Tag: beaujonomie

A few words about the restaurant

In Clochemerle (or Vaux-en-Beaujolais…) people come to discover the site that inspired Gabriel Chevalier as well as Romain and Delphine Barthe’s wonderful gourmet restaurant L’auberge de Clochemerle. As in every village, things tend to change, and one day the couple heard the former town hall was looking for a new purpose in life! The restaurant owners took the challenge and opened L’Echanson, putting Baptiste Fernandez in charge.

The only obligation mandated by the Town Hall: preserve regional native Allain Renoux’s frescoes that adorn the former wedding hall. Delphine and Romain also decided to keep the period tiles intact, whose design inspired their logo.

The idea: a chic, friendly restaurant with a focus on the village, local products and a wine list solely devoted to Beaujolais wines – all appellations – and different growers every month.

A words about you

Baptiste is a local, like the produce. “Together, Romain and I serve dishes made with excellent local produce, in a laid-back, generous and welcoming atmosphere. Here, friendliness is in the dish as well as in the atmosphere. It isn’t uncommon to see tables of 2 that become tables of 4, 6 or 10 as the meal and conversations with nearby tables progress. Our signature dish ‘La Potence’ is one of the best examples of that.”

An anecdote (or two) from behind the scenes

“At the end of a midday meal, a couple of tourists were undecided about what to taste next. They still had a little room for…. a savoury surprise! Yes, a surprise, since even though the cheese platter was wonderfully stocked with local produce, the tourists felt like something else. A challenge that Baptiste was delighted to take up. He whipped up some faisselle cheese seasoned with mustard powder, Sichuan pepper and chopped flat-leaf parsley… Surprised and enchanted, those two tourists returned the very same evening. For that matter, they come back regularly every time they’re in the area.”

A signature dish 

“Without a doubt ‘La Potence’ is our convivial signature dish that brings out the friendliness and originality in the tradition. The beef from the Saint-Etienne-des-Oullières butcher shop is flambéed with Beaujolais marc.

And our signature dessert is the ‘Dariole au chocolat’, a chocolate fondant that Romain learned how to make when he was working at Trois Gros.”

A beaujolais wine-and-food pairing

“An andouillette sausage from Braillon’s (Villefranche-sur-Saône), made exclusively of calf’s ruffle and accompanied by young vegetables with a Moulin-à-vent wine from David Large’s Lieu-dit Rochenoire; an easy-to-drink, fruity cuvée that’s not too tannic to enhance the grilled taste of the andouillette.”

One of your “favourite” winegrowers and why

“One? No, several. Every month a different one. In July, it’ll be David Large. He, the chef and I are all practically the same age. He’s a good friend who shares my values. As neighbours, since David lives a stone’s throw from the restaurant, we like to talk about Beaujolais wines, his vintages and reinventing the world… but I’m also really fond of the vintages produced by Yannick de Vermont (Château de Vaux) and Jean Luc Longère (Domaine Longère), to name but a few.”

A few words about your restaurant

From his restaurant Substrat located in Lyon’s Croix Rousse neighbourhood to Food Traboule and including his So6 La Saucissonerie, Hubert Vergoin showcases all his creativity, passion and touch of madness. As a sommelier, he personally knows all the winemakers on his wine list. As a chef, he enhances the freshly-picked produce to serve up plates full of colours, flavours and surprises. At Substrat – his neo-bistro housed in a former artisan’s workshop in Croix Rousse – the charm works: the venue, the dishes created from scratch and the wines, very often from local growers, enchant diners. At So6 La Saucissonerie, typical brasserie cuisine is what makes the place tick. Two venues, two atmospheres, but the spirit of sharing is ever-present, with a focus on Beaujolais wines. Hubert Vergoin is one of our award winners of the year!

An anecdote (or two) from behind the scenes

“When the restaurant first opened, the desserts weren’t quite up to par. We worked hard to make them stand out, especially the ice cream that I love: I wanted to make chef desserts with homemade ice cream in original flavours, for example: a slice of gingerbread topped with cep ice cream, olive oil ice cream served on a white chocolate biscuit, or fresh strawberries served with sheep’s cheese ice cream… One day, a customer asked if we could ‘just’ serve him a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. I think he thought we had a freezer full of ice cream flavours. We even offered to serve him a bit of whipped cream with it, before politely telling him no way!”

A beaujolais wine-and-food pairing

“A surprising food and wine pairing is with oysters and a Fleurie wine, for example!” 

Why are you so attached to the Beaujolais region?

“Gamay runs in my blood! It’s like the Rhône and Saône rivers… I like the very Gallic side of this region and also its genuine organic-nature avant-garde approach.” (an avant-gardist approach, a new generation)

One of your “favourite” winegrowers and why

“Julien Sunier. He’s a friend. We started out together in 2008.”

The 10^th arrondissement of Paris is where the Le Mordant (which translates loosely as ‘The Bite’) ‘bares its fangs’ and serves refined, attractive dishes. All the produce is meticulously selected at the producers. We’re here to provide a colourful, appealing cuisine with a spirit of sharing. At times traditional and at times exotic, the dishes get inspiration from countless places, taking diners far from their day-to-day routine as they eat.

a few words about you

Lucas Blanchy has been in the restaurant business for nearly 20 years. After spending time as a chef in restaurants like Georges V or Jules Vernes, Le Mordant is his first creation! Besides being an excellent chef, he is also an outstanding sommelier, fond of the terroir and fresh produce. With a leaning towards organic and biodynamics, he has developed a soft spot for natural wines. But for him, what’s important is “listening to the winegrower who is a purveyor of emotions, the wines are chosen to faithfully transpose what the grower has done with respect.”

a few words about the restaurant

A signature dish

“The ‘avocado and beef tataki with a zest of lemon’. The chunks of tender beef are marinated in soy sauce, with kefir lemon and other secret ingredients. They are grilled then marinated again for 24 hours.”

