(Post #16) Wine and spirits: Saint- Emilion and Cognac!

Being so close to Bordeaux and the winegrowing region, it seemed a shame to not visit and spend a little time in St Emilion – a small but important town in the history of great wines.

Saint-Émilion’s history goes back at least 35,000 years ago, to the Upper Paleolithic. The Romans planted vineyards in what was to become Saint-Émilion as early as the 2nd century.

Legend has it that the town bears the name of a Breton monk that performed miracles while living an exemplary life. In order to retire from social life, he settled in a natural grotto in 750, which can still be visited nowadays in the heart of the town.

It was also a renowned pilgrimage site, and boasts the relics of the local patron saint; the town was quite prosperous in the Middle Ages. Saint- Emilion also houses Europe’s largest underground stone carved into the limestone rock. We were happy to be underground as the southwest of France was having a heat wave! Wine didn’t sound good until the sun had set!

Among the architectural highlights of St. Émilion is this one-of-a-kind church, which was carved out of limestone rock in the 12th century.

Cognac – “a nectar from the gods” – anon

We needed a gas and lunch break as we headed north so when we saw the name, Cognac on the map, we said, why not? Turned out to be an interesting town focused on its main export – excellent cognac!

Being France, there’s a lot of history. In 1651, during the uprising of the Fronde, Cognac had to hold out against a siege which has become famous in French history. Louis XIV thanked the town for its support by granting several privileges. They prospered and in the 18 ^th century, Cognac saw the development of its new trade and the arrival of British and Irish families. Who knew they liked to drink?

According to the story, Napoleon brought with him cognac crates from Courvoisier when he ran away from France on his way to Saint Helene island. Napoleon’s crew decided to rename the cognac “Napoleon.”

Lunch over, we headed north to spend a couple of days in “châteaux county!”