Cognac: The Seductive Saga of the World's Most Coveted Spirit

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New York 2005 Hard Cover First Edition Near Fine in Near Fine jacket 8vo-over 7?"-9?" tall. FIRST PRINTING. 244 pages. Index and Sources. A book by the author of OVER THERE and ... ROLLING BONES. A comprehensive history of cognac--the celebrated brandy named after the town of Cognac in France and produced in the region surrounding the town. A near fine copy in a near fine pictorial dust jacket protected with mylar sleeve. Read more Show Less

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Overview

Rave Reviews For Cognac

"An enthralling volume. . . . a compelling story, not just about the world's best-known eau-de-vie, but about the people who make it and the often violent history of the remarkable but little-known region of France from which it comes."
—Frank J. Prial, wine critic, The New York Times

"Kyle Jarrard has turned his fine eye and writer's skill to the subject of Cognac, that most elegant of all the spirits. . . . While rich in history and admirable scholarship, Cognac really appeals because of Kyle's personal and anecdotal sketches. It's a fine grande champagne of a book, to be savored over and ...

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More About This Book

Overview

Rave Reviews For Cognac

"An enthralling volume. . . . a compelling story, not just about the world's best-known eau-de-vie, but about the people who make it and the often violent history of the remarkable but little-known region of France from which it comes."
—Frank J. Prial, wine critic, The New York Times

"Kyle Jarrard has turned his fine eye and writer's skill to the subject of Cognac, that most elegant of all the spirits. . . . While rich in history and admirable scholarship, Cognac really appeals because of Kyle's personal and anecdotal sketches. It's a fine grande champagne of a book, to be savored over and over."
—Patricia Wells, author of The Food Lover's Guide to Paris

"Having read the wonderful book by Kyle Jarrard about Cognac, an anecdote immediately springs to mind. . . . Here now, are the two gems of our cellars, two very rare flasks; these two bottles of Napoleon brandy are the very ones that André Terrail used to take legitimate pride in. . . . True, alas, there is only one left. The other one was stolen by Pierpont Morgan and replaced with a letter of excuse and a blank check, which André Terrail just sent back. That's how the cellars of the Tour d'Argent are perhaps the only place in the world where a billionaire has ever staged a holdup."
—Claude Terrail, restaurateur, La Tour d'Argent, Paris

"Kyle Jarrard has written an authoritative and exquisitely detailed word portrait of Cognac, both the geographic region . . . and the seductive golden spirit that is its most renowned product. This is a book for lovers of both, and for all those who understand that food and drink are not just something to enjoy around the table but a true expression of history, geography, culture, and humanity."
—Nancy Harmon Jenkins, nationally known food writer and author of The Essential Mediterranean

"An intoxicating tale of Cognac, as rich and rewarding as a sip of the amber liquid itself. The people, places, and intensely French history that created this magnificent drink come alive. . . . Readers will be sorry when they've finished the bottle Jarrard serves up so elegantly."
—David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post, and author of A Firing Offense and The Sun King

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
It's fitting that a Paris-based novelist and International Herald Tribune editor should chronicle the history of the famously refined French brandy. And Jarrard does a nice job of it, offering a thorough, well-researched and objective history of cognac. He begins with a geological history of the French province of Charente, on the Atlantic coast, where the town of Cognac is located. The Romans brought the first grapes to the region, but it would be centuries before viniculture really took root there. The earliest attempts to make what we now call cognac began during the Middle Ages, as alchemists and apothecaries experimented with putting local grape pressings through their distillation apparatuses. While France evolved from a feudal kingdom into an imperial, colonial power, the cognac-making process developed, although factors like weather and warfare often prevented distilleries from obtaining the necessary raw materials. By the Napoleonic era, however, cognac began appearing on the world market, and its makers worked at refining their product and their methods as demand for the elegant, amber, aromatic brandy increased. Jarrard brings the story to the present, examining the various brands dominating the market today, including Hennessy, Remy-Martin and Courvoisier. Although a more driving narrative and some strongly defined characters would've given this text more life, it's a must for aficionados. B&w photos. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Novelist Jarrard (Rolling the Bones) tries his hand at nonfiction in this history of the Cognac business. The first part of the book provides a rather ordinary survey of French history and how geology, politics, and religion contributed to the economic development of the Cognac region and its famous distilled spirits. In the last part of the book, however, Jarrard shifts to profiling the firms and people of today who contribute to the current success of the Cognac trade. Cognac production comes to life, and Jarrard provides a fascinating look at the growers, barrel-makers, bottle-makers, and producers of Cognac. In this respect, he succeeds in doing for Cognac what William Echickson did for Bordeaux in Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution. Since tasting notes are sparse, this book will appeal more to readers interested in the business rather than the sipping of Cognac. Recommended for large public libraries and special collections.-Andrea R. Dietze, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780471459446
  • Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
  • Publication date: 2/18/2005
  • Edition number: 1
  • Pages: 256
  • Sales rank: 583,518
  • Product dimensions: 6.14 (w) x 9.21 (h) x 0.63 (d)

Meet the Author

KYLE JARRARD is a senior editor at the International Herald Tribune and the author of two highly praised novels, Over There and Rolling the Bones. His work has appeared in numerous literary publications, including North American Review and Mississippi Review. Jarrard has lived in France for more than twenty years—now in Paris but first in Cognac country with his wife, whose family roots run deep there—and has written extensively about France and specifically about the Cognac industry and region.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

The Grapes Are Coming.

Much Ado about Salt and Wine.

The Difficult Birth of an Eau-de-Vie.

Mayhem on the Charente.

Rising Houses, Rising Fortunes.

A Distillate Turns Golden.

Phylloxera and The Texas Cure.

The German Who Saved Cognac.

Glory Years, with Feathers.

Tale of a Big House,

Tale of a Little House.

The Last of the Mohicans.

From the Nursery to the Glass.

Agendas for Tomorrow.

The Spirit Flows On.

Acknowledgements.

Sources.

Picture Credits.

Index.

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Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 29, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    9781840003635

    Interesting Read While Sipping Cognac

    I enjoyed this book. Partly because it's a subject that is off the beaten path as far as topics for books are concerned and partly because it is full of history. If your into the beverage business this is a good book to read.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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