If you’ve come across this post then you may have either heard of the concept of natural wine and want to know more (then please click here to find out more about natural wine) or you’re looking for new bars in Paris to discover.
I’ve listed my favourite wine bars in that serve up both traditional sulphite inclusive wine and the lively (vivant) natural wine. There are 100’s of wine bars in Paris and you’ll generally not be disappointed in terms of wine but I’ve put together a list of my favourite natural wine bars in terms of food, ambiance and quality of their wine lists.
Note: The majority of these bars listed here are bar-come-restaurants with food served during lunch and dinner time (usually in a tapas format) or cheese/charcuterie boards.
Some spots in Paris may require that you order food with drinks due to either licensing or the fact they are so small they don’t want customers nursing drinks all night!
Our top natural wine bars in Paris
This is a list of our favourite bars which have predominately natural wine with staff who are passionate and knowledgable about what they serve. The majority of the bars will also serve up food as well.
Cave de Septime
The sister bar of the famous Michelin starred Septime in the 11th district of Paris, the Cave (meaning wine shop/bar in French) allows easy access to the incredible wine served up in the restaurant (oh it’s really good). It’s very small with few tables so be prepared to be standing for a bit at peak times. The staff speak very fluent English and can help you find a wine to your taste. They also offer cold food such as olives, ham (the wagyu beef ham is killer) and cheese planches.
What to know before visiting.
- No reservations
- Little to no seating
Address: 3 Rue Basfroi, 75011
Tel: 01 43 67 14 87
Website: https://www.septime-lacave.fr/en/
Aux Deux Amis
Aux Deux Amis is one of my favourite casual restaurant-bar in Paris that, especially on weekends, is completely manic in the best way possible. If you want to go somewhere that reflects the modern Parisian food and wine scene and eat where locals go, Aux Deux Amis is, for me, number one.
I’ve spent many Friday and Saturday evenings there going through bottles of incredible wine and eating unique, not too pricey, small dishes.
Their wine list is not enormous but it changes frequently and occasionally have special wine nights dedicated to certain wine growers.
What to know before visiting.
- Book ahead (you need to call)
- Not children friendly
- It gets lively during weekend nights
Yard
The Yard Cave is a separate room to the Yard Restaurant which is situated close to the Pere Lachaise cemetery in the 11th arrondissement. The cosy wine bar section of the restaurant is relatively small with a few tables and bar stools. They’ve got huge, fantastic wine selection which has something for all kind of tastes. The staff are very knowledgeable and speak English fluently. There’s also small food plates if you’re feeling hungry – they have seasonal meat croquettes (think braised meat in a rich thick sauce, set then breadcrumbed and fried) along with a home made herb mayo, ham and cheese planches and other creative sharing plates. Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
What to know before visiting.
- You can’t reserve
- Opening hours are limited and they’re closed on Sundays
Déviant
Located in the 10th arrondissement Déviant is a unique bar in this list as it’s semi open air. The bar is inset into the building but the street face is completely open. It’s open all year round as they’ve got powerful heaters inside the bar to keep you warm. The central bar also has a tiny kitchen with chefs stationed ready to cook up amazing small plates of food. The staff are knowledgeable and have a great wine menu for bottles but a limited wine by glass selection. All the wine is natural here and the staff are incredibly natural – most of them that I’ve spoken to know every detail about every wine they sell.
What to know before visiting.
- Only bar stools are inside the bar, tables and seats are outside
- Food is on the pricier side
Wait, what is Natural Wine?
Natural wine is a collective term for wine that has reduced, or zero, sulphite added. It can also refer to wines that are not filtered.
Okay, but why are sulphites added in the first place?
Traditional or classical wine making involves adding sulphites during the wine making process. These sulphites to a few things, firstly they stop certain bacterial growth and generally round out flavours – for example, if wine is too acidic, sulphites are added to help make the wine more palatable.
So what is natural wine like then?
It’s generally a lot more ‘interesting’ in some respects to classical wine. You’ll instantly notice the smell is a lot more funky as the lack of sulphites don’t inhibit naturally occurring bacteria. There’s generally a more going on, on the palate compared to classical wine as well.
Overall natural wine can be a lot more interesting, experimental and vivante (lively). This is due to the vignerons (wine growers) who want to do something different. Orange wine, incredibly light reds and funky whites are good examples of natural wine you’ll see across bars in Paris. If you’re not sure, ask to try and you’ll like it or not.
Where to buy natural wine in Paris
There’s countless wine shops in Paris which either specialise in Natural wine or sell it some degree. Here are my favourites:
Paris 1
Paris 2
Paris 3
Nysa, rue de Bretagne
Paris 4
L’étiquette
Paris 5
Paris 6
Rouge ou Blanc
Etna
Paris 10
Paris 11
Liquiderie, 9 rue des 3 bornes
Paris 13
In Natura Voluptas
Paris 20
La Goutte des Gatines
