The History of Cognac

Dating back four centuries, Cognac, was a recognized wine-growing area long before cognac was ‘invented”, this area has wine producing records that date back to the 3rd century AD.

Both the region and the beverage Cognac has a long history; rich with tales of  nations, merchants, kings and aristocrats, wars, cold winters and hardships. Despite all this, as it aged, the product kept getting better and better, century after century. Some have referred to it as “the spirit of the gods”.

What is Cognac?

Cognac is a brandy distilled from white wine and produced in the vicinity of Cognac. According to the official site for Cognac Tourism, it is defined as:

The grape which is harvested comes exclusively from a white variety (ugni blanc). The wine is then distilled in special Charentais stills. The “heart” of the second distillation will become cognac after having aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 2 1/2 years, after which it can be sold on the market. The main categories obtained from the blending of eaux-de-vie of different ages and different growth areas are:

*** and V.S. : minimum age of the youngest eau-de-vie used in the blend must be 2 1/2 years

V.S.O.P. : 4 1/2 years. Very Superior Old Pale

Napoléon and X.O. :6 1/2 years

Each company, in order to obtain the uniqueness of its categories of cognac, uses eaux-de-vie which are much older than the minimum requirement.

Cognac is an alcohol whose special characteristics depend on four conditions :

The vines: 80 000 hectares (200 000 acres) of vines, unique climatic conditions, the soil and the proximity of the sea make the Charente region “a happy chance of nature, a lucky exception”.

Double distillation: Double distillation in Charentais pot stills.

Ageing: The ageing of cognac can only take place in barrels made of oak from the Limousin or Tronçais forests. In fact the eau-de-vie will only become cognac after a slow ageing process in oak specially selected for its capacity to transfer the tanins when in contact with the alcohol, thus giving it colour and “bouquet”.

Blending: The blending operation and the know-how of the “maître de chai” are handed down from generaton to generation.

Enjoying Cognac

MORE TO DISCOVER

About Le Palais des Thés

For over 25 years, they have been committed to bringing tea lovers the freshest and most exceptional teas from China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka… and Paris where our signature flavored teas (“Les Créations”) are created. A unique selection that includes more than a hundred green, black, white, oolong, pu erh and rooibos teas each year as well as a few ephemeral “Grands Crus”.

Aesthetically beautiful, their teas have well balanced flavors, and tastes to suit every mood and to pair with virtually all foods, you can even prepare them into beautiful foods and other beverages.

Thé du Hammam

Gorgeous tea from scent through taste, hot or cold, your palate will come alive with this fabulous blend: fruity and inspired by a Turkish recipe using green teas that evokes the characteristic fragrances used to perfume a hammam: roses, green dates, berries and orange flower water. Sprinkled with flower petals in the pure Eastern tradition, its extraordinary fragrance comes from a subtle combination of Chinese green tea and rich, fruity aromas. Beautiful tea! More than just a hot drink, this tea makes a delicious cocktail.

Thé du Hammam Sparkler

For approx. 5 flutes
Ingredients: 3 rounded teaspoons or 3 tea bags of Le Palais des Thés “Thé du Hammam” tea, 10 ounces of spring water, 10 ounces of Champagne, 2 tbsp. of peach liqueur. Infuse the Le Palais des Thés “Thé du Hamman” tea leaves in lightly simmering spring water for 3 minutes. (Do not let the water come to a boil!) Filter the leaves, let the tea cool, and then let chill in the refrigerator for a half hour. Put chilled tea and peach liqueur in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Pour into flutes, about half way up, and top off with well-chilled Champagne.

For more about this more more of their teas, visit Le Palais des Thés online.

Caviar Lovers will be drawn to this collection! Our Editor loves caviar and while the editorial department peruses and researches for an upcoming piece on caviar for Vol 5 of Eat Love Savor exclusive print edition, she selected these beautiful pieces.

