Royal Castle of Cognac

Cognac is the name of a region in France and the famous distilled liquor is made here, which is where we toured next. We learned that this beverage can be made in other parts of the world, but then it's called brandy.
The tour was at a grand Chateau , so before we learned about making Cognac, we toured this castle where one of the kings of France was born. We started in a great room that had a huge fireplace and were led through a series of rooms decorated with coats of arms bearing a fire breathing salamander, busts of Queens and paintings of the King.
We stopped in the stable that only housed the King's horse and then climbed to a beautiful, long room with ornate ceiling arches that actually formed the letter "W" in honour of the Royal. Although it can't be proven yet, there's great suspicion that Leonardo da Vinci might have designed this room as he was a good friend of the King.
Finally we came to the cellars under this palace that are now used to store barrels of Cognac as it ages for a variety of years, up to eighty. After eighty years, we were told that the taste of the Cognac declines and is not good anymore. This would mean that the workers in this distillery will be making bottles of liquor that won't be opened in their lifetimes.
Heavy cobwebs decorate this cool room that smells like the drink it protects, and to save the oak barrels from insects that like to burrow in wood, each one has narrow wooden bindings that attract the bugs away from oak. Then the caves are home to many spiders that eat the bugs. So the cobwebs are appreciated and celebrated.
Back at the reception center, glasses of 40% amber liquid were served and Doug must have liked the Cognac tasting because he bought a bottle to bring home.Read more