Fri 11th April
After the number I did on my liver in London, I figured it’d be a few weeks before I could muster up the strength to stomach alcohol again. But it would be a crying shame to be worrying about something as trivial as the liver while passing through some of the finest alcohol producing regions in the world.
First up was the magnificent cider in Normandy. This stuff puts Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack to shame (which let’s face it - isn’t hard to do). The alcohol percentage is lighter than what you’d expect at the pub, but the stuff is damn drinkable making it just as lethal. On the drive back from the D-day beaches, we stopped off at what looked to be a massive castle/chateau that had a cider sign out front. The place was gorgeous with a moat through the front yard and a large stone arch guiding you into the courtyard. It must have been quite a sight watching our purple beast pull into such a posh setting. Can’t believe I didn’t jump out to take a photo. Inside the courtyard we were greeted by a man who politely asked if we’d mind waiting a few minutes for his son to finish. I looked past him onto the stone paved terrace where his 2-year old son was sitting on a potty trainer looking very determined. So the purple beast would fit in just fine here! After sampling a few of the varieties, we opted for a drier version and promptly headed to the campsite to finish 2 bottles. Delish.
Second stop was Cognac, a town just outside of Bordeaux known for producing… you guessed it! Cognac. Who knew it was also a town? Turns out the place is just like Champagne, in the sense that producers of the spirit can’t call it cognac unless the grapes are actually grown in the Cognac region. We didn’t stay for long, as the drive from Normandy had already taken us over 5 hours and we were keen to find a campsite for the night. Oh – did I mention that we discovered our top speed in the purple beast is 50mph and more like 35mph on a hill? Painful, but we’re learning to appreciate that slower speeds mean you really do see more of the countryside.
But I digress… for 9 euros, we toured the world famous Hennessey estate, which even includes a quick jaunt across the river to see where their cognac is aged. After a quick explanation of how the spirit is produced, the most fascinating part of the tour was one of the aging warehouses, where some of the finer barrels sitting behind a very strong gate have been aging since 1803. We snapped a few photos and headed into the 2nd best part of the tour – tasting! I soon discovered cognac isn’t really my thing and I’d prefer more of the Normandy cider so no souvenirs were purchased.
Final stop of the day (and third stop on the alcohol tour) was a wine region just outside the city of Bordeaux called St. Emillion.
After the number I did on my liver in London, I figured it’d be a few weeks before I could muster up the strength to stomach alcohol again. But it would be a crying shame to be worrying about something as trivial as the liver while passing through some of the finest alcohol producing regions in the world.
First up was the magnificent cider in Normandy. This stuff puts Strongbow and Scrumpy Jack to shame (which let’s face it - isn’t hard to do). The alcohol percentage is lighter than what you’d expect at the pub, but the stuff is damn drinkable making it just as lethal. On the drive back from the D-day beaches, we stopped off at what looked to be a massive castle/chateau that had a cider sign out front. The place was gorgeous with a moat through the front yard and a large stone arch guiding you into the courtyard. It must have been quite a sight watching our purple beast pull into such a posh setting. Can’t believe I didn’t jump out to take a photo. Inside the courtyard we were greeted by a man who politely asked if we’d mind waiting a few minutes for his son to finish. I looked past him onto the stone paved terrace where his 2-year old son was sitting on a potty trainer looking very determined. So the purple beast would fit in just fine here! After sampling a few of the varieties, we opted for a drier version and promptly headed to the campsite to finish 2 bottles. Delish.
Second stop was Cognac, a town just outside of Bordeaux known for producing… you guessed it! Cognac. Who knew it was also a town? Turns out the place is just like Champagne, in the sense that producers of the spirit can’t call it cognac unless the grapes are actually grown in the Cognac region. We didn’t stay for long, as the drive from Normandy had already taken us over 5 hours and we were keen to find a campsite for the night. Oh – did I mention that we discovered our top speed in the purple beast is 50mph and more like 35mph on a hill? Painful, but we’re learning to appreciate that slower speeds mean you really do see more of the countryside.
But I digress… for 9 euros, we toured the world famous Hennessey estate, which even includes a quick jaunt across the river to see where their cognac is aged. After a quick explanation of how the spirit is produced, the most fascinating part of the tour was one of the aging warehouses, where some of the finer barrels sitting behind a very strong gate have been aging since 1803. We snapped a few photos and headed into the 2nd best part of the tour – tasting! I soon discovered cognac isn’t really my thing and I’d prefer more of the Normandy cider so no souvenirs were purchased.
Final stop of the day (and third stop on the alcohol tour) was a wine region just outside the city of Bordeaux called St. Emillion.
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