{"id":12985,"date":"2014-03-21T11:08:46","date_gmt":"2014-03-21T17:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=12985"},"modified":"2017-07-27T14:25:23","modified_gmt":"2017-07-27T20:25:23","slug":"viking-longships-day-4-cognac-wine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2014\/03\/viking-longships-day-4-cognac-wine\/","title":{"rendered":"Viking Longships Day 4: Cognac and Wine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bordeaux, Cognac, and Viking Forseti<\/h3>\n
\"Viking<\/a>

Viking Forseti cruises off Blaye, France on March 20, 2014. Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Aaron Saunders, Live Voyage Reports<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The sun was shining this morning in Bordeaux as we were given the chance to sample Viking River Cruises<\/b><\/a> brand-new Chateaux, Rivers and Wine<\/i><\/b> itinerary.<\/p>\n

One week in duration, the Chateaux, Rivers and Wine<\/i> itinerary sails both the Gironde and Garonne rivers and includes port calls in Pauillac, Blaye, Libourne, Cadillac, <\/b>and extended time in Bordeaux at the end of the itinerary.<\/p>\n

Today, guests could participate in a vineyard tour to learn about Bordeaux wines, or choose to take part in an overland journey to Cognac to learn about the region\u2019s eponymous drink. Talk about being given a tough choice!<\/p>\n

\"Boarding<\/a>

Boarding the Viking-branded coaches in Bordeaux this morning for a full day in Cognac. Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

I chose to celebrate the joie de vivre <\/i>with a visit to Cognac. That I am a huge fan of the spirit didn\u2019t hurt, either, but our 1.5-hour motorcoach journey across the French countryside was an unexpected bonus. Picturesque and ever-changing, it\u2019s worth it to take excursions on this itinerary that involve a long coach ride just to admire the scenery.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The House of Camus, in France’s Cognac region, was our first stop today. Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Our entire nine-hour excursion revolved around CAMUS<\/a> <\/b>(pronounced cam-ooo<\/i>), the family-owned company that has been making Cognacs since 1863. Today, we\u2019d get to meet two generations of Camus men: Jean-Paul Camus, who became a Master Blender in 1977; and his son, Cyril Camus, who has served as President of the House of CAMUS since 2003.<\/p>\n

\n

Making a great Cognac is easy. All you need is a great-grandfather, a grandfather, and a father who have done it before you.<\/i><\/p>\n

–<\/i>Cyril Camus<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We began first with a tour of the House of Camus, which Jean-Paul expertly guided us around. It\u2019s a picturesque property that was constructed in three stages spanning two centuries, and its elegance and grandeur have been kept up to this day. It also functions as a luxury boutique property as well for those interested in Cognac retreats.<\/p>\n

\"Inside,<\/a>

Inside, the House’s grandeur is topped only by… Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

\"...fine<\/a>

…fine Cognacs on display everywhere. Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Aside from the grounds \u2013 which are inspiring \u2013 it is the interior of the house that pays homage to the CAMUS legacy. In fact, the massive stained glass dome is featured on the packaging of some of the company\u2019s fine Cognacs, and the house\u2019s profile pops up frequently in packaging and marketing materials.<\/p>\n

\"Enjoying<\/a>

Enjoying a sumptuous four-course lunch, each paired with a different type of CAMUS Cognac. Photo \u00a9 2014 Aaron Saunders<\/p><\/div>\n

Click here to continue reading.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bordeaux, Cognac, and Viking Forseti Aaron Saunders, Live Voyage Reports The sun was shining this morning in Bordeaux as we were given the chance to sample Viking River Cruises brand-new Chateaux, Rivers and Wine itinerary. One week in duration, the Chateaux, Rivers and Wine itinerary sails both the Gironde and Garonne rivers and includes port […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[271,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}