Segonzac

An early morning routine is starting to develop with the weather the way it is. Another early morning walk around the village, a stop off at the supermarket- after we found where it was!

Parked up in the shade with great entertainment on the other side with the afternoon pétanque game to keep us amused. 

We have been entertained the past two afternoons with a fairly large group of locals playing boules - pétanque. Today a larger number than previous turned out to play. They take it very seriously and with great skill. We have noticed an old shed on the site. It is their club rooms with trophies on the back shelf.

A very serious game of pétanque!

Not being brandy/cognac drinkers, we are still able to appreciate the enormous value that cognac has to this wider community. Here’s a short snippet from one of information sheets available around the village. 

“The historic vineyards of Cognac have marked the identity of the Charentes region.  They have benefited from a mild oceanic climate that is suitable for producing a range of white wines that are perfectly suited to distillation.  It is this distilled wine that becomes cognac ... but only after many years of aging. 

After the distillation comes ageing which takes many long years. The cellar-master will then give the cognac its definitive and specific form  by composing an assembly of floral, fruity, spicy or woody notes from a selection of different distills (eaux-de-vie).

Eaux-de-vie must age at least two years to be called cognac – though many distills are aged far longer, gaining complexity and texture: honeysuckle and iris; hazelnuts and dried figs; vanilla and butterscotch; cloves and cinnamon.

While all cognac is brandy, only brandy made in the eponymous Cognac region of southwest France can be called cognac.

The region is broken into six sub-regions – known as crus – of which the grapes of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne are considered so special they have their own appellation: Cognac Fine Champagne.”

So, there you are!

Not to be defeated, we again decided to revisit “La Cagouillarde”, the restaurant that wasn’t open last evening. To make a booking we followed the directions on their website, filled out an online form to make the reservation. We didn’t receive a reply so we just assumed that all was okay. Come the evening we threw on some “glads” and wandered down to the village. Yes, the restaurant was open, we ventured in, the chef looked surprised, checked the bookings (only two in the book!), frowned and mumbled a bit about email (obviously doesn’t like or check his own website email!) before calling his wife to ask her if we could be accommodated! After a short discussion we were shown to the dining area of this old fashioned auberge. We were the only guests at this stage! 

The early bird!

Shortly after the two other parties arrived, but it was nowhere near booked out!

To cut a long evening short - it was worth the wait, the food was delicious and the evening very intriguing - particularly when the host lit the fire next to us! Here she cooked the magret de canard gras grillé.

Heatwave in France but still the open fire in the auberge is lit to cook the meat!

The foie gras pâté was outstanding, as was the vanilla ice cream with cognac-soaked raisins and cognac. 

Other guests happened to be two English couples who have recently moved to the village. We had a pleasant conversation with them outside in the garden after our meal. 

Our chef who doesn’t check his email!

Overall, a very pleasant evening with delicious food. 

Back to our aire by 10.30pm to find another van just pulling in for the evening.