le Wine Shop— A New Wine Shop in Pézenas Features Local Domain Wines and stocks English Beers and Ales.

Photos and text © 2015 Steve Meltzer

If you love discovering niche and boutique wines then le Wine Shop in Pézenas, France is the place to go. The proprietor Dominic George has a passion for artisanal wines from small Languedocian domains. For several years he has operated wine tours of many of these wineries and had dreamed one day of having his own wine shop. Then last September he took the plunge and he opened his place. 

We found out about le Wine Shop from an English friend who, ironically, told us about it because it is his favorite place to buy British beers and ales. Intrigued, we hit the road to Pézenas and to give the shop it a look.  Tucked away behind the L'Assiette du boucher, adjacent to the main Pézenas round point-- le Carrefour de la paix-- it’s easily accessible from the D13 and A75 and the Avenue de Verdun.

A large open space the walls of le Wine Shop are lined with wines from several dozen local domains. These are the products of small and medium size producers many of whom, as is often the case in the Languedoc, are a bit off the beaten track or in some cases nearly impossible to find.

That’s one of the things I like about a good wine shop. A wine maven like Dominic does a lot of the hard work of travelling the countryside to find great wines. Now this not to say that I don’t like to visit domains on my own. But I find that one of these visits can turn a bit awkward when none of the wines are to my taste. I end up having to make a very “merci, désolé” retreat. 

Dominic likes to talk about wine and once started you quickly get a feel for the breadth and depth of his knowledge. That he likes to share this enthusiasm is evident. When you enter the shop you immediately see a large gray rural table surrounded by chairs where Dominic conducts his wine and food tastings 

When we arrived at the shop Dominic asked us about our wine preferences and soon had opened six bottles for us to taste. We ended up buying several bottles of a wonderful red --“Domaine de Cadablès (2012)” a niche domain near Gabian. It cost € 8 bottle. After a while our conversation turned to another of Dominic favorite topics, the astonishing landscapes of the Languedoc. He spoke about some of the incredible places he had encountered while travelling to small domains and recommended half a dozen great locations for photography; all the while as he opened bottles for tasting. The wines at le Wine Shop are all ‘domain’ (cellar) priced and start at € 5. There are also special sales.

le Wine Shop offers almost daily wine tastings programs.'s the Wines of the Languedoc--a tasting of eight wines-- The Wines and Food of the Languedoc--6 wines paired with 6 typical regional foods--and a Wine and Cheese Tasting. Dominic told us that he’s also happy to create custom wine and food tastings for groups of six or more people. 

Besides wine, Dominic loves the beer and ales of his native England and has a large selection of them; you are bound to take a few of them home too. 

For something entirely different at the end of the week Dominic offers a most special tasting. Summer Fridays at 17h he has a Wine and Chocolate Tasting (€25). It is a remarkable blending of six great domain wines matched with six amazing chocolates from a local master Chocolatier.  It sounds like the perfect way to end a week and to experience Languedoc living at its best.

le Wine Shop is located at the west end of the Avenue de Verdun (its # 65) adjacent to the restaurant/butcher shop, L'Assiette du boucher about 500 meters west of the McDonalds.

le Wine Shop

65, Avenue de Verdun

34120 Pézenas

04.99.41.11.71

06.50.61.99.03

contact@lewineshop.fr

www.lewineshop.fr

The Return of La Maison

Looking for a Great Meal?  Try This Unique Dining Experience

Living in the Languedoc we are surrounded by an astonishingly lush landscape with an abundance of fresh local products. Luckily we also have many restaurants that make exciting use of our natural abundance and to that list of great restaurants add La Maison. Located in the charming village of Tourbes on the outskirts of Pézenas. It has been a part a focus of Tourbain life for decades and now it has reopened under new management. Guided by the culinary skill of Chef Damian Martin and the solid management experience of his wife Florence, the new La Maison is sure to find its place at the top of the Languedoc’s fine dining list.

Damian and Florence bought the restaurant from its former owners Aurelien and Adeline Houyez and after remodeling re-opened it in late April. They work as a team with Chef Damian running the kitchen while Florence manages the front of the house and coordinates the restaurant’s chambre d’hotes rooms. As the welcoming ‘face’ of La Maison, Florence’s warmth and professionalism--as well as her fluency in French and English--clearly puts guests at ease. “I love meeting people and my work is enhanced by doing my best to ensure that all our customers have a pleasant experience, “she told me. 

The La Maison experience begins with your first bite; the cuisine is inventive, surprisingand daring. Damian riffs on conventional cooking formulas and like a jazz musician drawing on his broad experience guided by intelligence, he spins the spicing or introduces an unexpected ingredient to make something familiar altogether new.

At the heart of Damian’s approach is his short menu. 

Offering just a few dishes allows him to concentrate on each dish and to best express his creativity. Working with the day’s freshest ingredients-red tuna brought to him by a local fisherman or lamb from the Averyon-- he produces his day's fishes. But this pursuit of quality products necessitates a menu offering just two or three entrees, two or three plates and a few desserts. There are no frozen or chilled standby dishes waiting for reheating in the microwave. By limiting the menu Damian can better focus on every dish that leaves his kitchen.

It has been a long journey to La Maison for the Martins. Damian was born in Galway on Ireland’s rugged West coast and grew up in a family immersed in the food trade. “ My father was a butcher and passionately taught me this art,” he explains.”I proudly worked as a butcher for 6 six years before embarking on my culinary apprenticeship. It was at this point I realised my destiny to dedicate my working life to the culinary arts.” 

After receiving his initial culinary training and certification in Galway Damian promptly set off to travel the world and hone his skills, a journey that took him across Asia and Europe. 

Florence comes from a small village in the Averyon and grew up in the restaurant trade. “ My mother worked in our local restaurant and on many occasions I helped her with village fetes and weddings. This was my learning block for organising and delivering quality service.” After receiving her diploma in hospitality, Florence moved to Plymouth, England and a few years later moved to Dublin.

Damian returned to Ireland in 1998 he found work in one of Dublin's finest dining establishments and that is where he met Florence. They fell in love and after many years in Dublin decided to move to Florence’s native Averyon. While Damian worked at local restaurants, Florence got a job with one of France’s top chefs, Michel Bras at his Michelin three-star restaurant Bras, in Aubrac. The couple got to know Bras and Damian recalls that he was touched by the great man’s “simplicity and kindness.” 

Their training and experience shines through at La Maison. Damian’s commitment to quality has paid off and since its opening has developed a loyal following simply by word of mouth recommendations. My wife and I have dined at La Maison manyl times and whether we had fish or meat dishes; everything was superbly prepared and scrumptious. I photographed many of the dishes we had to give readers some idea of Chef Damian’s output.  

Damian Martin says that he has a goal of making his culinary “mark” with La Maison. Judging by the reception he’s gotten so far he’s well on his way to achieving his goal.

La Maison

Restaurant and Chambre d’Hotes

9 Avenue de la Gare

34120 Tourbes

 

Hours: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday Lunch service 12h-14h

           Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Lunch 12h-15h, Dinner 19.30h-21h

           Closed Wednesdays.

 

Dinner menu 30€

 

Reservations are definitely advisable: 04.67.98.86.95

email contact@restaurant-lamaison.fr

Website: www.restaurant-lamaison.fr