A while back, we gave you the best wine bars in Lille. After interviewing the Frères Pinard, we’re back today at La Part des Anges. It’s in this iconic Lille wine bar that we meet Marilyne, a self-taught sommelier passionate about wine. Enjoy the listen!
Wine Makers Show: Before talking about La Part des Anges, can you start by introducing yourself?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I’m a young sommelier with 15 years of experience in the wine world in general. In particular in its commercialization and across all sectors: I started in luxury retail, in the Lagardère group. I trained sales staff in duty-free and produced merchandising plans for the sales floors. Shortly after that, I joined wine cellars: Savour Club in its great glory in 2003-2005, as a wine merchant. I wanted to join the wine universe under harder and rawer angles. Beyond that, always heading into commerce and management, I joined Caves Nysa in 2008 by joining the parent company which is now on rue Saint Antoine. I stayed there for 4 years specializing in southern French wines and everything spirits. We had the task of selection collegially and managing my own cellar. I did a tour in restauration, in mass retail: I touched on many wine networks. All this allowed me to become aware of my strengths, and what I like the least. What I prefer is contact with the clientele; that is, being the relay point between winemakers and the consumer customer.
Wine Makers Show: Is that why you’re now sommelier at La Part des Anges?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: Exactly. Just before La Part des Anges, I had joined the gastronomic restaurant Le Jane as sommelier. It was a very formative experience because I directed both purchasing and table service, glassware, food-and-wine pairing. Since I have a bit of wanderlust and I’m never satisfied with what I’ve gained, I wanted to join La Part des Anges, which has a magnificent cellar: the most beautiful in Lille.
Wine Makers Show: Said and done!
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I wanted to develop my journey alongside Mr. Chevalier who can bring me a lot of additional things, additional curiosities. I have a great love of southern French wines. If I can bring something from there to La Part des Anges, I’ll be delighted.
Wine Makers Show: Speaking of which, let’s go back to the different stages of this journey. Where does this love of southern French wines come from?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: Love of wine in general comes from my family. My uncle had vines around Chinon. Despite his health problems, he leased out his vines and we spent our youth wandering through the vines, pruning shears in hand. All festivities were paired with a bottle. I knew very early a bottle on the table with the dishes that paired with it. I have this very epicurean and Rabelaisian image of the family. It’s part of my DNA.
One of the great vacation memories I’ve had for 10 - 12 years is having done Languedoc Roussillon. I have idyllic images of the Corbières site which gives a stunning view of the sea with smells of maquis, garrigue and the vines behind. This image is anchored in me. It really struck me and I wanted to seek out the sensation I had when tasting Corbières wines. To feel the same chills as when I was little. I was already tasting wine and appreciating it. I have a very curious and sincere journey with wine. Sincere meaning naive: I immediately get sensations when I taste a wine and that’s what I want to give the customers.
Wine Makers Show: So wine was a professional field that came very early?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: Absolutely. I only knew how to do that and I’ve only done that since. It’s grapes!
Wine Makers Show: We talked about the task of wine selection. Can you tell us more about it?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: It was necessarily collegial. I’m not a fan of the Parker guide, of the person on a throne who gives the magic of pros and cons. I have more confidence in the collective like in the Bettane Dessauve guides. The palate isn’t unique. When we selected wines, it was always unanimously.
When I was selecting, with Benoit Bout, the director of Le Jane, I also applied this principle. I had him taste the wine and if we both agreed, the wine entered the menu.
Wine Makers Show: How do you do when you don’t particularly like a type of wine but still have to put it on the menu?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: There are wines I don’t appreciate but that have to enter a menu. For example, I don’t necessarily appreciate sugar at its full value so sweet wines aren’t for me. But they have their place, as long as the wine is well made, I know how to recognize it. I know how to put things in perspective.
Wine Makers Show: How does cellar management go for you back then?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: We were always tied to the parent company’s stock. Depending on the establishment’s storage capacity and sales, we adjusted. Depending on neighborhoods, there are always purchasing preferences. I was in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, the clientele was made up of tourists who wanted nice labels, or champagnes, with prices between 15 and 50 euros. We also had a fairly well-off local clientele who went to all regions but always with nice labels. The average price was 25 euros. We also had very nice bottles. I could also deliver to homes: I called my driver and sent orders during the day. I had pretty incredible flexibility.
Wine Makers Show: It’s very interesting what you say about the profile by neighborhood.
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: Yes, the profile changes whether you’re in the 13th, in the 4th or in the 20th. I lived in Paris for 12 years in 6 different arrondissements, no one consumes the same way.
Wine Makers Show: What were you able to notice about these differences?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: In the 20th, you find more natural wines, it’s the bobo side. In the 4th, you work on brand and label, it’s very packaged. We don’t sell the same things. Cellars are witnesses to neighborhood life.
