Caves Paul Riquet

On the greige stone tiles of his prolific all-in-one shop (wine, pasta, canned goods), Frédérique Frances, with help from Benjamin Billon (a former sommelier at La Balette in Collioure) and Quentin Milhe-Castel, is keeping Béziers’ finest pantries well stocked. Next to the roughly hundred spirits on offer (whiskeys, rums, gins and more), you’ll find local wines at affordable prices, like the crisp Croquignol from Le Mas Fabregous (€8.50 a bottle), or Pique Nique Douille, a pet’ nat’ from the Domaine des Amiel (€9.90), not to mention big names (Mas Jullien, Montcalmès) and winemakers who don’t have a southern accent (Domaine Saint-Cyr, Vignoble du Rêveur). The food selection is just as temping at the drinks: La Belle-Îloise fish soup, Don Antonio tomato sauces (Bolognese, puttanesca, alla piemontese) and savory spreads from the Languedoc’s Rue Traversette cannery. // Alexandra Tatouille

THE BULLET-PROOF BOTTLE: Abracadabra, a syrah, grenache and carignan blend by Benoît Viot, the winemaking magician behind Le Chemin des Rêves near Pic Saint-Loup (€12.50).