Her French Wine Bar Is So Homey That Some Customers Do Not Leave

Anne-Sophie Anache was born in the French city of Lyon and grew up in the coastal village of Agde, located between the southern French cities of Narbonne and Montpellier. Some of her family members produce wine in the southeastern Pic Saint-Loup appellation of the Languedoc-Rousillon wine region.

After attending school near home, Anne-Sophie moved to Spain to learn Spanish; she then spent a dozen years working in various cities that included Barcelona.

‘I was working in Monvinic wine restaurant. They had 7,000 wine labels. I started to be interested in wine. And I have family in Pic Saint-Loup in southern France making wines, so I grew up surrounded by vines. I then studied in Barcelona to be a sommelier.’

After Spain, Anne-Sophie moved to Mexico to work.

‘Guadalajara—working as a sommelier in a restaurant. After five years I decided to come back to France. Here, the Minervois wine region reminds me of the Luberon [in Provence] before it became famous. Here is also near my family, and I love the wines of Minervois and there are a lot of activities related to wine. Generally, the region is not very well known in France and internationally, and I think it has a lot to show. That’s why I decided to come help the Minervois grow, and to speak about the region and the terroir to people who come here.’

Two years ago Anne-Sophie opened up Vigne Vierge wine store in the commune of Aigne, a medieval village with some 300 residents within the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of southern France. The ivy-coated stone wall facade includes a door that opens onto a narrow lane barely wide enough for a vehicle to pass. The peaceful interior includes hundreds of different wines not only from the Minervois appellation, but also from the larger Languedoc-Roussillon region, as well as from all of France.

Information presented at SOWINE/DYNATA 2023 indicates that 67% of French between 26 and 35 years old spend time inspecting a wine label to see whether it includes environmental certification data (and 55% of French overall), primarily to guarantee quality, as well as for respect for how the environment is treated. Anne-Sophie is well aware of this target audience for her wines.

‘I have 85% organic and biodynamic wines, and also natural wines. What sells most is from Minervois, because it is this region. But a lot of my customers are vignerons [winemakers] who like to discover wines from other regions for a change. For them I sell not Minervois, but wines from everywhere else.

‘There are the usual local customers, and more international visitors during summer. I serve food on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday nights for around 20 persons. All by myself. It takes a lot of organization before opening. My cuisine is quite simple but the ingredients are local and fresh. The charcuterie meat comes from a butcher family—son and father—based nearby in the town of Caunes-Minervois. The main dish now is maialino tonnato, an Italian plate made with roasted pork and tuna sauce, onions, lemons and capers. It’s very refreshing because now the summer is so hot.

‘What is rewarding is when people are happy. When they are smiling and telling me that they are having a good moment, that they enjoy the wines and food. When I’m working and hear laughing? For me, it means I’m doing well.’

For international customers, it helps that she is fluent in French, English and Spanish (as well as some Catalan). Customers from throughout the world routinely tell Anne-Sophie what characteristic they think makes her Vigne Vierge wine store unique.

‘People say—this is like a secret garden. You enter a small wine store. The decoration is simple, authentic, humble. Everything here is hand made. Then you cross to a small garden and terrace and people feel like they are at home. People say they feel well here; that they don’t want to leave. For those coming to dinner and to enjoy wine and don’t want to drive, I have a suite upstairs. They can sleep there.’

I asked about online sales.

‘I don’t have an online shop. But people can make an order by phone or email and we can talk together and I’ll ask what they like, and I will recommend wines and can send bottles.’

Such attention is appreciated by customers—a French sommelier fluent in English who owns a wine store and will, via telephone, listen to their preferences and then guide them in making selection decisions.

In setting up a business, Anne-Sophie prioritized the quality of her life. She selected an environment to live and work in that is psychologically pleasing to her—a small rural town—rather than choosing a busier but possibly uncomfortable locale for the promise of increased customers and greater financial security. Her store showcases only fares she personally admires, many from the surrounding region that, finally, she has decided to call home.