choosing the best cognac. The voting was even, but in the end the favourite number won... we won't tell you, so that everyone had the chance to find their own. One lucky participant of the tasting got a great gift. More evenings like this! Give the gift of such an experience too, give this luxurious tasting of cognacs.
P.S.: Oh, and whatever you like, you can buy on the spot to take home.