Left to Right: Barney’s New York Caviar Server, La Prairie Caviar Luxe Cream (in traditional blue and Swarovski edition), Glint caviar bracelet, black Spinel agate, Caviar appetizer (perfect with Champagne!), Jaqueline Clark ‘Caviar’ ring, Lagos hoop earrings.

VIDEO

Collecting caviar in Andalucía

Tim Hayward visits an organic sturgeon farm in Andalucía to watch the final step in 14 years of careful animal husbandry – the production of caviar.

guardian.co.uk
 

As an artist, Cézanne possessed a mastery of design, tone, composition and color. His paintings are clearly recognizable because of the unique brushstrokes that were characteristic of his work. Choosing to ignore the traditional laws of perspective, he painted in a way that made each object in the piece appear to stand independently of one another. Cezanne aimed to portray the complex ways in which humans interpret the world around them visually but found this to be a struggle. The quest for authenticity of observation turned out to be a difficult one as representing this interpretation using paint was challenging. It was his goal to do this as genuinely as possible and the results were truly one of a kind in addition to being exquisite.

Even after the artist’s life had ended, his legacy did live on in the form of his art. After his death in 1906, Cézanne’s work was shown in a large museum-like retrospective that began in September of 1907. The mass viewing of his work was highly influential in terms of shaping the direction that art would go in the 20th century. The avant-garde in Paris was highly affected by Cézanne’s post-impressionist work. The significant level to which his paintings were appreciated even after his death, as well as the effect that they had on the artistic community speaks to his position as one of the most influential artists of the 19th century.

by Kendra Murphy

VIDEO on the work of Paul Cézanne

BOOK Paul Cezanne, 1839-1906: Pioneer of Modernism

 Anderson Seafood was kind enough to send us a sample of their swordfish and it was AMAZING! The texture, taste and presentation of the delivery were exceptional.

We wanted to share this recipe, perfect for anytime.

Grilled Swordfish with Watercress Salad

Items You Will Need

• 2Pieces 6-7oz Swordfish Filets
• ¼ Cup Pure Olive Oil
• 1tsp Salt & Black Pepper Mix (3 parts Kosher Salt / 1 part Black Pepper)
• 1TBSP Fresh Basil (Julienne)
• 1TBSP Lemon Oil
• 1tsp Lemon Zest

Accompaniments

• 1 Cup Watercress Salad (Lightly dressed with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt & Pepper
• 8 oz Sautéed Baby Rainbow Carrots

Directions To Make

1. Season the Swordfish Filets with Salt & Pepper Mix.
2. Drizzle the Olive Oil over the Swordfish to completely coat the filets.
3. Allowing the Swordfish to marinate with this mixture, prepare other ingredients to complete your dish.
4. Pre-heat your grill on high.
5. Once the Grill is ready, reduce to medium flame and lay the Swordfish on the grill. Allow to sear for 2 Minutes and gently turn the Swordfish Filet 90°.
6. Allow to cook for an additional 2 Minutes and gently turn the Filets over. Follow the same procedure as above for a total cook time of 8 Minutes.
7. While the Swordfish is in the final stages of cooking, prepare the other ingredients to complete your dish.
8. Remove the Swordfish from the grill and prepare the plate.

 Steps to Plating

1. Prepare the Watercress Salad or other light accompaniment.
2. Lay the Salad on the plate and set the Swordfish on the edge.
3. Place the prepared vegetables next to the Swordfish.
4. Sprinkle the Fresh Basil around each piece of Swordfish and drizzle with the Lemon Oil.
5. Finish the Swordfish Filets with a sprinkle of Freshly Grated Lemon Zest.

Editor’s Selection

We asked our editor to put together a selection of items for that quintessential cup of tea in the afternoon – one of her favorite pastimes. She selected this collection.

We love this arrangement and the idea of a cup of tea and nibble of French Macarons, a delectable treat and perfect accompaniment to a favorite pot of hot tea. Sophisticated, delicious, elegant…this is how we would describe this collection.

