European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cognac. Continued from Page 6 own kid leather attache Case. The Case by the Way is a limited edition by Pascal Morabito a parisian craftsman so exclusive his leather goods make Gucci look like Kmart. Duret incidentally is preferred by Many connoisseurs because their Best cognacs come in bottles that to the untrained Eye could hold Mere Bordeaux wine. The bottles Are in fact hand blown Crystal and contain interesting bubbles and imperfections. The shape just makes the bottle a lot easier to hide when your brother in Law starts browsing through the liquor Cabinet. If your love does t stray into the $1,300 area you can happily Settle for some of the better cognacs available at military liquor stores. Army stores recently began carrying Codet cognacs their to goes for $19.50, a sop for $10.90. Both army and air Force stores carry Remy Martin but not the $500 bottle. Remy sop at both runs about $12. Navy stores offer courvoisier luxe for $9.50 and Martell sop for $18.75, both suitable for Gilt giving. Additionally air Force class i stores have two interesting gift cognacs by Hennessy to in a Cut Glass decanter Sells for $47 a de cantered Hennessy Napoleon with a Silver plate stopper goes for $36.45. Army stores carry Hennessy is at $12.85. One of the Best buys at the moment is at army class i stores where Prunier s sop soon to be discontinued goes for a paltry $9.25. Another Brandy gaining in popularity again read Price is the Rich smooth drink of France s armagnac Region. Growers in armagnac had their lands declared an official con Rollee in 1909 so their liquor could begin to compete in popularity with Cognac. There Are several major differences. Sandy not Chalky soil produces the Best armagnac and some of the handiest soil is in the Fields surrounding Gauze France the site of the weekly armagnac Market. Armagnac grapes Are picked in late september made into wine and then distilled almost immediately. A three Star armagnac is one that is at least two years old and sop is at least four years old. Extra or hours d age rankings Are Given to those at least five years old. Some of the finest armagnac though Are pure Vintage years that were never blended. Vintage years such As 1888 or 1891, the armagnac nearly Black from aging in the Oak is an experience most of us will Only read about but you can still track Down very Fine albeit More recent vintages such As some from the 30s and 60s that will impress the drinking Man or woman in your life. The bottles from 1930s sell in stores on the Economy in Europe for around $100 1960s vintages can be found for about $70. Armagnac comes in Long necked Flat Flagon called base raise. Look for hotties from Bas armagnac has does mean lower but not lower in Quality just lower in geographic location which produces the Best vintages. Comte de Ferragut armagnac at army class i stores go for $8.80 last and in no Way least Are Spanish and italian brandies. One of Italy s most popular is Vecchia Romagna which comes in a couple of different grades. The older Gold Label will set you Back about $8 the younger version with the Black Label is about $5. Others such As Castel Monreale and Contessa Rosa average about $9, twice that for bottles that have been aged longer. Spain produces numerous brandies and Many rival the cognacs of the Charente in taste and body. Among the very Best Are la Ponto Fundodor and the better grades produced by Osborne. And then there s Metaxa from Greece Italy s grappa Calvados from Normandy. 8 stripes Magazine february 13,13s6 by Marynett staff writer Valentine s Day is coming and there s no time for a Glamour trip to Paris or London no Chance of flying away to sunny Spain or Portugal. It looks As though you and your extra special Friend will be All dressed up with no place to go. Before you resign yourself to a candlelight dinner at your House or his or another evening at the club try exploring the local landscape. A Holiday to remember could be just Down the Road. Take for example the Saar Pfalz town of Homburg Only a few Miles from the . Military bases of Pir Masens and Wei Brocken. At first glance the town does t seem very inviting. Its old world Charm was pretty much bombed away toward the end of world War ii. It s encircled by Industry and under a slate Gray Winter sky with Trees still Bare of leaves the streets seem colourless and Bleak. Don t keep driving. Pull Over. Here there is really More than meets the Eye. Homburg boasts a Michelin one Star restaurant Ceil longer s at the City Park hotel am Steinhuebel and a centuries old hidden world. If you Are planning to make a weekend of it you can Check into the hotel and take advantage of its Pool and Sauna. Rooms plus breakfast and two meals a Day re Short sightseeing excursion. Look for the highest Hilltop around crowned by Jujj the Schlossberg hotel. You want to go up there in order to disappear underground. That s right you Are going Down into Europe s largest Sandstone caverns the Schlossberg Hohlen. This Man made underworld4r, meanders through passageways three Miles Long. There Are 12layers, or,0 stories one on top of another. It s a _ real in depth Maze. Only the 10th, ,. 11th, and 12th stories Are open to the Public but they alone cover some. 1,900 feet. Don t worry though the guide won t let you go astray. At the. End of the visit however he will serve you a Small Glass of Heht Engels a ,3 Strong fruit distilled liquor. The lights will be turned off and. Each Glass Willy be set aflame for a minute creating eerie patterns on the coloured Sandstone Walls. In Homburg one hears an old legend concerning the caves. It is said that a White lady wanders the passageways waiting for redemption. You May be Lucky enough to see her. According to the guide prior to every weather change very thick Fogl builds up in the caverns creating the s illusion of floating figures. Shortly after the weather changes the fog Andje lady disappears. The caverns Date Back to the 12th,s, Century when the Hohenbury a French Border fortress stood on the Hill Abovic they were used in protecting the fortress and allowing its defenders to -,1 escape unseen through passageways to led to nearby towns and  caverns also served As a Sti place for ammunition and food and As a shelter for the citizens of t town during times of War a i \ the first written mention of them was in 1708 when the commander la chief at the time wrote a letter to \ Superior in Paris. He complained t provisions stored there had spoiled a j because of dampness. In 1714, when France and Gern signed a peace treaty which returned the Saar to Germany the French Garrison commander ordered the � fortress blown up which blocked of most of the entrances. The caverns t forgotten for the next 218 years nuff it