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A super Hérault wine
Wine, beer, cocktails with or without alcohol... a connoisseur opens his favourite bottle.
By Laure Gasparotto
Published on 21 August 2025 at 1:00 p.m.
A stone's throw from the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, in the Baca'v he has been running for a year and a half, chef Gilles Choukroun plays with flavours, from his stoves to his cellar. He revisits bistro dishes with his own twist, rich in fine herbs and mild spices, pairing them with well-known or lesser-known wines, all at very affordable prices.
So much so that he is now listed in the prestigious Star Wine List, which ranks the best wine bars and restaurants. His references – more than 400 to date – come almost exclusively from winemakers with whom he has forged links over the last few decades. One of them, Jacques Boyer, who created Domaine la Croix-Belle in Puissalicon, in the south of the Hérault region, with his wife Françoise, has been supplying him with wine since the early 2000s. At the time, the chef was working at the Café des Délices, his first Parisian restaurant.
"Jacques does incredibly precise work, with very fine plot selections. Whether white or red, his cuvée n° 7 is made from seven grape varieties. It is the result of hard work. His white wine is characterised by mineral and dried fruit notes, such as hazelnut. It is a great, elegant Languedoc wine, straightforward and structured. And above all, it is very easy to drink, which goes well with my cuisine," enthuses Gilles Choukroun.
Domaine la Croix-Belle, Côtes de Thongue, cuvée n° 7, white, organic, 2023, £19.90.
Laure Gasparotto
