Wine bar€€TalensacMon-Fri 12:00-14:00; Tue-Fri 19:00-22:00; closed Sat-Sun
Tartines et Bouchons is the bistro and wine bar on Rue d'Auvours in Nantes, tartines and plain bistro plates against a Burgundy and Loire list.
Signature pour: A Loire white by the glass with the day's tartine
Wine focus: An eclectic list leaning Burgundy and the Loire Valley
Food: Tartines and simple bistro plates
Tip: Dinner runs Tuesday to Friday only and the house takes three weeks of congés in August, so ring before a late-summer visit.
Wine bar€€GraslinTue-Thu 13:00-23:00; Fri 13:00-00:00; Sat 10:30-00:00; closed Sun-Mon
The Muscadothèque on Quai de la Fosse is the Nantes cave given over to the local vineyard alone, more than 170 wines from 24 nearby growers.
Signature pour: A glass from Château de la Perrière, one of the Nantes federation growers
Wine focus: Pays Nantais only, Muscadet plus local chardonnay and pinot gris
Food: Charcuterie and cheese boards from regional artisans
Tip: Chardonnay and pinot gris sit beside the Muscadet, which is the point the founders are making; tasting evenings run through the month.
Wine bar€€Hauts-PavésWed-Fri 09:00-15:00 and 18:30-23:00; Sat 10:00-15:00 and 18:30-23:00; closed Sun-Tue
Les Bouteilles keeps 1,500 references in its cellar on Rue de Bel Air in Nantes, poured beside plats du jour a short walk from Talensac market.
Signature pour: An inexpensive Muscadet from the Loire end of the list
Wine focus: Around 1,500 references, Muscadet through to Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Food: Plats du jour, crispy tête de veau, grilled monkfish
Tip: Glasses run €3.50 to €15, so the Loire end of the list is the cheap way in; the room stays shut Sunday through Tuesday.
Wine bar€€DecréTue 19:00-21:00; Wed-Fri 12:00-13:30 and 19:00-21:30; Sat 19:00-21:30; closed Sun-Mon
Obbo is pastry chef Antoine Gaudin's cave à manger on Allée des Tanneurs in Nantes, around 100 French domaines with the Pays Nantais at its core.
Signature pour: A Pays Nantais white by the glass, from about €4
Wine focus: Roughly 100 French domaines with the Loire and Pays Nantais at the core
Food: Inventive small plates and a dessert-led card
Tip: Sommelier Guillaume Claireau runs the glass list; lunch happens Wednesday to Friday only, so an evening booking is the safer plan.
Wine bar€€GraslinTue-Fri 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:00; Sat 12:00-14:30; closed Sun-Mon
Melon takes its name from Melon de Bourgogne and backs it with more than 200 organic references on Rue Copernic in Nantes, poured by its sommelier.
Signature pour: Antoine Delaunay Muscadet Sèvre et Maine at €5 the glass
Wine focus: Over 200 organic references chosen by sommelier Pierre Brunelli
Food: Bistro plates, lunch set menus, umami-leaning cooking
Tip: Julia Custodio cooks the short card while Pierre Brunelli pours; the house shuts Sunday and Monday and skips Saturday dinner.
Wine bar€€Île de NantesTue-Sat 15:00-02:00; closed Sun-Mon
Bras de Fer fills a former gallery on Boulevard de la Prairie au Duc in Nantes with natural wine, exhibitions, concerts and a courtyard garden.
Signature pour: Les Enfants Sauvages, the house melon and chardonnay blend
Wine focus: Natural growers plus the house cuvées from an urban winery nearby
Food: Vendée charcuterie and farmhouse cheese boards
Tip: Glasses open near €4 and bottles from €26; the Ferchaud brothers press their own wine less than a kilometre away.