Rough stone walls, a floral hippie crown, artsy light fixtures… Welcome to the cheekiest wine shop in Arbois, where Stéphane Planche has been devouring grapes since 1992. It’s also the only wine shop in town with a respectable selection of natural wines. At Les Jardins de St Vincent, the bearded owner (ex-Tour d’Argent and Maison Jeunet) sells pure nectars that are proudly low intervention: an orange wine from Patrice Béguet (€28), a Savagnin from Alice Bouvot (€30), a Savoyard red from Céline and Steve Gormally (€27)… There’s also a few Australia wines, a couple Italian bottles and lots of Jura options, including wines produced by the owners themselves, who launched their small Karnage wine trade after playing apprentice winemakers with queen Bouvot at the Domaine de l’Octavin. It’s so good when it’s clean! // R.P.
The bullet-proof bottle: Le Rouge, a Trousseau from the Domaine de la Loue (€22).
