These two have more than one trick up their sleeve in Besançon! From their cozy hideaway, decked out with exposed beams and candlelit wooden tables, Bertille de Fournas (formerly a sommelier at Le Tillau) and Benjamin Viennet (founder of the now-closed Seize and Geschmack) keep curious epicureans well watered with a parade of handsome bottles from the region and beyond. Lined up on the shelves are bold, no-nonsense bangers ready to pop: Les Terres Vagabondes, a locally made chardonnay by Hugo Courvoisier (€25); a Burgundy aligoté from Maison en Belles Lies (€37); Pinocchio, a pinot noir de saignée by Romain des Grottes in Beaujolais (€26); or La Vigne du Louis, a rather swish trousseau from Michel Gahier (€30)… before switching to a wine on tap, like Les Nouettes, a grolleau-pineau d’aunis blend by Jean-Christophe Garnier (€4). In need of a bite? Sink your teeth into beautifully plated dishes whipped up right behind the bar: homemade tarama (€10), tamago eggs (€6) or even vegetarian ramen with soy milk and shiitake mushrooms (€14). · Roland Tarte