“Calvados never changed because distillers never thought it needed to or that it could.” It is due to visionaries like Nicolas and his father, who have recognized the potential of Calvados, that this unique eau-de-vie has a bright future.

While most travellers look forward to the region’s wondrous landscape of dormant volcanoes, I was drawn by another attraction entirely. Cheese.

Have you ever encountered the feeling of being somewhere far away from your comfort zone, yet still felt very much at home? Three years after my winter visit to the Fogo Island Inn, the feeling of hospitality and warmth that greeted me still resonates pleasantly in my memory.

As hungry travellers journey beyond the chic metropolis of Paris and head south towards the eclectic terrain of central France, a family name seems to echo across the landscape.

I gazed up at the clear November sky, covered in mud up to my knees, as the sound of cool winds rummaged through the rows of dead corn husks. The air was cold and the light had softened as I sat there over several hours, waiting for a sign of life to cross our paths.