Wine Tasting in Paris: A Sommelier’s Guide

If you are looking for a wine tasting in Paris, you will quickly discover that there are plenty of options.

You can visit a wine bar, tour a cellar, take a day trip to a vineyard, join a large group experience or sit around a table with a sommelier and taste a selection of French wines.

They are all quite different.

After hosting hundreds of wine tastings in Paris, I think the best experiences have three things in common: interesting wines, a good story and a relaxed atmosphere.

Why taste French wine in Paris?

France is one of the world's great wine countries, but French wine can sometimes seem complicated.

The reason is that French wines are often identified by their place rather than simply by the grape variety.

A Bordeaux might be made mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A Burgundy could be Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. A wine from the Loire might be Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Franc.

And even the same grape can taste completely different depending on where it is grown.

That's what makes a tasting interesting.

Instead of simply drinking six wines, you can compare them and start to understand how grape variety, climate, soil and winemaking influence what is in your glass.

What should you expect from a wine tasting?

You don't need to know anything about wine.

A good sommelier should be able to explain what you are tasting without making you feel that you are attending a wine class.

I prefer simple questions: Is the wine fresh or rich? Fruity or savoury? Light or powerful? What does it remind you of?

There is no right answer.

The objective isn't to teach you hundreds of technical terms. It is to help you understand what you are tasting and, ideally, to give you the confidence to order and enjoy French wine afterwards.

A good tasting should also tell a story.

Six carefully chosen wines from different French regions can take you from Champagne to the Loire, Bordeaux or the Rhône and show you just how diverse French wine can be.

And what about cheese?

Wine and cheese are a natural combination in France, and they are particularly useful during a tasting.

Food changes the way wine tastes. A creamy cheese can make a wine feel softer; a salty, mature cheese can emphasise its fruit; blue cheese can create a fascinating contrast with a powerful or sweet wine.

At Archibon, I serve French cheeses alongside the wines, together with charcuterie and bread.

It's not intended to be a formal food-pairing class. It's simply part of the experience of enjoying wine in France: around a table, with something good to eat and people to talk to.

Public or private wine tasting?

Both can be great. It depends on what you are looking for.

A public tasting works particularly well for couples, solo travellers and small groups. You discover French wine with other visitors and don't have to organise anything yourself.

A private tasting is better suited to families, groups of friends, celebrations and companies.

The advantage is that the tasting can be adapted to your group. You might want to concentrate on Champagne, Bordeaux or Burgundy, or make things more interactive with a blind tasting or wine quiz.

For a corporate group, wine is also a surprisingly good way to get people talking.

How do you choose a wine tasting in Paris?

I would look at five simple things:

Who is leading it? A knowledgeable sommelier who can communicate well is more important than the number of bottles.

How many wines will you taste? Six well-chosen wines can be far more interesting than ten unrelated ones.

Is it suitable for beginners? You should never need to understand French wine before arriving.

Is there food? Wine is meant to be enjoyed with food, and sharing cheese and charcuterie makes the experience more convivial.

What kind of atmosphere do you want? Some experiences feel like wine classes. Others are essentially social experiences. The best, in my opinion, combine the two.

Discover French wine in Paris

I'm Henri, a French sommelier and the owner of Archibon, a small wine space in the 9th arrondissement.

My tastings are built around six carefully selected French wines, usually including Champagne, white and red wines from different regions, served with French cheese, charcuterie and bread.

You don't need to know anything about wine. Come curious, ask questions and taste.

That's really what a wine tasting in Paris should be about.

I also organise private wine tastings in Paris for families, groups of friends and companies, with the format adapted to the occasion and the people around the table.