In the early noughties, the wine bar Le Verre Volé and merchant La Cave des Papilles began drawing in a new wave of pilgrims seeking out vin naturel. These institutions had been preceded by L’Ange Vin, a bistro opened by Jeanne-Pierre Robinot, who closed the restaurant after embarking, in 2001, on his journey to become the cult Loire winemaker he is today. A few other natural-wine focused restaurants opened in the 1990s but it was this third wave that instigated a thriving wine-bar scene.
Introducing a new concept to the city, the cave à manger, literally translating as ‘wine shops where you can eat,’ offered a hyper-casual atmosphere to enjoy a glass of wine alongside artisanal meats and cheeses, and were an attempt to cultivate transparency, inclusivity and a feeling of countercultural community.
The multifarious genre [of wine bar] has now taken root across the world but it is in Paris that the selection and prices remain unparalleled
Théo Pourriat, co-founder and head of wine for the Septime group remembers that he ‘grew up with Le Verre Volé and a few other places where the wine was different. Places where there is no wall between the sourcing of wines and product.’ What such establishments brought, Pourrait suggests, is ‘the same ethics and the same taste.’ Septime La Cave opened in 2012 and, attached as it was to the success of Bertrand Grébaut’s innovative cooking at Septime, was one of the central spots in the latest wave, which began in the 11th arrondissement.
‘We are very privileged in Paris,’ says Pourrait. ‘The east of Paris, “Les Faubourgs,” has always been very dynamic in terms of food and alternative culture; the customers are open-minded and the perception of wine has become completely more relaxed.’ This philosophy has now spread out across Paris, even to those areas considered less bohemian or hipster. This may mean the arrival of bars with a less dogmatic attachment to natural wine but it invariably means bars that cultivate strong, direct links with producers. As Pourriat remarks in relation to Septime La Cave, ‘all year long, I taste the new vintages from the estates we already work with, attend wine fairs, and try to stay connected with new winemakers who are getting started.’
The Parisian wine bar today takes many forms. Sometimes it’s just a wine shop with a few seats and basic snacks but often there’s a more substantive food menu too. Even when something is essentially a restaurant posing as a wine bar, you can usually still take away their wine at retail prices. The multifarious genre has now taken root across the world but it is in Paris that the selection and prices remain unparalleled, and where it stays truest to its original form. Here are six of the best wine bars in Paris, new and old, that represent the wine bar’s evolution over the last couple of decades.
Six of the best wine bars in Paris
Septime La Cave
If you walk down Rue Basfroi during the summer, you’ll invariably see groups of people spilling out onto the road, sipping colourful wines full of intrigue and character from taster glasses. The bar has remained true to the spirit of the cave à manger, selling iconic natural wines from the likes of Ganevat, Houillon, Vouette et Sorbée and Dard et Ribo, alongside saucisson d’Ardèche and Bigorre Pork terrine, 24-month-old Comté with fig chutney, and usually one or two more playful dishes given a Septime twist. They offer 120 bottles at any one time in their tiny space, with the team free to open distinctive wines as they please. The bar has access to 25,000 bottles held by the restaurant group outside of Paris, so you can always expect something new on a visit.
Pétard
Paris’s 11th arrondissement is the epicentre of the city’s French-focused natural wine bars, and Pétard represents an attempt to offer the neighbourhood something a little different. Both owners, Louis and Paul, come from a fine-dining background, so they wanted to bring something casual and intimate but offering sophisticated, top-level service. They are driven by quality and integrity, and pride themselves on offering wines from a broad geographical spread, including Italy, the US, Greece, and specialising in German Riesling, all of which are served in Riedel glassware. The simple food menu features sourdough bread and charcuterie from producers on the same street. With a focus on exceptionally made artisanal wines, by default, they happen to serve some of the best natural wines in the area.
View this post on Instagram
L’Etiquette
From the outside, this unassuming wine bar doesn’t necessarily look out of place in the upmarket neighbourhood of Île de la Cité. But pass through its cerulean-shaded exterior and you enter another universe. Hervé Lethielleux – a zany, enigmatic man who decided to open somewhere that belongs in the 11th arrondissement 12 years ago – will wax lyrical about how he’s surrounded by people who drink only Mouton Rothschild and Dom Perignon, and how he’s known locally as the ‘fool d’Ile.’ A cave à manger in the purest sense of the term, you can drink a bottle with a small corkage fee and wash it down with some rillettes, tinned fish or oysters from the huîtrerie opposite the store (which Lethielleux swears are the best in Paris). Lethielleux’s own palate tends towards the wilder side of things but he’s pragmatic and the by-the-glass selection includes organic wines made in a more classic style alongside zero-zero pur jus. The Alsace, Jura, Loire and Champagne sections are particularly worth exploring.
View this post on Instagram
Pépites
Opened in March 2023 in a swankier part of town, the focus of the beautifully designed store is on directly sourcing difficult-to-find, small production organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines, even if it makes some space for celebrated Champagnes like Billecart-Salmon. As a result, it’s a great place to discover something under the radar. It also features an intimate seating area in the basement, which offers both a cooling respite from the heat of the summer and somewhere to get cosy on a red velvet sofa in the winter. The by-the-glass list changes every five days, corkage is just €10 and there’s pâté-en-croûte, saucisson, cheese plates and burrata to go with the wine.
View this post on Instagram
Delicatessen Place
A small wine bar attached to Delicatessen Cave, a wine shop with an impressive range of organic, biodynamic and low-intervention wines – and a particularly strong selection of grower Champagne – it’s open from 5-10pm, seven days a week, with the kitchen closing at 9pm. Bottles under €20 have a €10 corkage fee, whilst those above €20 will cost you another €15. A favourite industry spot, the bar has also become known for its chef residency programme, with current Bologna-born chef Orferio Ranieri creating light but flavour-forward dishes.
View this post on Instagram
Le Mary Celeste
There aren’t many places to find an excellent bottle to drink past 11pm, so Le Mary Celeste’s 2am closing time will appeal to those looking to make the most of the city’s Dionysian possibilities. The list has plenty of in-demand producers to enjoy, including a good representation of new wave and smaller-scale Burgundy, as well as overlooked producers from Jura like Domaine Pignier and Peggy Buronfosse. Unlike many Parisian wine bars, there’s also some bottles from other parts of Europe. The kitchen, led by chef Amandine Sepulcre Huang, stays open until 11:30 serving elegant and eclectic dishes like sea bream aguachile with dill oil and white almonds, and breaded tenderloin with chermoula. Bottles from the list can be purchased to take away with a 20% discount.
