French wine tasting in Paris is a no brainer, really. France is renowned worldwide for great wine and you’ll find the best of it Paris.
The wine choice in Paris is so good, it makes the city the perfect kick-off point for any serious wine tour of France.
Start your wine tour of France in Paris. Spend a few days wine tasting in Paris’ many good wine bars and wine shops.
- Get an indepth overview of French wines and discover what regions work best for your unique palette
- Identify French wineries you know will deliver 100% delight
The city attracts the best French wines from every region. You’ll find them on menus in Paris wine bars, restaurants and wine shops.
There is, however, one problem with tasting wine in Paris. The wine offer is simply huge. In fact, it’s overwhelming.
How do you know where to go?
How do you discern quality?
Trying to decipher the mysteries of French wine labels, alone, is tough enough.
Make it easy on yourself. Start simple with a Paris wine tasting experience to get oriented.
Here are 9 local tips to help you choose your Paris wine tasting experiences.
4 Wine Bars in Paris for an authentic French wine experience
Of course, you’ll find the very best Parisian bistros offer excellent wine lists. The benefit of dining in a bistro, or good restaurant, is that you can pair your French wine selection with a full meal of traditional Parisian cuisine. Perfect!
But when you want to focus purely on French wine and delve deep into different regions, then head to one of Paris’ specialist wine bars (bars à vins).
What makes a great wine bar? Naturally, the wine list. But there are other important things to consider. It should offer prompt, friendly service. Interesting food pairings are essential. It must, also, have the magic of atmosphere. Like the wine, the place should instantly stir your emotions.
After all, you’re traveling. Your wine and food journey should take you to foreign lands.
Paris has always had a great wine bar scene. In recent years, however, it has boomed. Today, you’ll find a diverse selection of traditional and modern, chic wine bars to choose from.
Here are four of our favorites.
Legrand Filles et Fils
This is one of the most visited wine bars in Paris. For any wine enthusiast, it’s a must.
At Legrand Filles et Fils you’ll enjoy good glasses of French wine, married well to tasty local foods. You’ll find some of the city’s most elegant wines in its cellar.
The location is perfect, too. It’s in one of Paris’ most gorgeous covered passageways, the Galerie Vivienne.
On the lower level, dine on authentic French fare.
It can be a little pricey, but it’s perfect for pure excellence in French wine. Go ahead, treat yourself.
Address: 1 Rue de la Banque, 75002 Paris, France
Closest Paris Metro Station: Bourse (Line 3)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 42 60 07 12
Le Verre Volé
Take a stroll around the Canal Saint-Martin. There are plenty of good restaurants and little bars. It’s a very popular spot and noted for it’s cool Parisian “hipster” scene.
One spot that’s particularly popular is Le Verre Volé, a small wine bar with quality wine selection and good food pairings. It’s widely considered one of the best “new-style” wine bars in Paris.
Before it was renovated, getting a table was near impossible. Even today, with a larger space, it’s still not easy. But it’s well worth the wait.
You’ll know you’ve hit a top wine spot the minute you walk in. Lining the walls are bottles of wine stacked high from across France.
The food, too, is very good. Pair your favorite wine with a delicious meal. You can try things like crisp crevettes grises, a pate de grouse, or even the popular boudin noir. Or opt for a classic platter of cured meats and cheese.
Address: 67 rue de Lancry, 75010 Paris
Nearest Paris Metro Station: Jacques Bonsergent (Line 5)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 48 03 17 34
Le Barav
This is a perfect address to try good quality French wines without breaking the bank.
Located in the up-and-coming and lively area of Oberkampf, you’ll find two addresses.
Start by visiting the wine shop. Purchase your bottle of wine. You’ll get expert advice on picking out a wine that suits your tastes.
Customer service is friendly and not at all pretentious. Don’t feel inhibited asking for full advice. Don’t feel the pressure to buy up big. Le Barav stocks over 300 wines from around France. Prices start as low as 4 ro 5 euros.
