In 1987, the Union des Vignerons de Saint-Pourçain (who were the first cave co-opérative that Yapp Brothers shipped from – in 1973) began commissioning artists to illustrate their latest red ‘La Fiçelle’ cuvée that was released every December. Now a registered trademark, ‘La Fiçelle’ is named after the section of knotted string that was dipped into your bottle by a waiter in the bouchons of Lyon to determine how much you should be charged for that evening’s consumption.
Now in its 39th year, the 2025 vintage sees the illustrator Giemsi (Mon Quotidien, L’Actu, Fluide Glacial) satirise the relationship between an individual and their bottle whilst tucked up in bed together. The bottle comments on their ‘years together…’ with the sardonic reply ‘…with never a headache’. The roll call of illustrators that they have worked with is impressive, recent partners are listed below.
2024: Gab (France Agricole, Siné Hebdo, Sinum) reimagined ‘la fiçelle’ as a fishing line used to catch bottles from a boat named L’Assoifé (‘The Thirsty Schooner’).
2023: Xavier Lacombe – an Ardèche native now based in Lyon – who has illustrated for such fabled French bande-dessinée titles as Marianne, Siné Mensuel, Urtikan and Mazette.
2022: Christophe Bertin (aka ‘Berth’), who is based in Besançon in eastern France’s Franche-Comté region and whose work has appeared in Mon Quotidien, L’Est Republicain, Spirou and Reporterre.
The wine itself is a versatile, juicy blend of Gamay & Pinot Noir grown on the clay-limestone and granite hillsides of the Auvergne. The two grapes are vinified separately with a traditional maceration (10 days for Gamay and 12 days for Pinot Noir) with daily punch-downs and pump-overs to optimize extraction and the finesse of the aromas.
Enjoy as an aperitif with tapas, a charcuterie board or simple roast chicken. Suffice to say, it pairs well with regional Auvergne dishes (aligot, stuffed cabbage, truffade) and the region’s cheeses – Fourme d’Ambert, Cantal, Saint-Nectaire and Salers.
LA GALERIE DES CRAYONS
1987 : Roche • 1988 : Piem • 1989 : Trez • 1990 : Cursat • 1991 : Loup • 1992 : Barberousse • 1993 : Laville • 1994 : Avoine • 1995 : Bridenne • 1996 : Piem • 1997 : Dubouillon • 1998 : Soulas • 1999 : Mose • 2000 : Barbe • 2001 : Blachon • 2002 : Barrigue • 2003 : Nicoulaud • 2004 : Sabatier • 2005 : Tignous • 2006 : Honoré • 2007 : JY • 2008 : Napo • 2009 : Faujour • 2010 : Samson • 2011 : Lerouge • 2012 : Willem • 2013 : Carali • 2014 : Lasserpe • 2015 : Mric • 2016 : Besse • 2017 : Lécroart • 2018 : Deligne • 2019 : Soulcié • 2020 : Trapier • 2021 : Pixel Vengeur • 2022 : Berth • 2023 : Lacombe • 2024 : Gab • 2025 : Giemsi •
