A Small Sip of Luxury

Acquiring a Taste for Cognac

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen my recent post about my adventure sipping a 100-year-old Cognac. Margaret and I have been learning more about wine for the past several years as a hobby. As a result, we have become friends with several individuals and store owners who have been amazingly informative and helpful in our quest. What a great job to taste and comment on wines!

Wine tasting has become an interesting and fun experience for us. We have enjoyed the educational forums where the wholesaler discusses up to eight bottles of wine…the location of the vineyard, the climate, the soil, the process, the history of the grapes, the history of the region, why it has certain tastes and other characteristics. We always want to know what foods go best with each of the wines. Wine tasted on its own can be pleasurable, of course. In the summer there is the ever popular “porch or patio pounder.” Pairing a good wine with complementary foods is an art that adds to the flavor and taste of both the food and the wine. Wine dinners are great for this. As a beer guy at heart, I am learning to appreciate wine and thus be a better wine buyer.

Now for the Cognac. I am not a Cognac fan, but I was curious and interested to sample a 100-year-old bottle priced at $3,600! We were fortunate enough to be invited to a tasting at a friend’s wine store in Glastonbury. He started the night off with a catered spread and servings of Piper-Heidsieck champagne. Tough start!

We tasted the Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac. The wholesaler was a Frenchman transplanted to the U.S. He was a great speaker and salesman for the company, explaining the Cognac process, how each year’s production is made, and how they try to keep the same taste profile throughout all the bottles and vintages. The whole tasting was a bit of a luxurious production, as the bottle and sipping glasses were Baccarat Crystal. The sipping glasses had a Fleur de Lis label, and when you looked down into your glass, it was like looking into a sunflower. The Cognac was outstanding. Easy to sip and so smooth going down. An acquired taste! Another one of the Remy Martin Cognacs will be on my “To Buy” list, but perhaps one at a lower price point.