Then, with your wine selection, head next door to the restuarant. Pair your wine selection with a platter of French cheeses and charcuterie. There are other more substantial meals to be had, too. No corkage fee is charged, though.
Address: 6 Rue Charles-François Dupuis, 75003 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: République (Lines 3, 5, 8, 9, and 11) and Temple (Line 3)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 48 04 57 59
Les Caves de Reuilly
Adventure is the name of the game at Les Caves de Reuilly. Natural wines feature in this this welcoming terraced wine bar.
Natural wine bars are all the rage in Paris right now. Les Caves de Reuilly is one of the more popular ones with the locals.
Take an authentic journey through wines from across France. Discover new tastes. Few, if any, of the labels will be familiar.
Most of the producers are small. Often they have no appellation or official region of origin. Knowing where they come from is tough. With many natural wines, the wine-makers prefer to remain “outside of the system”.
It’s best to trust the staff pick here. Work with their knowledge of the wines.
Pouring the glass, they’ll tell you about its qualities: unfiltered, unfined, unoaked, with no added yeast, no added sulphur, or no additives at all.
The only thing to keep in mind here is that there’s a higher element of risk in your wine tasting. The wines can be less predictible. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes not.
Sometimes the wine seems to be still fermenting. Othertimes the wine is oxidized. Occassionaly, they’re not great at all. But when it all comes together, they’re brilliant.
They’re even better when paired with a platter of French cheeses, rillettes and cured meats and at Les Caves de Reuilly.
This is one address where the adventure of wine can be truly exciting with honest and inexpensive wines.
Address: 11 boulevard de Reuilly, 75012 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: Dugommier (Line 6) or Daumesnil (Line 8)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 43 47 10 39
5 Wine Shops in Paris you can trust for quality service & great finds
For your next trip to Paris, perhaps you’ll stay at a holiday apartment in the center of Paris with stunning views of Notre Dam.
Maybe you’ll go on the perfect Paris picnic on the banks of the River Seine overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
If you do, you’ll want to source great French foods from local artisan markets. Better still, go shopping in some of Paris’ best gourmet food boutiques.
To top off the experience, you’ll definitely want to source excellent French wines to accompany your meal.
What better way to experience Parisian living?
Here are 5 Parisian addresses where you’ll find great French wines to buy for every occassion.
La Cave des Papilles
This wine shop is in one of my favorite streets of Paris, rue Daguerre. Just the walk to La Cave des Papilles is fun. You’ll walk through a buzzing fresh food market. The aromas of fresh artisanal foods will whet your appetite.
La Cave des Papilles isn’t you classic Paris wine shop. It’s something of a contrast to the more traditional wine shops you’ll find across the city.
Like Les Caves de Reuilly, it features natural French wines. The house rejects the “processed” wines typical of the Appellation d’origine controlée (AOC).
La Cave des Papilles prides itself on supporting “true wine masters”. It’s favors wine-makers who are dedicated to natural and environmentally friendly methods of production.
You’ll find wines from over 1200 producers stocked here, many of which are organically certified.
You’ll get good advice on wine choices. Also ask about the wine-making process. It’s very interesting to hear about the different methods employed across France. You’ll hear how many producers still employee time-honored traditional methods handed down through the generations.
Address: 35, rue Daguerre, 75014 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: Denfert-Rochereau (Lines 4 and 6)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 43 20 05 74
Lavinia
Looking for a vast selection of French wines? Head to Lavinia.
Lavinia is the perfect Paris wine shop destination after a day of sightseeing and shopping. It’s in the center of Paris, between Opera and Madeleine.
Unlike the smallish Les Caves des Papilles, Lavinia is a probably the biggest wine shop in Paris. It consists of three floors, plus a basement cellar. It’s classy, too.
If you don’t find something to suit here, there’s no hope. Very professional and welcoming staff will advise expertly. There are also plenty of opportunities for free wine tastings.
Choose French wines from its impressive selection from every region of France. There are some 6500 wines to choose from.
