1 place des Arènes 30000 Nîmes
In Nîmes, facing the Arenas, the Wine Bar Le Cheval Blanc is an institution. This beautiful brasserie, gourmet and friendly, delights with the cheerful cuisine of chef Jean-Michel Nigon.
The meat is beautiful, the fish are magnificent. Pig’s trotter, calf’s head, kidneys, andouillette, beef cheek: the menu honors the brasserie’s great classics… Dishes that love wine!
Michel Hermet, the boss, knows a lot about wine to the point that his peers elected him for a second term at the head of the National Union of French Sommellerie. We listen to him tell us about his career and the wines of Costières de Nîmes.
How was the Wine Bar Le Cheval Blanc created?
In the 1970s, I worked in Montreal. There I met Jean-Marie Lagrange, a butcher originally from Nîmes, with whom the idea was born of opening a steakhouse in Nîmes, a city that tended to sleep. Having grown up in the region, I liked the project. We launched in 1981. The establishment was called the San Francisco. In 1986, an annex was created: the Wine Bar San Francisco. Today, after moving, it is the Wine Bar Le Cheval Blanc, named after the private mansion in which we are located.
Les Costières de Nîmes, old or new passion?
An old passion but one that is growing stronger and stronger! I really discovered the wines of Costières de Nîmes in the 1970s, with the vintages of Château Roubaud, the first area in the area to be bottled. When the San Francisco was created, we had two references from Costières de Nîmes on the menu. Today, we have around twenty!
With which dishes do you recommend a Costières de Nîmes wine?
With all the brasserie dishes and regional dishes in particular, which they go well with. A red wine from Domaine de Virgile, my latest favorite in Costières de Nîmes, goes very well with an agrillade of Saint-Gilles, which is a Camargue stew made with beef, anchovies, onions, olive oil. olive, capers, garlic and parsley.
Wine Bar Le Cheval Blanc
1 place des Arènes 30000 Nîmes
04 66 76 19 59 – www.winebar-lechevalblanc.com