“You can screw up your life but not your wine shop.” That’s the motto written out on the deep blue facade of their Nantes hideaway, opened by two lovers of natural and organic wines. Known for having dealt out wonderful small-producer boxed wine during France’s lockdowns, Basile George teamed up with young sommelier Valentin Broudic to transform a former pinball machine workshop in the center of town into a clever wine cellar where you’ll now find 400 labels of wine. You’re sure to find established and trustworthy names (Thierry Germain, Luc Sébille, Claire Naudin…) alongside lovely discoveries at affordable prices: Attention Chenin Méchant, an Angevin Chenin from Nicolas Reau, Éxilé, a Loire pet’ nat’ rosé from the Joussets, Métaphysique des Cuves, a juicy Côtes-du-Rhône from Julien Karsten, La Bohème, a Melon from Marc Pesnot… What’s more, it’s possible to buy some outstanding pâté en croûte from Dylan Messager (ex-Sources in Nantes), sourced from the Scapula deli in Thouaré-sur-Loire. // Thomas Jossin 

The bullet-proof bottle: The Muscadet from Pierre-Henri Gadais, a stunner at a very reasonable price (€9).