Independent and committed wine merchant, Olivier Leydier has made his cellar a reference for lovers of beautiful bottles and authentic wines. In its new formula, larger and more elegant, Les Vins d’Olivier à Larche is also a wine bar where there is no doubt that it will be good to taste.
On a plot in the making, the carcass of a concrete mixer caught in the golden rays of a gentle morning sun. A project nearing completion. Below the Brive road, at the exit of Larche, a commercial area called Les Guierles has sprung up, very close to the banks of the Vézère which can be seen behind this hazelnut plantation.
It is here that Olivier Leydier moved his cellar which until then had been established in this small premises in the town center of Larche.
So Olivier did not settle into a module that looked like a steel cube. No, the wine merchant has taken up residence in a building which, for a long time, was reduced to the status of an abandoned ruin on the side of the road. Moreover, it has been years since the hovel had caught the eye of Olivier who had sensed its immense potential.
After months of work, the house has been given a new lease of life, without ever betraying anything of the spirit of the place: slate roof, pale stone walls and wine color typical of the Brive basin.
An optimal cellar
Inside, a vast space dedicated to wine, its pleasures, its people and its culture. It smells new. The final touch is just a brush away. But the main thing is there.
The dark color of the walls responds nicely to the light wooden shelves, already stocked with a beautiful collection of vintages carefully selected by Olivier. As for the beautiful distillery department, it falls to the young wine merchant, Bernie Martin, who uses all his expertise and experience to advise customers and help them find their way through this wide range of whiskeys, rums, gins, pastis and others. spirits.
Very close by, an elegant wine bar where you will soon be able to discover, smell and taste delicious drinks. Take pleasure especially in a friendly setting and in a relaxed atmosphere.
Behind the scenes, a storage area where dozens of crates and boxes are already displayed: this contrasts with the previous premises which very quickly became too narrow.
And then above all, there is the cellar. The real one. Dug into the clay and covered with a bed of gravel, the cellar has ideal humidity (80%), a constant temperature (15°C) and adequate ventilation. Optimal conditions for the conservation of some 2,500 references. A small alcove restricted to darkness has even been created to guarantee ideal aging for the grands crus and other wines for keeping.
Receive our eco newsletter by email and find the latest news from economic players in your region.
This attention to detail illustrates the rigor with which Olivier thought about the project. It also tells of the passion that this autodidact has with wine, with the work of winegrowers, with this cultural treasure, this civilizational jewel of our country.
Wine merchant of conviction
This strong bond is not new. Even when he was an agency director in the banking sector in Lyon, wine occupied a place of choice for this viscerally curious person, always in search of new things and who, from that time, had developed a small wine trading activity .
In 2014, Olivier changed his life. He left the capital of Gaul to go to the south of Corrèze where his wife became a pharmacist in the small town of Larche. And just opposite the pharmacy, he spots a small vacant space. A unique opportunity presents itself to Olivier who sees this as the chance to embark on a new professional adventure.
And now, in June 2018, the brand new independent wine merchant made a dream come true. Les Vins d’Olivier welcomes its first customers.
Quickly, he imposed his touch, his smile, his sparkle and his quiet erudition. Thus, the former banker perfectly embodies the contemporary wine merchant who cannot limit himself to being just a simple wine merchant. He will never be the type to stay hidden behind his counter and his barrels, watching for the merchants to pass by and only offering the customer easy vinasse, consensual and already-drunk wine.
“My ambition is to invite the customer to drink less and taste better,” says the wine merchant, determined to be a conveyor of emotions.
empty (empty)
Close to winegrowers
No, Olivier has a curious and traveling soul. Thus, the forty-year-old with salt-and-pepper hair likes to wander around France, frequenting the aisles of specialized trade fairs, visiting estates, vineyards and cellars.
Above all, and above all, he enjoys contact with winegrowers, discussing with them about the work in the vineyard, behind the scenes of winemaking, he is nourished by their history and their deep-rooted passion. “Winegrowers of conviction who, most often, work in organic farming or biodynamics, like 95% of the wines that I have selected here,” he specifies.
“The secret of success is also the relationships of trust that the wine merchant will be able to build with the winegrowers. But also with a clientele with whom he will have to demonstrate pedagogy and conviction to cultivate this taste for wine,” continues Olivier who, from this weekend, will be keen to demonstrate all his passion, his desire and his culture during from the qualifying phases to the final of the 2024 edition of the competition for the best wine merchant in France.
Fabrice Varies
Related News :