Natural wine and craft beer enthusiasts now have a spot of their own in Guérande! Running things is Cédric Vanderschaeghe, alias Oleg, a former musician who developed a passion for living wines, trained under the Anjou masters Mélanie Cunin and Aymeric Hillaire, and who has had Élodie Hunault’s support since 2019. In this wood-clad wine shop across from the ramparts, opened in 2016, you’ll find a 400-bottle-strong collection: Billes de Roche, a briny chenin from the Domaine Mélaric (€18.60), Merci la Vie, a bourgueil from Xavier Courant (€15.20), Fouleuses de Grappes, a highly-drinkable grenache-syrah blend from the Château de Rochecolombe in Ardèche (€12.40). And when it comes to craft beers: a local blonde from the Nao brewery (€3.50 for 330 ml) or a Gold Coast double NEIPA from the Piggy Brewing Company (€4.20 for 330 ml). And what about something to eat? Don’t skip the buckwheat bread from the Attelier in Saint-Nazaire, served with rillettes by Matthieu Brosseau in Saint-Lyphard, or the sea beans from Les Douceurs du Marais, all washed down with La Grand Pièce, a muscadet from Stéphane Orieux (€4.20 a glass) or the bottle of your choosing, for an additional €6 corkage fee. // Catherine Jamon

The bullet-proof bottle: Grand Blanc, a mineral Provence white from the Domaine Henri Milan (€44).