Wine chat with Nicolas Archambault

Before the holidays, a few lucky ones saw Nicolas Archambault arrive at their house with their arms full of beautiful bottles. Few people know it, but the dancer, choreographer and former judge at the dance gods has been leading a parallel career in the world of wine for several years. We met him over a drink at the Super Condiments café-bar.

It’s a contract in Paris, for the production saturday night fever, which triggered in the interpreter of Tony Manero the deep love of wine and its artisans. Nicolas Archambault was to spend six months in the City of Light. He ended up settling there for three years.

“I purposely made friends who worked in restaurants and wine shops. I wanted to take advantage of my stay to explore the world of gastronomy. The stolen glass [un des premiers bars à vin naturel parisiens, ouvert en 2000] was the closest wine shop to me. I have been in contact with some very good wines, but without realizing it at the time. »

Do careers in dance and the world of wine go hand in hand? “I don’t have a personality that easily becomes dependent,” he replies. I tended to be more strict with myself than the other way around. From dance, I have the discipline to want to show up in the best possible condition. In Paris, during Saturday Night Fever, I didn’t eat carbohydrates on the days I worked. I allowed myself a croissant and wine on my day off. I really have a good awareness of what is good and not so good for me. Sometimes I don’t drink for a month. »

First steps

When Nico and his wife, Wynn Holmes, later moved to Brooklyn, curiosity about wine caught up with him, even though he had few local contacts in the business. A friend’s boyfriend, who worked for an import agency, advised her to take a job with a wine merchant, to deepen her knowledge.

“I was a dance freelancer, with an irregular schedule. The owner of a shop near me, Smith & Vine, was a retired opera singer. He understood my life as an artist. He let me work one day a week. »

“In the end, I loved my job so much that I really had to be tempted by the dance contract to take it! adds Mr. Archambault.

Smith & Vine had been around for 17 years when Nico landed there. He wasn’t a “natural” wine merchant, but he only kept quality wines, which were little handled. “One thing leading to another, I started giving my boss a taste of the wines I drank. He liked it and gave me a small budget to start a natural wine section. But there shouldn’t be any major deviations. Sell ​​a bad bottle to a customer once, they might come back, but not twice. »

It is this link with the clientele that really appealed to the beast of the stage. “When the person comes back and says you advised them exactly what wine they wanted to drink, it’s so satisfying. Feedback, the conversation that evolves over time. The mastery of language to talk about wine without being pedantic, snobbish, boring, intimidating… I like to communicate. I did it a lot in dance. And it pleases me less to talk about myself than about a product that makes me vibrate. »

Nico ended up becoming manager of Smith & Vine, not denying the possibility of leaving from time to time for projects. Then the owner entrusted him with the entire purchase of wine for the boutique. “In total, I worked there for almost five years, on and off, until 2022. I even did the shopping remotely for six months. Now the stocks are 80% natural wine and I still send recommendations. »

Continuing learning

Since his return to Quebec, the artist has been looking for the best way to continue cultivating his love for signature wines. That’s why he ventured to organize tastings in December, first for friends, then at complete strangers.

“It was really tailor-made. Someone gave this as a gift to their boyfriend who didn’t know much about wine, but really liked macerated whites. So I brought bottles of “orange wine” from Georgia, Friuli and Alsace. There was another guy whose favorite song is Fall in Love with Me, which talks about drinking white wine in Berlin. We focused on German whites. »

Nicolas Archambault also likes to draw parallels between the world of music and that of artisanal wine. “Like hip-hop, natural wine has its own pioneers, OGs, rebels. It’s a counterculture. It’s a little anarchic and that’s what I like. »

The bottles that converted Nico Archambault

La Souteronne by Hervé Souhaut (Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet)

“I had never drunk a Gamay that came from the Rhône. The grape presented itself with great depth, but also a crazy energy,” recalls Nico. Indeed, La Souteronne is a cuvée that contains the fruit of old vines (60-80 years old) that have grown on granite soil. In Quebec, the wines of Hervé Souhaut are represented by the Rézin agency.

The wines of Aurélie and Arnaud Geschickt in Alsace

“That evening, we drank the Grand Cru Kaefferkopf, an aromatic blend of Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris, then we continued with the Phénix, a macerated Pinot Gris with a really vibrant coppery pink color. That, when you pull it out for the right person at the right time, is like a magic trick! »

The wines of the Geschickt are represented by Le vin dans les voiles. Some cuvées are on private order. The Grand Cru Kaefferkopf 2017 is currently offered at the SAQ.

Milan Nestarec Podfuck

“It was Nestarec’s Podfuck 2016 or 2017 at the Vivant, in Paris. My first encounter with a skin macerated white wine. It’s been a long time, but I remember there was freshness and a lot of chewing. Lots of aromatic richness: blood orange, rose petals. It was deep, salty, tannic on the finish. And elegant! I now analyze my impressions of the time with what I have learned since. But when I tasted it, it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. »

Milan Nestarec wines are represented by the Ward and Associates agency and are mostly sold by private order. However, the Bel cuvée is currently offered at the SAQ.