Poking around for the previous post, I came across this lovely bit, which the Question of Wine blog has been nice enough to quote from the movie The Supper.
Napoleon 1er’s ministers. Fouche and Talleyrand.
It is the end of the dinner and Talleyrand serves a nice glass of Cognac to Fouche, who drinks the precious liquid in one single motion. Tayllerand surprised, intervenes:
“Allow me, it is not the correct way to drink Cognac. Please let me show you. We take the glass in the palm of our hand and warm it up slowly. We swirl the Cognac in a nice circular motion in order to release its perfume. Then we take it to our nostrils and smell the aromas…”
“and then?” asks Fouche.
“Then…” replies Talleyrand, “we put it back on the table and talk about it.”