Gourmet products local specialties and wines Ceret

Our favorite sommelier (11th in the 2018 competition) takes us on new adventures: a cellar, a wine bar and a dining cellar. Julien selects the best wines from here and elsewhere, looks for the best quality/price ratio and above all... we love him for all the sound advice he gives. The evening is the occasion for afterwork around tapas à la Barcelonaise to accompany a tasting. The place to be for an environment conducive to relaxation and enjoyment. Not forgetting the magical theme nights. We repeat, we love it!

Another one who is in the news, what a life of a pig! Ronan raises hardy Duroc pigs in the Vallespir region. The animals grow slowly, fed mainly on acorns which they find under a 23 ha forest. And that changes everything! The pigs are raised with respect and animal welfare. You can find his products (fresh meat, cured meats: refined ventrèche, copa, white ham without nitrite salts) in various markets near Céret. The best tables have bet on him. Ronan's pork products are a delight!

At the Cellier des Arcades, the emphasis is on the wines of the department and on organic wine. From April to July, two Saturdays a month, in this beautiful house with its vaulted ceiling and stone walls made of Tech pebbles, Henri organises beautiful tastings in the presence of the winegrower to help you discover a domain. When we ask him to name his favourite vintages, he replies: "impossible to answer, I like everything! ». A good address to accompany the good and delicious local products brought back from the famous market of Céret.

A very small estate of 4 ha which is on the rise. A small estate that has chosen to produce organic and natural wine: no chemical inputs and only living things! The cellar is in Céret but the vines are on the foothills of the Albères on sandy and stony soils. Hervé, a great defender of ecology, pampers his vines from the foot of the vine to the glass. We like his wines because they are real and free of any intervention... they are alive! We love the labels and the names of the vintages, there is poetry in them. A winemaker to follow.

Sylvie and Joseph Mach have just handed over the reins. It's now up to Marie and Vincent to follow in the footsteps of the award-winning Cérétan couple, and add their own personal touch. They innovate by opening a Vallespir cheese section and a local wine cellar. The ultimate goal, "the icing on the cake", is to open their own free-range pig farm, and thus master the art of breeding and selling pigs, as well as running a farm-restaurant. Here's a couple full of ideas... tasty ones! Le Petit Futé is licking its lips.

Specialized in the design, production and marketing of technological corks, Diam Bouchage has 350 employees worldwide, including just over 200 in France. The company, whose headquarters are in Céret, has developed over the years a real culture of innovation in the service of the wine-growing tradition. "The cork is the last oenological act of the winegrower", reminds Dominique Tourneix, the general manager, "it is the guardian of the aromas". Diam Bouchage has developed several technologies to guarantee the profile and expression of wines - still or sparkling - and spirits, including a unique process for "de-aromatising" cork, called "Diamond". Neutral from a sensory point of view, the company's corks also ensure a homogeneous ageing of the bottles. "Origine by Diam", the company's latest technological advance, is a bio-sourced cap, which incorporates a beeswax emulsion and a binder composed of 100% vegetable polyols. "This novel formulation offers the wine world an ever more natural corking solution while maintaining the proven reliability of corks in terms of safety, homogeneity and oxygen control.

Another brewery opening! But since we love this entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to create beauty and goodness in all these young people, Le Petit Futé breaks down every time. Nathalie is a passionate person, you can see it right away when you meet her. Love beer, homemade beer and ecological beer! You will quickly discover it by tasting it, this beer is feminine, and our choice goes towards the redhead (let's not let the blondes get upset anyway). The sale is made directly at the brewery (or in a specialised store or on the Saturday morning creation market) and you can visit the brewing unit. A beautiful discovery and a beautiful adventure in perspective.

Mas Py is different from other organic farms because of the diversity of the products cultivated or farmed. First of all, there are the Céret cherries and in particular the dried cherry which has become the flagship of the estate. Then there is the cultivation of olive trees of different varieties that produce extra-virgin olive oil. Finally, Brigitte and Erwin devoted themselves to the breeding of Iberian black pigs, which frolic in the open air under cork oaks and coppices. Incomparable cold meats! To sum up, Mas Py is a real Ali Baba's cave for epicureans.

On the very pleasant boulevard Joffre, Charles and Julien recently opened a wine cellar to discover not only the excellent juices of the region but also to let you know what is happening a little further away. A child of the country, Julien, who is a professional sommelier, also wants to be an ambassador for the other regions. This desire to diversify is accompanied by events (see Facebook page) to boost the store: tasting club, blind tastings, entertainment and evenings at each festive event in the city... These two young, slightly crazy and fine connoisseurs have lots of ideas in their pockets whose sole purpose is to share their passion with you. Le Petit Futé really enjoyed the warm and passionate welcome of his two boys who are proud to have 350 wine references and also more than 50 for spirits. We're in the professional business and you can feel it! Finally, if you are passing through Céret before the picnic, please note that Maison Dionysos always has a few bottles of rosé or local beer in the fridge.

Here's a great idea: Myriam, who's crazy about plants and nature, and trained with botanists, invites you on walks to discover the wild and edible plants of our region. There are over 150 of them in the Catalan region! If you love botany, cooking and health, follow the guide off the beaten track. You'll learn how to taste and smell... a true reconnection with nature and a great ecological approach! Don't forget to book, as places are limited and Myriam's popularity is growing all the time... and we at the Futé love it!