Park
For many years Baur au Lac Wines has been Switzerland's exclusive importer of the sumptuous Cognacs created by Dominic Park. The story goes back to the 1990s when Dominic Park decided to leave his job as a wine trader in London to create his own cognac house with the style he wanted. This is summed up by a very clean vision of what cognac should be: insist on the best origins and a very precise distillation and ageing to give a high-class product in a modern, elegant bottle.
The colour of Park cognacs is natural and results from a patient ageing of the eaux-de-vie. No caramel colouring is permitted and no rectification with concentrated tannins. All cognacs undergo a longer ageing than that imposed by law. Even the VS, the simplest cognac, matures for three and half years instead of the required two. The VSOP is aged for eight years instead of four, twice the minimum. As for the XO, Park lets it acquire its fullness over twenty years where nine suffice under the rules. Finally, the eaux-de-vie that go into the Extra, the Vieille Fine Champagne, in the top Cigar Blend, and into the Vieille Grande Champagne aged for forty to sixty years.
Spirits from Park
from Park
Nowadays, the Cognac Park style is unrivalled thanks to the expertise of the Tessendier & Fils distillery which, under the watchful eyes of the fourth generation Jerôme and Lilian, can tap into special reserves. The treasures include barrels and canisters of eaux-de-vie, the oldest of which are 130 years old, waiting to be expertly blended. For the real connoisseurs, the rare vintage bottlings are particularly interesting.
The traditional cognac bottle with its understated label already foretells the pleasures of tasting. The 20cl bottles make a nice flask to offer as a gift or to take anywhere to learn the magic of cognac.
Producer
Azienda Agricola Pratello
In Padenghe sul Garda, a small medieval village at the south-western end of Lake Garda, lies the traditional but also progressive Azienda Agricola Pratello.
Bodegas Campos Reales
The landscape of Meseta Central stretches out endlessly to include La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and also Spain's largest wine region.
Domaine des Pères de l'Eglise
In 1933, the winegrowers and wine merchants of Châteauneuf-du-Pape were the first to impose quality rules relating to the cultivation and production of wines that would bear the name Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The geographic definition of the cultivation area, along with the other regulations, is still in force today, in order to guarantee the wine quality for connoisseurs. The Gradassi family of the Domaine des Pères de l’Église is following the tradition, but with the fresh impetus provided by the young fourth generation.