Things are heating up at Blouge! After a decade spent on both sides of the English Channel in a handful of enviable spots, the French-British couple, Caroline Johnston and Josselin Goineau (both of whom did stints in the Septime universe, the former at Clamato and the latter at La Cave), finally settled down in the epicenter of Bordeaux, on the ground floor of a bourgeois building with curvy lines. Hidden behind the discreet window display showcasing their logo designed by Morgane Rospars, in a space with Formica tables, a big zinc-topped bar and dim lighting, the duo offers friends and passersby alike some incredible wines, covering an entire wall with France’s natural options, and even a few carefully-chosen gems from beyond its borders. For an €8 corkage fee or less than €10 a glass, their royal selection includes: a Cairanne from the Famille Richaud (€8 a glass), Macerato, an Italian pet’ nat’ from Matteo Furlani (€33 a bottle), Les Agudes, a white produced by Fabien Jouves near Cahors (€27.50), or a Burgundy red from Antoine Petitprez (€59)… They also boast a very short menu of carefully chosen snacks to sponge up the wine: Ibaiama ham aged for 20 months by Éric Mayté (€15), soft-boiled egg topped with La Maison Pujol anchovies and piment d’Espelette (€7), the last tomatoes of the season in an umami-rich ponzu sauce and fig leaves that had us weak in the knees (€6)… In short, a top-notch joint for hanging out with friends! // Roberto Arenales