La Table du Pressoir

Cows, pigs and a thriving vegetable patch… Welcome to the home of Nicolas and Sylvain Grosbois, two talented biodynamic Chinon winemakers. They now raise roughly 30 free-range Black Angus cattle and Longué pigs, fed on grains they grow themselves! To complete the picture, the brothers took things up a notch this year by inaugurating a charming open-air inn with a farm-to-table restaurant, complete with breathtaking views of the vineyards and the Vienne Valley. The day we went for lunch, we sampled some of their finest products, prepared by Théo Lehrouche (ex-La Guingette de Tours): Berry lentil salad with Fourme de Montbrison cheese and a smoked salt vinaigrette; flavor-packed ham (cooked sous-vide for 24 hours), judiciously paired with a vitello tonnato cream; subtle Angus beef tataki, gently warmed and enhanced with organic Shinko soy sauce (made in Saint-Émilion!); and a panna cotta with strawberry coulis and fresh strawberries. Served à la carte, you’ll also find headcheese, homemade terrine, sausage, boudin, steak for two or short ribs… How does that sound? You can also stuff your tote bag with honey, preserves, vegetables, wines and eaux-de-vie liqueurs made by the Grosbois brothers. // Adrien Nouviaire

FEELING THIRSTY? Grosbois Chinon wines of course! From the Glacière cuvée (€20 a bottle) to a 2009 bottle of Clos Du Noyer (€150)… And, served by the glass (€4-6), there’s Gabarre or Touraine-azay-le-rideau from the Domaine des Hauts Baigneux, produced in collaboration with Philippe Mesnier.
PRICE: : Set menus €22-28 (weekday lunch), kids’ menu €12, appetizers €9-15, mains €18-25, steak €65 (for two), desserts €7-8.