Huîtres

We had a leisurely start on our first full day in Ronce-Les-Bains, and, after breakfast, we went to look at the medieval walled town of Hiers Brouage. The town has not expanded outside the walls built in the 16^th century. It was originally a coastal town, surrounded by sea on three sides, but the changing coastline now means it sits inland as the sea has retreated, leaving the salt marshes in its wake. One of its main claims to fame is being the home of Samuel Champlain, who went on to found Quebec in Canada. It’s very picturesque, and they were undertaking preparations for Thursday, 14 July, as we wandered about. It went through a period of decline but has now been revived after being designated a Grand Site National in 1989, and is now home to around 600 people.

Entrance from the sea

3D fleur-de-lis

The icehouse

It's getting ridiculously hot here in south-west France, with daytime temperatures reaching 36°C in the afternoon. It takes a long time to cool down in the evening, and the sun doesn’t set until around 10pm. We retreated indoors for the afternoon, then went out for dinner in centre-ville. One of the main industries of the Charente-Maritime department is growing huîtres – oysters. Now, as a New Zealander, I am aware that Bluff oysters are obviously the best in the world, but some other countries make valiant attempts to compete. I sampled a ½ dozen as a starter, and can confirm that they are not as good as the New Zealand product. Not that I’m chauvinistic at all.

Fish in the market

Cheese in the market

The following day we made an organised effort to get up early to try and beat the worst of the heat, and went to visit Mornac-Sur-Seudre, one of the towns noted for its oyster industry. We walked alongside the river where the claire ponds are – these are the final stage of an oyster’s life. Farmers await the generation of eggs and sperm from mature oysters in August when the water is warmest, and the larvae settle onto long spindles of circular discs. These young oysters, or spats, remain there for six months, before being transferred to wire bags and left in the estuary for another three years to mature. After this, the final process is to transfer them to pools, or claires, where they remain for another year, before finally being harvested. The whole process takes around five years. It is in the final stage that the farmer can control the salinity of the water, and thus influence the final product. After exploring the town, which is more industrial than picturesque, we went to sample some oysters. We selected a small shed at random, and I tried a ½ dozen Special No. 4 oysters, on the recommendation of the owner. Washed down with a local 17 beer blonde, they were delicious. 

Picturesque oyster hut

We then came home for an afternoon barbie in the sunshine, accompanied by a 2003 Margaux.