The Cult

Macedonian Nectar

In 1916 French troops were hunkered down close to Gradesnica, Macedonia. French army had packed copious supplies of wine and cognac to keep out the cold. The German artillery shell exploded in their midst, wiping them all out, but for some odd reason the liquor store was unscathed by the explosion and lay undiscovered and undrunk for a while. Then, about 15 years ago Stefan Kovacevski stumbled across a case of the liquor. While the wine may have seen better decades (being buried in Macedonia is not the recommended storage technique for wine) the brandy is designed for long term maturation and was delicious. And more cases/bottles have turned up periodically since then - while ploughing, or just looking for a stray glint or two. And now the hunt is on in earnest. This nectar of the Gods is now worth about $5000 a bottle, so a case is worth enough to cover your luxurious vacation costs. Question is, how do you find this buried treasure? Truffles also lie hidden under the ground and are sought by special truffle hounds or pigs. They have to be muzzled to prevent them eating the treasure they have just unearthed...;~)