Paris is one of the best cities in the world to drink wine, and since the 2000s also the city of natural wine. Almost every neighbourhood has a small bar à vins where you drink by the glass with a board of cheese and charcuterie. Below are the addresses we recommend, from natural wine bars to the big wine shops.
Natural wine
Garde Robe on the Rue de l'Arbre Sec, close to the Louvre, has been one of the first natural wine bars in Paris since 2006. It is small, with many regulars. In Belleville, Julien Maillet turned an old betting shop into Liquiderie: more than 400 natural wines and 200 beers, with a whole wall of taps and low prices. At Septime on the Rue de Charonne the list has plenty of biodynamic and natural wine. You need to book the restaurant well ahead, but you can also go to Septime La Cave, the wine bar around the corner.
Bars à vins in the neighbourhoods
In the Haut-Marais, Le Barav has been a neighbourhood spot for more than fifteen years. There are 250 wines, and you can drink a bottle from the shop next door at the bar for a small corkage fee. At the foot of the Sacré-Cœur, Les Piqueurs chooses one winemaker per French appellation, usually organic or biodynamic, with a board of cheese and charcuterie. In the 9th arrondissement, Duvin has a broad, fairly priced list with winemakers such as Jean Foillard and Emmanuel Reynaud, and French bistro classics. La Cave Pigalle is the wine shop of 228 Litres, with more than 2,000 wines, plenty of grower Champagne and natural wine.
By the Odéon, three Avant Comptoirs sit side by side: Terre, Mer and Marché. There are no tables and you can't book. You stand at the bar with a glass and small bites, such as oysters at Mer. Willi's Wine Bar by the Palais-Royal is all about French wine, especially from the Rhône, with a bistro attached.
Wine shops
Close to the Palais-Royal, Legrand Filles et Fils has plenty of Burgundy, Rhône and Loire, with a separate room for Bordeaux. On Fridays and Saturdays there are often free tastings. At Caves Augé on the Boulevard Haussmann there are 3,000 to 4,000 wines. Once a month, winemakers pour their own wine at a free tasting on the pavement. Lavinia on the Avenue Victor Hugo is the largest wine shop in Paris, with more than 6,500 wines. From the wine dispensers on the ground floor you taste small sips, from house wine to grand cru.
Tip
Many small wine bars in Paris don't take bookings. Come early in the evening, around six. Combine the wine shops with a bar in the same area: Legrand and Willi's are a few minutes' walk apart, as are La Cave Pigalle and Duvin. All addresses are also in the Paris guide.
