Blink and you’ll miss it. That’s probably the best way to describe the attractive village of Aigne. Try not to blink because this tiny place – it has a population of fewer than 300 people – has a fascinating history and a couple of good reasons why you might decide to spend a night here, or use it as a base to explore the area. More on that later, but first we had to get there from Minerve.
We were staying in the delightful Vigne Vierge, a B&B that also doubles as a top quality wine shop specialising in local and regional wines. The owner is a sommelier who has worked around the world, including in Mexico. Wine from Mexico was news to me, but if California can do it… If you’re lucky, or have done some actual planning, you may get a home cooked dinner. It’s one of the reasons to visit Aigne.
We were there on a Monday, bad planning on several fronts because in rural France Monday is the day of rest for much of the service sector. I mention Vigne Vierge because we were checking in late in the afternoon, and as we had spent less time in Minerve than anticipated we had a dilemma: what to do with four hours in the deep haut-Minervois countryside when it’s 37 ºC?
We decided to do an impromptu tour of the area by following our noses and selecting our direction by whether we liked the sound of the place names on the road signs. As a strategy it was only partially successful, but we saw a lot of pretty villages, vineyards and rolling countryside. We stopped in Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, a pinprick on a map-sized village that promised two wineries with tastings. Neither was open.
Finally, it was check in time and we headed on winding and almost deserted country roads back to Aigne. We were keen to get there because we had been persistently calling the other reason for visiting Aigne, Lo Cagarol. A restaurant of some renown, we’d been unable to reach them for two days – they do things differently in these parts – and hoped begging for a table that evening in person might be a winning tactic.
No such luck. The restaurant was closed for ‘technical reasons’. I assume this to be code for ‘the chef has a serious hangover’, but it left us with yet another dilemma because it’s the only place to eat in Aigne. Later we would drive to several villages and towns trying to find an open restaurant that wasn’t already fully booked. We struck lucky in Olonzac after an hour of searching.
That though should not distract from Aigne itself. It may be very small and only have one restaurant, but it is quite special. Seen from above, the village centre is circular and resembles an escargot, or snail. In the very centre is an open space in front of the Church of Saint-Martin, then come two concentric circles of houses with an narrow lane between them. Entrance is through a fortified gate that once had a portcullis.
It’s a quite extraordinary structure that dates to the 11th century, and it was designed to protect the inhabitants from attack. That didn’t stop the village being captured by Simon de Montfort, leader of the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar religious minority, in 1210. The village is very pretty, but takes only about 20 minutes to walk around. The surrounding region is home to many vineyards.
We had a peaceful night at the Vigne Vierge and after breakfast in the garden, we took one last look around the village and the snail. As we passed by a small square outside Lo Cagarol, the ‘technical’ issues seemed to have been resolved and restaurant staff were preparing for lunch. Maybe next time, because we were on our way to the beach and the final leg of our trip in Sète.
Old stone villages and vineyards make a beautiful combination. Beautiful images.
Very true, it is a very pretty region.