Wine Makers Show: Do you see a Lille profile of wine consumer emerging?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: There’s old Lille and the Solférino Wazemmes center. You find two different styles: more popular on the Solférino Wazemmes side. In old Lille, we’re more on nice labels and Bordeaux globally.
Wine Makers Show: Let’s go back to Le Jane, a gastronomic restaurant in Lille. We can start by talking about the glassware.
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: The selection of glasses is a real subject. I took care of my own glasses depending on consumption. On certain champagnes, I offered either in a flute or in a wine glass. There’s a real difference between fairly airy festive champagnes and more wine-like champagnes. Some clients can be a bit picky, especially when serving Bollinger and fairly wine-like champagnes. It’s always more pleasant in wine glasses.
Wine Makers Show: On the composition of the cellar, what were you able to do?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I arrived along the way. We sublimated it a bit. The cellar is small and can hold 250 references in 8 square meters. It was very complicated for storage and managing the cellar. We had a selection by the glass and a selection by the bottle. The sorting and selection between what we wanted to bring in and remove from the menu.
Wine Makers Show: You also had to have a real food and wine pairing question?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I always operated against the chef’s menu which was very precise and based on fresh products. I wanted it to always be balanced and subtle without going into staggering prices. The first experience is the pleasure at the table, not the unpleasant surprise of having to break your wallet.
Wine Makers Show: We’re missing one element about your background, what was your training?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I’m a self-taught wine person. I borrowed master’s classes from my sommelier and wine merchant friends. They had all given me their tutorials. I had loads of books. I kept all the magazines and all the winemakers’ brochures. I had whole binders of documentation that I read in the evening and on weekends. During my vacations, I went to the winemakers’. It was sheer effort but when you love it, it pays.
Wine Makers Show: Let’s talk about what you do here at La Part des Anges. You said La Part des Anges is the most beautiful cellar in Lille. Why? Before you answer, I confess I had a look at the binder and the considerable selection.
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: Already the staggering number of references is impressive, not even talking about the prestige bottles. We can offer accessible bottles in any color and any region. You can always find a bottle of wine you like at La Part des Anges in Lille. Come ask for a tasting of Loire or Rhône wines, it’s sensational. I’ve worked in many places, having such a range is a real chance.
Then, there’s the prestige cellar with a huge selection.
The cellar extends across the entire surface of the building, it’s quite large and the choice is considerable. You can access the wine list on La Part des Anges’ website.
Wine Makers Show: can you tell us more about your work as a sommelier at La Part des Anges?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I advise customers on the choice of their wine based on their desires and dishes but also on what they want to discover. I’m there to reassure customers: wine isn’t elitist. The first bottles are at 15 - 20 euros. You just have to know what style of wine the customer likes and we lead them to the bottle they’ll enjoy. Sommelier isn’t a magic word. We’re there to help the customer get closer to what they’ll love.
Wine Makers Show: it must be particularly interesting for you to see customer reactions at La Part des Anges?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: The best reward is hearing “I loved this bottle, I want the same”. All the bottles being tasted on the chalkboard are available for takeaway. So if you had a crush on the bottle, you can take it home. We can also let you discover equivalents.
Wine Makers Show: La Part des Anges is a fairly iconic wine bar of Lille and old Lille. There are several floors, a terrace, a private club.
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: The restaurant downstairs and the terrace are open to everyone. It’s a place of conviviality around a bottle and a charcuterie board. It’s a cellar: it’s possible to leave with the bottle you tasted. It’s also possible to privatize a space for events with friends or family. It’s the place where we have fun, laugh, drink, eat and sometimes all at the same time.
There’s also a private club. You have to be invited to enter by a member to have access. It’s the private side that gives access to other spaces in the gentlemen’s club style as we hear it on the other side of the Atlantic.
We also organize events like introductions to tasting in French or English. Mr. Chevalier also organizes expertise clubs. Our events are very complementary. You just need to be 8 - 10 to organize a tasting session.
Wine Makers Show: it’s been a month you’ve been at La Part des Anges in Lille, have you already had the chance to change something?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: A winemaker I know very well came to do a tasting three weeks ago. Her reference came in. It’s not necessarily thanks to me but I’m delighted to be able to work with her again.
Wine Makers Show: if you had to recommend a book on wine?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: I, who started with these works, recommend L’École de la Dégustation by Pierre Casamayor (to get it, it’s here). It’s a well-made wine book, very educational and complete for someone who’s starting out.
Wine Makers Show: To finish, if you only had to take one wine with you?
Marilyne, sommelier at La Part des Anges: It’s very complicated. In this summer period, I’d say a red from Nicolas Rossignol and his 2007 Volnay. I’d also take a white for the road: Figure Libre from Domaine Guerrida.
Address: 50 rue de la Monnaie, 59000, Lille
Website of La Part des Anges
If you’re stopping by to taste wines at La Part des Anges, take advantage to download a tasting sheet for free!
