5. Holiday memories

When Jo and Matthew finished their dinner, they moved to the living room. Jo was in awe with the simplicity, elegance and comfort of that room.

"What would you like to listen to?" Matthew asked as he entered with a pitcher of water and two glasses.

"Let me think…"

For Jo, the reunion with her friends was a trip to the past. She thought about the time they had spent together, studying for their exams. Each of them were learning completely different subjects, and they couldn't help each other. It was their way of spending time together while doing their schoolwork.

She also thought about their trips and the places they would visit together. She remembered how they would take Matthew's parents' car in turns to watch the sunrise in the Alps. They would have to take turns using the car so they would arrive in time.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm remembering our crazy weekend trips, watching the sunrise in the mountains and the sunset by the sea. Those were the fun times…" She explained with melancholy.

"Mostly carefree!"

"Do you remember what music we listened to while driving at night?"

"How could I forget? Haha…" Matthew couldn't help but laugh as he recalled the tricks the passenger would play on the driver, it would keep the driver awake. "Mainly that the person driving didn't really know what to expect from one moment to the next moment."

"Even heavy metal couldn't help our friend stay awake over the three hours. We even wore earplugs."

"To be honest, I preferred to drive myself, then let him do it. I didn't trust him." Matthew explained. "He never followed the navigation system. After driving for two hours, we got lost and in the next few hours, we used to have a tough time getting back to the original travel route."

"If you want to find a place that doesn't exist on any map, let a friend drive the car."

"Haha… that phrase was always true."

"Despite all these adversities, I love to drive, even at night. It was a beautiful period in my life which I will always remember with fondness…" Jo stated.

"Me too…"

Browsing Matthew's record collections, Jo found old CDs with Celtic music they listened to while preparing for their final exams. She was very excited when recalling the last hours of study before her graduation.

"That music matches the end of an important era in our lives." She said with heavy sentiment laced in her voice.

"Yes. These CDs also mean the end of the carefree era." Noticing she wasn't in the best mood, he proposed something that he kept for a special occasion. "Would you like a glass of good cognac?" He offered.

"What do you have?"

"Hennessy, Courvoisier Initiale, Francois Voyer, or Remy Martin Louis XIII?" He asked.

"Do you really have Remy Martin Louis XIII?" She couldn't believe it.

"Of course, when I got it, I was thinking of you. You are the only person who would truly enjoy the taste of it."

He brought the famous bottle and handed it to her. She was staring at the bottle and it brought back memories of the time they were together in Rémy Martin headquartered in Cognac, France. Jo had already heard the interesting story years ago.

They chose the name for the cognac as a tribute to King Louis XII of France, the reigning monarch when the Rémy Martin family settled in the Cognac region. He was the first monarch to recognize cognac as a category in its own right in the world of eau-de-vie.

They produce the cognac in the Grange Champagne region of Cognac, from the growing of the grapes to the distillation and aging of the eau-de-vie. They compose the final blend of up to 1,200 individual eau-de-vie from Grande Champagne vineyards, ranging from at least 50 years to 100 years in age.

"The origins of Louis XIII cognac traces back to the founding of the House in the Cognac region in the early 1700s." Matthew tried to tell her the story which he had heard a very long time ago. 

Jo was sure that she had heard about the history of that noble drink and just trying to remember where and when.

"In 1841, after more than a century of producing cognac, Paul-Emile Rémy Martin assumed control of the business and began selling the Houses' cognacs under the family name. Paul-Emile broke from tradition and began bottling his cognacs rather than continuing to sell them by the barrel.” He stopped trying to remember the details.

“In 1874, he began selling a blend of his best 100% Grande Champagne cognacs in an ornate decanter. While originally designated ‘Grande Champagne Very Old–Age Unknown,’ this blend and its decanter later became known as Louis XIII."

"I remember one summer when our crazy team spent a few days in Cognac, but they preferred to run around to the shops." She interrupted him. "I remember the lovely Old Town, The Château de Valois, The Saint-Léger church and the musée d'Art et d'Histoire. The most interesting part was our visit in Jarnac, home to Courvoisier."

"Wow!!! I am surprised that you still remember."

"Yes, I do. I still remember visiting the six famous vineyard areas around the Cognac area, all of which are within the Appellation contrôlée for Cognac. They all varied in quality from the best growth area of ‘Grande Champagne’, through ‘Petite Champagne’ then ‘Borderies’, ‘Fins Bois’, ‘Bon Bois’ and finally ‘Bois Ordinaire’." How could she forget?

"Yes… The best Cognacs contain Grande and Petite Champagne grapes, but they blend cognac with a variety of "Eau de Vie" which can include grapes from different locations, and from different vintages. It is the cellar master's skill that ensures that a brand's Cognac is recognizable regardless of time of production since he can blend multiple eau de vie to achieve the right taste for his house…"

"Matthew,… I think you made a huge mistake in life. You should be a chef, I am sure you could have a first-class restaurant with Michelin stars or a successful winemaker." She said seriously.

"Maybe I was a winemaker in my past life." He was joking. "Maybe we were even together, living happily in the French castle somewhere in Provence or Cote D'Azur…"

"Haha… maybe, who knows."

Talking about the past, drinking cognac, and listening to the Hans Zimmer soundtracks. They were truly happy at that moment.