Casse-croûte in Armagnac
The term "casse-croûte" translates as "snack" wherever French is spoken, and in much of France often means a sandwich or even a hamburger with frites. In Gascony, however, it means something special.
Gascony is in the southwest French region famous for d’Artagnan, Armagnac, and hearty cooking. It’s also where the ritual of "casse-croûte" is less open to interpretation. It is often eaten at 10 a.m. as a small meal between breakfast and lunch, and it is most certainly caloric and filling. It always includes bread, often includes meat cooked in its own fat (see duck confit), but rillettes, foie gras, and numerous pâtés are eaten as well.
And what meal is complete without wine? A glass of simple vin de Gascogne likely accompanies the mid-morning repast. If this all sounds a bit much to ingest before noon, consider its origins: long, hard mornings of demanding physical labor in the fields. If your day commenced at 4 a.m. with farm chores and plowing, you would also likely hunger for the sustenance and warmth that casse-croûte provides.
Fortunately, on our recent trip to Gascony, our hosts at Château de Millet demanded little work of us other than to taste their surprisingly delicious dry white Vin de Pays known as Côtes de Gascogne. White wine makes for nearly 90% of the total output of Gascony, because the VdP area is identical to that of Armagnac. Colombard, Petit and Gros Manseng, Len de l'El, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle, and Ugni Blanc all make appearances, as well as Baco-22A (pictured above), the only hybrid permitted by the French AOP (AOC) system. Colombard is the primary varietal in most of the region’s white wine blends, giving very tart but refreshing zippy wines that would be equally as delicious with shellfish as they are a counter to fatty meats and charcuterie.
In addition to their squeaky-clean and refreshing Côtes de Gascogne, Domaine de Millet is also a very fine producer of Armagnac, a drink I find interesting, but admittedly am still getting used to. Armagnac seems entirely appropriate in its home region of Gascony, is no doubt a complex beverage worthy of study, and does a knockout job of warming the body on a cold and blustery day. But after our casse-croûte of wine, bread, and duck confit, the Armagnac encouraged nap time, and then it was time for time for lunch!
