Paris, as seen through a wine glass

We had one night in Paris before we were to secure our trusty Renault Clio and head off to the glorious Loire Valley. With a print out of wine bar recommendations from the one and only Thor Iverson and a Paris map we hit the pavement. Spring was closed*. Le Verre Volé was full and “no longer serving.” OK. To the next bar! We crossed the river and discovered that another fab sounding spot…wasn’t there anymore? We just need some wine! Please Paris- we’ve only a few hours! The clock is ticking! Luckily, just down the street…

was one of Thor’s picks- La Cremerie. And it was still in business. And open. And wanted to serve us. We settled in to a cozy little table and got to ordering.

Because of their license, you have to order some kind of plate of food with your wine. Definitely not a problem. They had a small but delicious selection of cheese, charcuterie and rillettes. You can order glasses from the diminutive list (see above) or pick any bottle off the wall for a corkage of 8 euro if you want to open it in the bar.  This seems to be the common practice among small wine bars that also serve as a retail shop. As a group of French men descended upon the bar, we made our sortie. Back across the river to…

Le Garde Robe. Another great selection of wines- a lot of labels we knew and a lot we didn’t, which is exactly what we wanted.

It was really refreshing and inspiring to see such a celebration and appreciation of good old natural wine all over the City. Now if only we can get more spots like these in LA. Or Lou is just going to have to start expanding…

*I returned to Spring the following week when I was back in Paris by myself. Thank goodness I did as it is definitely not to be missed. The food is spectacular and the wine pairings chosen by the (very charming and passionate) staff are spot on perfection.

Once again, I left the photography to someone else for the night. This time Christina had the honors. Merci “Yvette”!

3 Comments
  • rachel h.
    November 19, 2010

    a)so jealous! i miss paris
    b)i had the same problem on my last visit to paris, it’s a tough market out there, my favorite little place, les forchettes des anges, closed a couple years ago 🙁
    c) craving french wine now, thanks. what would be your top recommendation right now for an affordable french natural wine?

    • whitney
      November 19, 2010

      come in to Domaine and we’ll sort you out. Marcel Lapierre has some incredible values. We have his Morgon cru Beaujolais right now (only a case left)- perfect for Turkey Day.

  • Thor Iverson
    November 23, 2010

    Which place wasn’t there anymore? Gotta remove it from my list.

    Glad I was able to help, though given how the horses-at-Cousin post ended, I was expecting something similarly exciting at the end of this one after the men walked into La Crèmerie… 😉