A shop opens in Saint-Cyprien: behind the scenes of the works

No more appointments to order wine, no more opening lockers to fetch a bottle, no more thermal shocks when stepping into the cellar: we are opening a real shop in Toulouse, in Saint-Cyprien. If the works, entrusted to AP Rénovation Habitat, go smoothly and the furniture arrives on time, the opening will happen in early July — and there will be an inauguration, to which you are all invited.

Behind the announcement lie three months of not-always-easy negotiations with the owners — price, dates, works, activity. On 19 May we finally signed at the notary's office and picked up the keys. Without missing a beat, we put on our safety shoes, grabbed a good heavy sledgehammer and tore everything down: the premises were old and rather poorly laid out.

For the fit-out, we asked one of the Club's craftsmen to design a beautiful, understated and warm space — a place where you feel at home the moment you push the door. The story is being written, and we are counting on you to be part of it.

On the tasting side, we hosted a lovely evening around Languedoc wines, a chance to share some of our finest discoveries. On the programme: Montcalmès in white and red, Cassagne et Vitailles with Nimalaya and Clas Mani, La Terrasse d'Élise's Enclos, Mas Jullien's white and Maxime Magnon's rosé — plus, as tradition demands, two or three extra bottles opened to extend the evening. Without overstating it: the experience went down well, and our guests above all drank very good wine.

Long overshadowed by Bordeaux, the South-West vineyard is enjoying a true renaissance — and it was about time. Behind its singing accent lies an incredible playground for lovers of authentic grape varieties, Négrette first among them. From Cahors to Gaillac, through Madiran, Fronton and Marcillac, this vast region is a mosaic of terroirs where winemakers have preserved historic varieties often found nowhere else.

It is not only about Malbec or Tannat, but also about genuine treasures such as Bouysselet. This long-forgotten white variety from Gaillac is enjoying a second youth: low yields, lovely freshness, floral and citrus notes — a discreet rock star of the French vineyard.

Over the past twenty years the South-West has changed profoundly: lower yields, refined vineyard practices, and a new generation of winemakers daring to shine a light on its heritage varieties. The result: finer, more digestible and above all more distinctive wines. Next time someone claims great wines only come from Bordeaux or Burgundy, pour them a glass of South-West — they may well change their mind before the bottle is finished.

Among the estates driving this quality revolution, Plaisance Penavayre stands as a reference. Based in Vacquiers, in the Fronton appellation, the Penavayre family works the emblematic local variety, Négrette, with passion, proving that ambitious, precise and elegant wines can be made while respecting the environment: organic farming, meticulous soil work and a constant pursuit of quality. The result shows in every bottle.

The wine-tasting evening of Thursday 11 June promises to be outstanding. The wines of Domaine Belargus are the work of Ivan Massonnat, driven since 2018 by a clear ambition: to bring the great terroirs of the Loire back into the light, after standing too long, in his view, in Burgundy's shadow. He has succeeded superbly — including a 100/100 Parker score for one of his cuvées.

The chosen format is a horizontal tasting: several wines from the same range, same grape but different terroirs. The best way to measure, glass in hand, the impact of terroir on a wine. See you at 7.30pm at the cellar, €60 for non-members and €50 for members — and let us not forget: drinking a bottle means saving a winemaker.