THE WINE
Antilope is Romain's new soft drink, produced from some Malvasia, botanicals and citrus. Less sweet than the antidote, it has a lovely tea like bitterness, still with bubbles, perhaps more food friendly and very delicious!
 
THE PEOPLE
Romain des Grottes is far from a typical Beaujolais producer. From the beginning, he has followed his own path, guided more by intuition and personal conviction than by any established wine movement. The result is a range of wines made in the most natural way possible, each bearing his unmistakable signature style.
 
His approach starts in the vineyard, which he farms organically and with minimal — if any — use of copper. At harvest, Romain begins with an early picking to produce his soft drink L’Antidote and his low-alcohol sparkling wine Petit Coin de Paradis. For these, he selects the less-than-perfect bunches, which are pressed directly. This early harvest has an added benefit: the vines can then focus all their energy on the remaining fruit, allowing him to pick earlier than almost anyone else in the region while still achieving bright, ripe flavors. (His harvest team, shared with Michel Guignier, even begins their season with Romain and finishes with Michel!)
 
THE PLACE
The wines of southern Beaujolais are bright, juicy, and full of charm — the kind of bottles that make you smile after the first sip. Grown on the gentler clay and limestone slopes south of the region, these Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages wines show off the playful side of Gamay, with lively red fruit, soft tannins, and a refreshing lift that makes them easy to enjoy, especially with a chill. Compared to the more structured, age-worthy wines from the cru villages in the north, southern Beaujolais offers a lighter, more carefree expression — less about depth and complexity, more about pure, joyful drinkability.