A Beaujolais wine-and-food pairing

One of your “favourite” winegrowers and why

“Jean-Claude Lapalu, who I’ve known since my training as a sommelier. I was taken with his ‘Eau Forte’ cuvée! He makes wines that provide lots of emotion and he’s amazing. He tells the story of the terroir and the Beaujolais through his wines.”

Why are you so attached to the Beaujolais region?

“I discovered the region when I was training to become a sommelier. I loved the Gamay grape variety and fell in love with the terroir and the diversity between the different appellations. They each have their unique typicities and every tasting has a nice surprise in store. I have my heart set on introducing others to the wines of this region. So it makes sense to be listed as a Bistrot Beaujolais and it lets me fly the Beaujolais flag high.”

An anecdote (or two) from behind the scenes

Exceptional Beaujolais wines can accompany whatever type of dish you serve, throughout the meal, thanks to their diverse aromatic profiles. They come in white, red and rosé with something to suit everyone’s taste. With a wide range of flavors, you’re sure to find the perfect bottle to accompany every course from starter to dessert. Read on…

Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages

These two flagship Beaujolais appellations are the perfect match for the culinary specialties of the region where they are produced. Gentle and low in tannins, these wines also enhance reinvented classics like skewers of andouillette sausage marinated in mustard, or a fricassee of chicken forestiere.

What’s even more surprising is that they are light enough to be drunk with raw fish and cold seafood. Scallop terrine, salmon tartare, tuna sashimi, maki and sushi can all be served with a Beaujolais or a Beaujolais-Villages. Guaranteed to surprise your guests!

These appellations also love cheese. They bring fruity notes to Brillat-Savarin, Saint-Marcellin and roasted camembert.

Chiroubles, Fleurie and Saint-Amour

Even if these 3 appellations have certain differences, they all offer a fruity, generous structure that is an ideal match for recipes that grandma used to make. For a meal made with local produce where old-fashioned recipes are the order of the day, they are just perfect.

These “gentle” Beaujolais wines bring freshness to Basque-style chicken, free-range poultry, Thai-style veal blanquette or a pesto cassoulet.

To finish off a meal in style, a Chiroubles, Fleurie or Saint-Amour will pair deliciously well with a tasty mango tarte tatin.

Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly, Juliénas and Régnié

These Beaujolais wines with their characteristic robustness need simple cuisine to bring out the best in them. Their intense fruitiness and spicy notes perfectly complement a roasted Mont d’Or cheese, Bresse chicken or a veggie burger.

In summer, these crus are great pairings with mixed salads from all over France: niçoise, vosgienne, franc-comtoise, lyonnaise, gersoise or provençale!

To round off your menu, create a cheese board with Gouda, Cheddar, Saint-Félicien and Tomme de Savoie.

Chénas, Morgon and Moulin-à-Vent

These Beaujolais appellations stand out for their noticeable ripe red-fruit aromas. With age, they take on spicy and woody notes that need to be paired with strongly-flavored meat.

Duck breast, beef rib or pulled pork will all tickle your taste buds when served alongside the racy bouquets of one of these wines!

Ready, set, get cooking!

Come join us on Saturday and Sunday, June 12 th and 13 th for a whole weekend of festivities, lively ‘beaujonomic’ tables, and chats with Beaujolais winegrowers. The concept: at the estate or winery of your choice, spend time together at the same table, sharing a chic, laid-back bistronomic meal. There’ll be warm and friendly opportunities to meet new people, hear great stories, taste delicious wines and cuisine, and learn more about the vineyards.

Neo-bistro atmosphere at the Beaujolais estates and wineries

For a whole weekend, the Bienvenue en Beaujonomie festival is inviting enthusiasts and connoisseurs of Beaujolais gastronomy and wine to (re)discover Festive and Exceptional Beaujolais wines, available in red, white and rosé. A variety of events will be on the agenda, ranging from vineyard discoveries to tastings in a winemaker’s cellar, and including a scavenger hunt with riddles, rides in a vintage 2CV, or even concerts. The beaujonomic weekend brings together many Beaujolais estates & wineries that will open their doors for the occasion.

Sign up for the totally Beaujolais weekend

Visit www.bienvenue-en-beaujonomie.fr to pick the winegrower(s) you’d like to chat with. The estates & wineries all design their own program by inviting a chef into the kitchen (or by whipping up the meal themselves if they’re true gourmet cooks) and planning activities that’ll give you a glimpse of daily life on the estate. Guests will personally discover beaujonomic cuisine with fresh produce in a chic & laid-back atmosphere: an aperitif under a gazebo, a meal in a wine cellar, a picnic in the vineyards – while sharing with other enthusiasts from here and abroad, and featuring magnums especially selected for the occasion, of course.

Side events in the heart of the Beaujolais appellations

Bienvenue en Beaujonomie also means lots of outdoor activities over the whole weekend! Each of the Beaujolais appellations will be celebrating La Beaujonomie in their own way and will welcome you for convivial moments on walks through the vineyards, performances and tastings with the Beaujolais vintners.

Practical Info

• Dates: June 12 & 13, 2021 (lunch & dinner + events in the appellations throughout the day)
• Place: throughout the Beaujolais region, from Saint-Amour in the north to Arbresle in the south
• Sign up on the website bienvenue-en-beaujonomie.fr