We hope you enjoy it and will take a little time for a hot cup of tea for yourself!

Thanks to our partnership with Agence Mercure, we have a private tour guide and access to these splendid properties and more from the beautiful and richly historical country of France. Mercure is a leader in France on the market of the castles and belles demeures, the most recognized and respected prestige real estate group in France for the past 75 years.

Follow along with us on Twitter for Retweets from our tour guide Nicolas. Also, watch our online magazine for features and print magazine for spreads including photos and intriguing stories about these fascinating architectural gems!

Here are some of the caste tweets. Head to our twitter stream for more!

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Michel Richart on the smells he remembers from his youth and how they influenced his life.

“I remember extremely well the times when I was a child and went to see relatives – not very close relatives but still, my godfather and godmother- and one of my favorite pastimes was to go smell the tomato crops and even the tomato leaves, because the leaves of tomatoes have an unbelievably strong smell of tomato. (laughs)

It was extremely enjoyable for me to do this on vacation so I don’t know if this is the kind of answer that you are looking for but it could make people understand me better to go and touch the tomato leaves for themselves, and to crush them with their hands because it really smells incredibly like tomato. It is actually all the stronger with tomatoes that you’ve just picked up in the garden and that you don’t even need to wash and you just wipe because there is always a bit of dirt that spurted on them when it was raining. I had the same experience with blackcurrant leaves, although it hasn’t influenced me as much. I had a grandma who had a blackcurrant bush –I remember that really well- and it was interesting for me not to eat the blackcurrant, but to walk around and cut the branches of the bush because they smell extremely good.

Also, and this is a very common thing to say because everyone has experienced this before, I remember the smell of Christmas trees. I don’t know if they smell as strong in the USA as they do here in France, but at least that is something we all have in common.

HISTORY OF RICHART: The history of RICHART begins in 1925 on the Croix Rousse hill in Lyon France. On this site, my father – Joseph RICHART, master chocolate maker – maintained his laboratory.

My childhood was sweet, indeed, and instilled in my siblings and myself a taste for the highest quality, a passion for all things beautiful, and a love for work well done.

Two generations later, we consider it our daily mission to seek out both an inexhaustible supply of the finest cocoa the world has to offer and, along with it, an equally endless amount of the happiness and pleasure that chocolate has to offer.

It is my sincere hope that you derive as much pleasure from tasting and sharing RICHART chocolate as we take in creating it for you.”

Michel RICHART (Chocolate maker)

 VIDEO: Michel RICHART introduces his new INFUZZZ collection

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, silver represented the epitome of luxury in society. The height of this popularity in the United States and Europe extended from the mid 1800’s until the mid 1900’s. During this time, sterling silver flatware was an absolute necessity when setting a proper table and silver companies would offer up to 100 different flatware and serve ware pieces in their lines. This also led to an increase in the amount of companies specializing in the luxury of silver. At this time, it was not uncommon for meals to include 10 or more courses and the serve ware necessary for these meals were beautifully decorated and sometimes even embellished with ivory.

Though sterling silver fell out of favor to some degree around the time of the Second World War, due to a change in attitudes where people no longer wanted to tend to the silver to keep it polished. Despite this, the luxury still remains. Currently, there are many companies that specialize in sterling silver dinnerware and jewelry. One of  the famous Tiffany & Co. While our modern world allows for the ability to view these pieces online, they are still just as traditionally beautiful as ever.

Sterling silver provides a sense of luxury that cannot be touched by many other pieces. Everyday activities are uplifted by the incorporation of these gorgeous items. Everyday activities are uplifted by the incorporation of these gorgeous items. Sterling silver affords a sense of elegance to the simplest daily pursuits and thus adds a lovely dose of luxury.

by Kendra Murphy

We celebrated the elixir of luxury, Champagne this year in our exclusive magazine. As the year ends and a new one begins, our love for bubbly and all things Champagne deepens. We wanted to put together a collection to pay homage to the beverage and to style in this, our Editor’s Picks!