03.12 Day 78 . . . Pineau & Cognac

Another one of those lazy mornings that we are getting so good at. We were asked yesterday if we could help Hannah with a wood delivery she was expecting - to which we had said yes. So when we got a message early in the morning to say the wood man had cancelled it was all we needed to pull the duvet back up and have tea in bed.
We kicked around for the remainder of the morning, before walking down the lane to the Relais car park to meet with Lou and Vince who were picking us up. As soon as they arrived, we drove generally south through stunning scenery and vineyard loaded fields. The vines like many of the trees have a yellow hint to them now, and in the glorious sunshine they were truly beautiful to see.
After just short of an hour I guess, we arrived at Neuvicq-Le-Château and pulled into the most nondescript building belonging to Ballet Jean.
Lou and Vince had been here before - more than once and from the welcome they received it was more like family visiting than customers 😂
The building - and many others surrounding owned by the family, is a Cognac and Pineau producer. The lovely lady looking after the place when we arrived, quickly started to show us around. However when booked customers then arrived she left Lou to do the tour with us . . . I think that shows Lou has been too many times 🤔Lou mentioned a fact that she had been told - that the buildings that store the barrels all have black roofs, a form of mould and that during the war, bombers avoided buildings with black roofs because they knew what was being made within. Fact or old wives tail makes no difference - the roofs are definitely black!!
We had a fab time walking around the various parts to the building and wondering how a premises like this makes such well regarded products. To double up on my feeling that Lou had been here too many times, it was reinforced when the lady running the place asked Lou to show further French customers around, while she greeted new ones at the door.
Finally the time had arrived for the tasting. Firstly the Pineau, which was lovely - much better than the shop bought Tre and I had previously tasted. Then the Cognac - the initial bottle we were informed was for cooking!! Never would you put this in anything other than a glass to drink. Then the next bottle on, that had been aged in oak barrels for 20 years . . . Got to say it was blooming lovely, with a very nice warm feeling in your throat. Finally the top bottle that had been aged again in oak for 40 years . . . bloody lovely, nothing else to say. The glasses of each we had been given (apart from poor Vince who was driving) were quite heavily poured, so Lou Tre and I were all quite rosy cheeked by the finish. Lou took Teresa’s side in the purchase game and so we walked out with three 20 year old cognacs and six Pineau . . . I think the tasting had warped my thinking!
Pineau des Charentes is a “liqueur wine produced in a specific region” at European level and a “liqueur wine with a registered designation of origin” in France. It is obtained by mixing grape must and cognac.
This liqueur wine is produced in a region that extends over a large part of the two Charentes, that is to say the whole department of Charente except the north and north-east, and all of Charente-Maritime: on the wine estates of Borderies, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and finally Bons Bois.
Pineau is an AOC (controlled designation of origin). Its production area extends over 1,500 hectares in the same geographical area as cognac. The maximum yield of Pineau des Charentes per hectare of vines required for its production is 45 hectolitres. The two elements making up Pineau des Charentes (cognac and must) must come from the same estate, in compliance with local customs.
75% of Pineau des Charentes production is consumed in France; Belgium is the leading importer, followed by Canada.
After the tasting and the purchases were made, we wound our way home, with a brief stop at the Château just a couple of streets from the distillery.
Back at Chef Boutonne we popped into the small SuperU for a couple of bits and then stumbled into one of the bars for a coffee . . . . and beer. Lou and Vince kindly then dropped us off back at our - A really brilliant day!!
Merguez sausages and chips for dinner was what was required in an attempt to soak up a slightly boozy body - and then an early night.Read more