Ébéon Shopping

All over the Charente Maratime you will see signs for Pineau and Cognac, in Courcerac near Matha is the home/farm/distillery of the Garraud family, their wines were recommended by those in the know, it was a trip worth taking.

What to buy: Cognac you will already be familiar with but what is Pineau? Its a fortified wine, around 17%, and usually comes in white red and rose. It is used as an aperitif or after a meal to aid digestion, it was used as the `vin d`honour` for the 8th of May ceremony to mark the end of the war (see my Authon page) and it is drunk with friends on social occasions. It is unlike any wine you have had before owing its unique charateristics more to port and sherry. The cognac that is made by these small producers is of a similar, excellent quality though lower in alcohol content than the `brandies` of the major companies ( see my Cognac page ) at around 24% the spirits are infused with flavoures that you wouldn`t find in your local bar. I left with six bottles of Cognac, 5 flavoured with orange and 1 with almond. You will be offered a tasting of all wines wherever you stop. As for the Pineau, 2 rose and 2 white, I am still rationing them until I can get back to France.
All the Garrauds wines are available by mail order, write to; Jean-Marie Garraud, 17160 Courcerac, France.

In 2010 I visited the Garrauds once again for their excellent wines.

What to pay: 2004 prices..The pineau was 7.5euros and the cognac liqueur 11euros.Also available are traditional cognac 14.80 euros and V.S.O.P. at 18.50 there is also a special reserve for 30 euros.