“Pastis-peanuts” and Costières de Nîmes combine for the best of blends with the 15th edition of Vignes toquées

The organizers of this 15th edition of the Vignes toquées. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

Le chef étoilé du Saint-Hilaire, à Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas, est à la manœuvre cette année. Midi Libre – MiKAEL ANISSET

La balade de 7 km en accord mets et vins de l’appelation Costières de Nîmes se tiendra les 24 et 25 mai prochains.

“With my peanut pastis, I want to give the winegrowers a hard time!” The tone is set, this new edition of Vignes toquées will be under the sign of conviviality, taste, and especially the terroir. A terroir that the guest chef this year is particularly keen to magnify. After Michel and Sébastien Bras or Franck Putelat, it is indeed Sébastien Rath, the lover of the Cévennes, who will make the 3,400 or so participants of this 15th edition get excited.

A “culinary journey” through the soul of the chef

“We sometimes forget where we come from”,admits the one who was awarded a Michelin star last year, adding to the green star that already adorned his jacket. Unsurprisingly, we will therefore find local products, cultivated, raised by producers from the Gard or giving pride of place to the short circuit. “I have creation in my DNA and repetition is boring for me”, continues the chef of Saint-Hilaire, in Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas. “Every year, the soul of the chef we choose is an essential criterion. We want the culinary journey that the participants will experience to be marked by the imprint and the soul of the chef”, supports Patrick Mallet, representative of Costières de Nîmes, who initiated the event.

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And it goes without saying that this “culinary journey” promises to be eventful in flavors and aromas! After the chef's signature dish, his floating island with pastis and peanuts, it's the organic tomato from the Vézénobres market that will be presented in three sequences. And without revealing all the dishes that will be available to discover during the six stages of this stroll, gourmets and gourmands will be able to test and appreciate the textures of the galère (a shellfish between shrimp and langoustine), refresh their palate with a Pélardon ice cream sorbet, before succumbing to chocolate from Alfonzo Cannarozzo, an artisan from Alès.

Gastronomy and oenology

Meals that will be adapted by the expert teams of the Montpellier-based Gérard Cabiron establishment – ​​which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year – to switch to “caterer” mode and adapt to the nearly 3,500 guests, taking into account “the constraints and difficulties of supply. We must interpret this menu to adapt it to the number of guests. Throughout the journey, for us, the challenge will be to create a cuisine for each dish, outdoors, without necessarily an oven or fridge.”

Les vignes toquées en pratique

The walk, about 7 km long, will take place on the 24th and 25th of the next month and will take place between Manduel and Bellegarde, to discover the landscapes but also the producers, in particular, of the Bellegarde clairette. Six dishes will be served in total, in six tasting stages, with musical entertainment on three of them, including at the starting point, the Mas Carlot. 35 wines from 35 winegrowers will be tasted, with a departure every quarter of an hour between Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The price remains unchanged from last year (77 euros per person), “despite the rising costs”, sigh the organizers, who want the price not to be a deterrent for the younger generations.

But obviously, beyond the carefully prepared dishes, there will also be talk of wines. But also of women and men: “This gastronomic event is close to our hearts, winegrowers”, assures Patrick Mallet, while Cyril Marès, president of the Costières de Nîmes winegrowers' union, recalls the commitment to come and talk about the profession and the wines produced from their vines. All to create a true symbiosis between dishes and wines to be tasted on May 24 and 25.

Tickets for this 15th edition will go on sale on Monday, February 3 at 12 p.m., on the Costières de Nîmes website.