Other than restaurants where do y'all buy wine in Paris? Any recommendations for my wife who prefers sweeter wines? Not Kool Aide sweet. We used to drink Boones Farm back in the day but I'm guessing they don't have it in Paris. Do you order by the glass or bottle? Between the two of us we can really put if away!
Hey guys check out Anthony Bourdain on CNN Sunday night and you'll see some of my home boys in Almost Heaven West "by God" Virginia! Alrighty gotta go now. Take care, friends.
Big Mike
The big grocery stores usually have a decent selection of wines and there is a chain of wine shops named Nicolas we have often shopped at. In a pinch, the corner shop always has some plonk (plonque) on the shelf.
My experience, any grocery store, and some of them are tiny, will have a whole aisle of wine from all over France, and at good prices. Rose wines are popular for casual sipping and, while not sweet, are not dry as a bone either.
Yeah, saw Anthony Bourdain slumming in the hills of West Virginny. Almost Heaven.
Thank you, Sam and Norma. We're bringing a travel wine bottle opener and will check out the stores. We like German auslese and spatelese. Not sure if France has something equivalent on the sweetness scale.
You might like to try some Gewürztraminer wine from the Alsace area of France; I find that quite sweet.
Do you order by the glass or bottle?
On my one trip to Paris ages ago, I always ordered wine by the glass and chose from among the house wine selections. It's been a long time since I've been to Paris and look forward to returning in late October.
We bought our wine at Carrefour...very good selection & good prices.
At Nicolas I asked for a specific type of wine and they made suggestions. At one Monoprix, maybe in the 6th, they had a guy to help with suggestions for wine. Any wine store will help with out. Some wine store have tastings at certain times. If I find a type I like, then I will buy at the grocery store. For instance I know I love Sancerre, so I look for it at Monoprix or Carrefour.
Appreciate the responses. I hope they speak Anglais at the store well enough to understand what I'm looking for. Mary prefers a sweet white. For whatever reason red gives her a headache, and in Paris i don't want her getting headaches wink -😉!
Often in Paris, yes they do. I remember a check-out clerk at a small Monoprix asking about my wine selection. As was mentioned, wines from Alsace are often made from Riesling grapes, so there will be sweeter selections among these. And they probably will have some German wines as well on the shelves.
If you want medium-sweet wines in France your best choice will be Chenin Blanc wines from the Loire Valley, especially Vouvray. Alsace Riesling is usually on the dry side, not really Auslese or Spatlese. Sweet wines from Alsace will usually be labelled Vendange Tardive, but those are very sweet dessert wines.
Doggone I feel like an expert now! Many thanks.
Grocery stores are your best option. Good wines are only about 6 euros per bottle (great wines still cost more). There are also wine stores around Paris that can give you advice (but I'm worried they won't be kind if you say you ever tasted Boone's Farm). If you prefer a sweet red, you may like Beaujolais. To be honest, I haven't tried one that I liked yet. It's newer, often more sweet than other wines. I prefer dry so I can't really give you any good red ideas. White wines are sweeter too but I focus on the dry whites. Try a Gewurtztraminer from Alsace. I think everyone would like those. If you're there during summer, try a Rose. They're served cold and are on the sweet side. In a restaurant, I typically order a petite karafe of wine with a meal. For two, order a karafe.
Barbara,
Were you trying to find the French version of 2 Buck Chuck? :)
Sweet red wines are very rare indeed. Banyuls and Maury are the main French ones, but they're real oddities (strictly speaking they're fortified wines like port, meaning that they are around 15% ABV) and you might have to go to a specialist wine shop rather than a supermarket.
Well friends it appears we'll be looking for a German Spatlese in Paris. Sad, I know.
Another thought, try the apple cider. It's a common drink in Normandy and Brittany but can be had anywhere. It will have the sweeter taste you like. There's a little place in the Marais I go to occasionally, Breizh (local name for Brittany) Cafe, where you can order a karafe of cider. Try the omelette, in France it's for dinner.
In restaurants you can order house wines (usually pretty good) by the glass or carafe. The carafe choices are 1/4 or 1/2 liter. You can also ask to taste the wine before ordering it. Kir is pretty common - a glass of dry white wine with a dollop of sweet cassis liqueur. It also comes in the kir royale variety - with bubbly white.
Restaurant house wines are unlikely to be sweet (based on his descriptions, his wife likes SWEET wine). You can ask though and they may suggest something or have a sweeter wine offered by the glass. You will have no problem finding sweet wines at stores, the clerks should be able to help without too much challenge. Rieslings do tend to be dryer in France than American versions. Gwertz's can be a good bet. Sauternes would be about the sweetest wine you'll find in France. It is often served as a dessert wine. If that is to her taste, just order that and don't worry if the waiter turns up their nose a bit. Rose's can be dry to sweet so those you'll need to taste or ask about.
Do try the ciders - a great idea. They can be dry to sweet but the sweeter ones might be very much to your/her liking. These will not be like the Angry Orchard hard cider sold in the US.
Mead is another option - usually on the sweeter side. You might not find it commonly, but try it if offered.
Many supermarket carry Monbazillac from the southwest. Sweet and great for kirs.
Matt, Monbazillac wines can be very good, but they're really too sweet for a Kir. Go to the Wine and Cheese Cask and ask them what they'd recommend.
Perhaps this might help. This is a German store in the 10th marche behind the marie of the 10th. The owner is unpleasant but the ladies are delightful.
Mike, if nothing else, at least learn the French word for "sweet" so you can get right to the point when asking for recommendations when you're there.
Stan the man, I like your simple advice.
Big Mike
You could try asking for "demi-sec" (which means half dry but would really be on the sweeter side). Unlikely to be as sweet as a German spatlese. There's also the word "doux" which might help.
There's always sauterne if you want a really sweet wine. There are lots of lesser brands out there that aren't going to break the bank.
Also recommend gewurtztraminer from the Alsace, baumes de Venise (might be fortified?), and a demi sec Vouvray. Vouvray is known for sparkling wine as well, so you want the non sparkling variety.
