Frères Pinard is an excellent wine bar in old Lille. We’d already featured it in our article on the best wine bars in Lille, and we wanted to go further. So we sat down for an interview with Germain and Geoffroy, who happen to be the Frères Pinard themselves. Only one thing left to say: enjoy the listen. PS: We’re publishing this podcast a little late, but from now on the cadence is set: a new episode every two weeks.
First, can you introduce yourselves?
I’m Geoffroy, I’m Germain’s business partner. We launched the Frères Pinard project a year ago. I used to be an engineer, an account manager at Bouygues Construction. Germain, Geoffroy’s partner and childhood friend: that part matters too. We’ve known each other for more than 30 years. The two of us came up with the idea for Frères Pinard while on vacation. A vacation joke that eventually turned into the real thing.
Can we go back a bit to your background? How did you go from leaving big companies to opening a wine bar?
First, it was the urge to build something, to do something that looked like us, that we’d love completely. Every job has its pros and cons. We were questioning things and we wanted to create something new in our own image. It’s true that with Geoffroy, we were in big corporations whose values didn’t necessarily match ours. Very quickly, around our shared passion (the apéro), we realized our skills were very complementary. Geoffroy was an account engineer. So he had the technical, logistics, accounting side. I brought the communications, marketing and creative side.
How did the switch from “I’m leaving my job” to “we’re opening Frères Pinard in Lille” actually happen?
Geoffroy: For my part it went pretty smoothly. I already wanted to change things up. The decision was made quickly and well understood by my previous company, who supported me in this project. It happened pretty fast: a vacation joke. In the car we’d scribble, joke around. One day, Germain made an appointment at the chamber of commerce. We walked out and I told him: “All in, let’s do it.” Germain: That’s what’s pretty funny about this story. We were in the car. I’d already worked in a bar in Lille (Le Dandy, a cocktail bar). I tell Geoffroy how great it would be to have a wine bar where you can buy the wines and the cheeses (my two passions). He adds: “Yeah but it’d be even better if there was charcuterie too.” We figured we had everything we needed for a great wine bar. From the start we said: “We could call ourselves les Frères Pinard.” The name came really fast and within two weeks of vacation we had almost everything ready. It wasn’t necessarily obvious for our families. A wine bar venture in Lille based on a 30-year friendship is a tough sell for the people around you. Pretty quickly, we reassured them with a solid business plan, something real.
From that business plan, how long was it before you opened Frères Pinard?
Geoffroy: The hardest part was convincing our families and the banks to get the financial backing. Then we found the space pretty fast. It also happened as a love-at-first-sight thing: it was the trigger that accelerated everything. Once you find a space that looks like you, everything kicks off. Germain: We started with a fairly utopian plan but kept updating it. Once we’d found the address for Frères Pinard, at 26 rue des Vieux Murs, we had everything calculated, got the loan and off we went.
Talking about your concept: there are three spaces here. A grocery space where you can buy cheese, charcuterie and wine; a brighter, open, Scandinavian space for table tastings; and a more traditional basement wine bar. How did you arrive at this three-space layout?
Germain: From the start, Geoffroy and I didn’t really see ourselves in classic wine bars, whether in the welcome or in the décor. We really wanted to open up and democratize wine. The welcome had to be dynamic and lively, which is what defines Frères Pinard: a bit like what you find in Italy or Spain at tapas bars. Then the Scandinavian decor was designed to feel “like home.” That vibe also breaks the tradition of typical wine bars, all kind of dark. This place is a real living space. The lucky thing was that this location came with a beautiful vaulted brick cellar, where you feel really comfortable. That’s a more traditional space. In the end, anyone can find their spot. After a year, people ask us to be seated in a specific area. Everyone has their preferences.
How did the opening go? Did you set a date?
Geoffroy: Setting dates is pretty tricky. We reached a point where it was getting financially tough and we really had to move. It came together a bit in a rush and that was probably for the best, because those are the moments when you have to react. Germain: We didn’t have time to be scared. The first night, we did no marketing: we wanted to test ourselves. It was our partners who came, like our banker who was our first supporter. The next day we did the official opening with another partner, Papa Drinks, with whom we select the digestifs. And the bar was packed (from the second night on). Since day two, we’ve been full every night. We’ve been fully booked from 6:30pm to 10pm every night for 13 months. We turn away 10 to 20 people per night during the week and 30 to 40 on weekends. Take note: book ahead before heading to Frères Pinard or you might be very disappointed.
How is daily management going today? What’s changed since day one?
Germain: I think the team organization and the layout have changed a lot. We’d planned everything on paper but it’s evolved a lot to make service more dynamic and smoother. In the end, customers wait less. Geoffroy: We really tried to optimize the space so we could be more responsive to customer requests. Germain: After 13 months, the lucky thing is that Geoffroy and I are no longer indispensable for the bar to run well. Geoffroy: We’ve gone from 1 to 3 employees and it’ll probably grow from there.
We touched on this earlier: are you doing things beyond Frères Pinard?
