View the Old Town Through Rosé Tinted Glasses
Resto Wine Notes: 6 Rue Ste Reparte, Nice - 06300, +33 (0) 4 93 53 09 79
The Old Town in Nice is not short of places to enjoy wine, from restaurants with carefully compiled wine lists to bars and cafés that entice passers-by with happy hours. But, if you really love wine, one place stands out from the crowd.
Open since autumn 2007, Resto Wine Notes is something of an anomaly. This is the only bar set amongst the ochre-tinted streets of Vieux Nice that specialises in wine and provides a relaxed atmosphere in which to really appreciate it.
From the moment I walk in I feel the day’s tension beginning to subside. Whether this is due to the warm terracotta décor, the soothing lighting or the mellow jazz floating out from hidden speakers I don’t know. One thing is for sure: I always feel at home.
The owner, Marietta Themans, is always happy to talk her customers through her extensive list with the passion of a horticulturalist at a flower show. With over ninety different wines on offer, this is a lot of talking. “I like wines! What can I say? I’m not a professional sommelier but I’m a very good amateur.”
On my last visit, I pushed Marietta for her particular favourite. She became lost in contemplation, “That’s a really tough one for me…” Over the next forty minutes Marietta named almost thirty wines, each for a different reason, during which time I sampled the Beaune 1st Cru Le Bas Des Teurons – a wonderfully spicy red with rich fruit undertones, at €8 a glass not bad value for money.
As she was still weighing up the qualities of each bottle, the conversation turned to southern French wines, such as the rich and complex Chateaux Galoupet and Chateaux Crémat from Bellet. By now a musician had stepped up to the piano at the back of the bar and begun filling the place with blues and jazz faster than the barman could fill the glasses of the awaiting customers. Wine Notes hosts live blues, jazz and sometimes rock from Thursday to Sunday.
Marietta’s enthusiasm pervades the bar, from the colour on the walls down to the choice of wine glasses. Gone is the traditional thimble-like French wine glass and thankfully she has steered clear of the goldfish bowl glasses common in UK bars. Instead a long-stemmed tulip style glass is the norm, allowing customers to enjoy a good nose whilst fully oxygenating the wine for better flavour.
With my own nose buried inside the glass I savoured the aroma of a Lady L Rose, at only €2.50 a glass. This Vin de Pays wine along with the Domaine de Pinchinat proved to be among my personal favourites. “It’s not all about expensive wines, there are good wines that can be had at a reasonable cost,” Marietta said as she poured.
I agree with Marietta there are tasty wines that don’t cost the earth but when it comes to bars to drink them in there is only one for me.
– Simon, Riviera Pebbles. If you would like to contact Simon you can email him at simon@rivierapebbles.com
When in Nice don’t miss the opportunity to taste wines from Bellet, a tiny wine region within the city of Nice. With only 50 hectares and 14 producers, Bellet produces just enough wine to supply connoisseurs in the immediate area. It’s the smallest Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) region in France and the producers work with ancient grape varieties such as braquet and folle noire (both of whose names translate as crazy, hinting at the unpredictability of the harvest). The steep, terraced slopes and high property taxes make their work even more challenging.
Bellet produces intensely fruity rosés, full-bodied reds and elegant whites, with qualities that vary from one producer to another. Château de Bellet is the biggest and best-known producer, with Château de Crémat not far behind. Among the best of the smaller producers are Clos St-Vincent, which produces a prestige wine for the Bastide St-Antoine in Grasse, and Clot dou Balle, whose wines have a beautiful complexity. You can find Bellet wines in the better restaurants and wine bars in and around Nice, but should you wish to visit the region follow the “route de Bellet” signs from the bottom of Boulevard de la Madeleine, just off the Promenade des Anglais. The producers don’t get many visitors and many of them speak little or no English, so it’s best to plan ahead.
