I was very busy the whole school year, so I am starting to write again, during the summer.
I’m in Bordeaux, on vacation. I arrived right after nationals, and I’ll be back in September.
We just got back from our visit to Cognac. Thibaud’s English cousins are there. We took the Henessy tour, one of the many places they make cognac. It was very interesting. What I have understood is that they ferment the grape juice A LOT, giving it a high alcohol content. Then they let it age, and test each batch each year, to see if the taste is still changing. They mix these batches together very precisely, to make a consistent product. They are so precise in their making of cognac that have different uses for different barrels. New barrels give their contents a lot of aromas, where old barrels do not have as much aroma.
Then, obviously, they sell it. The U.S. is the biggest buyer of cognac in quantity. The Chinese buy less, but it’s pricier, so they are Henessy’s biggest customers.
Until the next post!
Tycho Toothaker (Taco Paco)