Germain: From the start, we wanted to move into events. I come from that world and I convinced Germain it was a side we could develop. The traditional canapé thing is starting to fade. People want simpler things, which we can deliver. It accelerated a bit because we get a lot of private booking requests. Tomorrow, for example, we have a post-wedding event for 50 people. We’re starting to expand outside with tastings (at the Lille chamber of commerce), launch events, private sales, birthdays at home. Our goal is to develop that side now. Geoffroy: It’s also what we love. We love recreating the vibe from here and being able to export it.
So when you organize an outside event, what happens?
We bring the wine, the charcuterie and the cheese. We bring everything to have a good time, to get as close as possible to what people experience at Frères Pinard.
Let’s talk about wine. What kind of wines can people find here?
Germain: From the start we said we wanted something simple and different from the other Lille wine bars. So we built a menu around five major regions. Per region, you’ll find 5 wines, 5 cheeses and 5 charcuterie items that rotate regularly. The goal is to capture flavors that are specific to a terroir. A lot of people say they don’t like wine. To us that’s wrong, because there are so many terroirs, so many flavors in wine, that you just have to find the right one. With this menu, people have fun discovering the products they want. Same for the boards: customers pick and build their boards based on what they’re craving. What matters is that every product is truly typical of its terroir. Same for the wines: each wine is typical of its terroir. Take our Côtes du Rhône. What do you expect from a Côtes du Rhône? Grape-wise: Grenache, Syrah. Not too tannic, not too fruity: nice balance. Our Cahors is also typical: almost 100% Malbec with a touch of Merlot. The goal is for people to have fun and actually discover a wine. By the end, our customers have a sense of what they like and are better equipped to buy wine. Geoffroy: From the start, the goal was to move away from traditional wine bars, which can feel a bit elitist. That’s why we called ourselves Frères Pinard. We don’t offer grand wines (in the grand cru or famous estate sense) but wines we select ourselves at trade fairs or directly at the estate. We only do short supply chains: that’s really important to us. There’s demand for grand wines, so we’ll adapt: we’re putting together a second wine list, hand-picked by us, for the more seasoned wine drinkers. Something for everyone. Germain: We can say it, we’re the cheapest wine bar in old Lille.
What’s your relationship with producers? Do you visit the vineyards?
Geoffroy: At the start, what we wanted to do when setting up the project was a Tour de France of grape varieties from every wine region. We did a small tour, not the one we wanted, but already pretty solid: I covered Bordeaux, Germain did the Loire and Corsica. We went to see the producers, picked a few wines that are now on the menu. Otherwise, we picked wines at winemaker fairs. The last piece is word of mouth: we think wine is meant to be shared. We’re not oenologists but wine enthusiasts. We trained ourselves to be credible with our clientele and for ourselves. Today we can spot a wine that’ll be a hit and one that won’t. Germain: We also try to set our own taste aside. We’re going to make time to visit producers and share those moments with our community. We’ve done it in the past by inviting a Saumur producer for a tasting on site. We’ll try to share more of those moments and bring winemakers into the bar. Geoffroy: Recently we’ve also been running oenology classes to help our clientele develop their taste.
How do you see the future of Frères Pinard?
Geoffroy: We’d like to create more events before we can fund other things. We want to grow a loyal clientele that comes to our events regularly. We’d like to develop a food truck. Germain: With a food truck, we could go to any event and roll out the wine and charcuterie. On site, we really want to multiply events, but not just around wine. We did a big party for our one-year anniversary. We can announce: on March 30 we’re celebrating spring. We’re also thinking about fashion events. Save the date: March 30 at Frères Pinard for a big night with lots of surprises.
Last few questions. If you had to recommend a wine book, which one?
Geoffroy: Reading books isn’t really our thing but we have a small library accessible to everyone in the bar. Germain: We were diligent, we attended the École des Vins de France to train ourselves. What we try to share here is: test things yourself. That’s why the dogma of food and wine pairing doesn’t have a place at Frères Pinard. Some things work more or less well. For example, I love Pinot Noir with Camembert. The most important thing is to stay curious about wine and let yourself be guided.
If you could only drink one wine, go to a desert island with one wine, which would it be?
Geoffroy: For me it’d be the Côtes du Rhône. Neither too tannic nor too light. Our Côtes du Rhône is a Mongin. It’s a viticultural high school that does really good work. Germain: As I get older, I’m more white. I’d go with a Viognier. It’s a wine from the pays d’Oc. It’s a region that has developed a lot with some real gems. Ours, from Domaine de la Bouisse, really represents what you expect from a Viognier. Dry but a little fat, sun-drenched, with floral notes and a slight fruitiness. The nice story is that we met them in Seclin. An older sister who worked at big houses in Alsace teamed up with her little brother. This wine represents both the traditional side and the pep that Frères Pinard cares about. We’ve talked about the bar side but we also do takeaway. People can taste here and recreate the apéro at home: they can take everything with them. We also do online sales: within an hour the apéro board is available. For that, go to the Ollca app. Walk around with the Frères Pinard box. And that’s it for this Frères Pinard interview. If you enjoyed it, share it and keep exploring our articles.
Contact Frères Pinard
Address: 26 Rue des Vieux Murs, 59800 Lille. Website: http://www.lesfrerespinard.com/ On social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
