La Cave Rembrandt

There’s no need to paint you a picture: La Cave Rembrandt is THE wine shop to check out in Eastern Nice. That’s thanks to the good-spirited owner Maxime Hamelin, who used to manage the restaurant at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco. In 2019, he took over this wine shop that used to be filled with AOP wines, and filled it instead with organic and natural juices. His approach? Offering up the best southern wines to newcomers and experts alike, with a preference for those that cost less than a twenty euro note: Chemin des Salines, a Gard rosé from Le Mas Mellet (€16.60), Khayyâm, an opulent Rhone red from Le Mas de Libian (€16.90), En s’amusant, a gourmet white from Yohann Moreno in Corbières (€16)… A few other gems noticed on the blonde wooden shelves: small-producer Champagnes (Bérèche & Fils, André Heucq), natural wines from further away (Valette in Burgundy, Puzelat in Touraine) and carefully chosen liquors (organic infused rums from Les Arrangeurs Français at €35 for 700 ml, Hatozaki whisky at €34 for 700 ml). In short, plenty of good reasons to swing by for a visit. // Gwen Jacquère  

The bullet-proof bottle: Roboul, a Grenache-Mourvèdre combo from the Roussillon estate Danjou-Banessy (€17.20).