Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Monica and I delighted in a petit sejour in Cognac and the surrounding countryside courtesy of H Mounier and Hardy Cognac. Our journey here began one afternoon in Rendez-Vous, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur where we met t…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Once again we are enjoying the company of two entertaining French gentlemen for dinner. Tonight’s companions are the humorous Jean-Luc Lebault, who has recently joined H. Mounier to lead their travel retail div…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall As part of our discovery of Cognac, we are enlightened on the importance of the barrel in the development of the spirit. Barrel making is an ancient art around the world and barrels are used for the development of ma…
La Gabarre Dame-Jeanne Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall There are few more pleasant ways to while away an afternoon than to spend a few hours on a boat. Whether sea, lake or river, time on the water is one of my favourite pastimes. Learning more ab…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Set on the banks above La Charente, with views cascading down through verdant green trees this charming residence captures our imaginations from the moment we catch sight of it. Originally a folly from the 19th Ce…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall As the Michelin Guide has not reached Malaysia it’s not often that we eat in starred restaurants, so we’re already excited before even arriving at La Ribaudiere in Bourg Charentes. But fine dining or not, anyone …
H. Mounier and Hardy with Cellar Master Mickaël Bouilly, Cognac Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall We’ve been promised a visit to ‘Paradise’ to meet some of the oldest eaux-de-vie in existence, but first we are shown around the production plant and re…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Sitting out on the terrace of the charming Hotel L’Yeuse as the evening light starts to soften with the fresh air of the Charente countryside singing through your lungs, is a wonderful end to a day of exploring the d…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall It’s not often you are invited to taste Cognac in the village that it is made and named for, and it is surely even more rare to taste it in the house of the founder. But that is what we are experiencing this […]
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Commanding an Imperial position opposite L’Opera on the Place de la Comedie, Intercontinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel, is an iconic assemblage of seven former magnificent houses. The neo classical façade, c…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Bordeaux wine is famous the world over and to many of us overseas Bordeaux will always be thought of as the city of wine. We dream of grand chateaux and estates with acreage of dusty vines. It is truly a romantic notion…
Words: Kirsten Durward Photos: Monica Tindall Le Chapon Fin’s entrance is so discreet that if you did not know it was there you might walk right past it. On setting foot inside the establishment we are immediately drawn back to the elegance of former times, with …