The vast majority of the wines at Lavinia are from France. But there’s also a diverse selection of quality wines from around the world. You’ll find excellent vintages from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the United States, Spain, Italy and Germany, for example. In fact, you’ll find some thirty nations represented in its stock.
Hoping to try some of the very best French wines available? You won’t be disappointed at Lavinia. They stock some of the most sort-after French wines.
Even though we’ve featured Lavinia as a wine shop, there’s also a good wine bar and restaurant on the first floor.
Address: 3-5 Boulevard de la Madeleine, 75001 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: Madeleine (Line 14)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 42 97 20 20
Les Caves Augé
Like vintage French wine, the walls of Les Caves Augé hold unique stories. This Paris wine shop was opened in 1850. The building itself has changed little since it opened.
Looking for a prestigious grand crus? Les Caves Augé will give you plenty of choice. Find the very best wines from star wine regions, like the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Bourdeaux.
Les Caves Augé, the fine wines all lined up along the walls like books layered on shelves. Indeed, plenty of stories to taste here. The professional someliers will help predict each bottle’s historic secrets so you can make a good chocie.
The collection at Les Caves Augé is not reserved for great wines, though. You’ll also find a generous selection of lesser known labels and wine-makers.
There’s also a good selection of natural Champagnes.
Regular free tastings occur during the week, too.
Address: 116 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station:
Telephone:+33(0) 1 45 22 16 97
La Quincave
La Quincave is a popular wine address with the locals in Saint Germain-des-Prés, one of Paris’ top tourist destinations. There’s a good selection of French wines, including natural wines.
Like Lavinia, La Quincave is both wine shop and wine bar. You can buy a bottle and consume it on site. Pair your selection with a platter of French cheeses, cured meats and gourmet foods. A small corkage fee will apply.
Address: 17 Rue Bréa, 75006 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: Vavin (Line 4)
Telephone: +33 (0) 9 67 02 80 14
La Cave du Bon Marché
Now this is not a traditional Paris wine shop. It is, in fact, in the basement of Paris’ famous department store, the Bon Marché. But it’s not to be overlooked.
La Cave du Bon Marché offers a good selection of French wines. The layout is straight forward. Wines are arranged by region, which helps making a choice. The shop assistants have a decent knowledge and all speak English. It’s perfect for a quick and simple purchase.
Buy a few bottles for dinner after shopping for quality goods on the upper floors. The Bon Marché’s basement has a modern epicerie with an excellent selection of gourmet produce.
Address: 38 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris
Closest Paris Metro Station: Sèvres Babylone (Lines 10 and 12)
Telephone: +33 (0) 1 44 39 81 00
So, there you have it. Five addresses to make buying and tasting French wine in Paris a little easier.
Now all you need to top it all off is our top Paris wine tasting experience.
Here it is …
For the best wine tasting in Paris, the choice of Michelin-starred
For a wine tasting in Paris that is more personalized …
Where you can spend a few hours with the expert in French wine …
100% focused on your interests and unique tastes …
Join with Lionel, master French sommelier in his 400 year old wine cellar.
Take a deeper dive into the world of French wine.
Connect with one of the most reputable French wine experts in Paris
Lionel is the go-to-person for some of Paris’ top Michelin-starred chefs. His French wine knowledge is exceptional and he’ll share it with you.
From the earliest days, when he worked at the famous Bercy Wine Markets, he has stories in abundance. He’ll even share insights into the lives and secrets of some of the best wine-makers in France he knows personally.
Lionel will talk you through adventure of French wine tasting. He’ll share his own experiences tasting legendary French wines, like a 1945 Mouton, a 1921 Yquem, a 1900 Margaux, an 1870 Latour, and an 1811 Chambertin.
You’ll also taste a fine selection of French wines, expertly paired, from his private cellar.
Unlike a wine bar, with Lionel you get a 100% personalized experience. You get to monopolize his time. Absorb the finest detailed knowledge about French wines and culture with Lionel.
If you’re serious about wine tasting in Paris, take a look at this exceptional wine tasting in Paris.
It’s the perfect compliment, taking you further and deeper into the complex world of French wines.
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