Juste une Lichette

Residents and visitors of Brioude who step through the front door of Gallianne Delaforge’s wine shop are in for real a treat. When she’s not picking grapes at her vineyard in the Vallée du Haut-Allier, this former law student who did a stint at Le Saint-Eutrope embraces the terroirs with panache, always aiming to provide her customers with better, smarter drinks. Her collection of gems sits proudly on the wooden shelves that kiss the ceiling, and they can be taken to go or poured at the bar (in exchange for a corkage fee, which varies depending on the bottle): a menu pineau from Fontanel Frères (€4.50 a glass), a sparkling blend of colombard and ugni blanc grapes from the Charentes winery La Part aux Groles (€15 to go, €24 in house), Cailloux, a gamay-chardonnay from the Auvergne master winemaker Patrick Bouju (€30 / €44)… Along with craft beers from the Brasserie Mosaïque (€11 / €18 for 750 ml) or even a raspberry sour ale fermented with gamay lees by the Belly Wine Experiment (€10 / €15 for 500 ml), all brewed in the Haute-Loire department. And to keep the good times rolling, grab a small cheese platter from the market across the street, served with a “lichette” or dash of chili purée from Les Vins Conserves. We’re all in! // Angela Dolu