Just the wine shop Annecy needed to get back its youthful glow! How, you ask? Sommelier friends Benjamin Béranger and Carine Paris both traveled around a fair bit before settling down with 200 bottles of natural wine in tow at their wine shop called Midget. Inside, you’ll find light wooden shelves that display a mix of major labels (Pierre Beauger in Auxerre, Jacques Lassaigne in Champagne, Jordi Perez in the Roussillon), rising stars (La Curatte, a Rhone Gamay from Simon Gastrein for €17, Hautes-Côtes Nature, a Burgundy Pinot-noir from Morgane Seuillot for €23…) and local winemakers – Mathieu Apffel, Domaine Belluard, Marie and Florian Curtet… So many bottles that you can pop open at night on the terrace (for an €11 corkage fee) alongside a few balanced plates: eggs mimosa, piperade, trout gravlax, brownies for dessert… // Damien Sorin

The bullet-proof bottle: Allez Goûtons, an Aligoté from Dominique Derain (€21).