With almost 800,000 hectares of vineyards and 6 billion bottles filled per year, wine is intrinsically woven into the grain of French culture. One of the best ways to learn about this bachus beverage is by touring one of the country’s many wine region, but now you don’t have to leave the city limits of Paris to get under the skin of the grape with the fascinating new French Wine Experience at the Caves du Louvre.
Historic Wine Cellars – Modern Wine Vision
Located in the 18th-century royal wine cellar of King Louis XV’s sommelier, the French Wine Experience is the latest venture of the talented and passionate Ô-Chateau team; Olivier Magny and Nicolas Paradis. They’ve refined the wisdom gained through years of leading wine tasting classes into creating an interactive and engaging approach discovering wine, and that it is!
I was lucky to visit Les Caves after-hours during a private tour organized by the Your Parisian Experience, Jodie in Paris and 52 Martinis. Being a wine-lover myself I found it to be an unpretentious, excellent place to learn about wine, for the beginner to mid-level oenophile.
Your five senses are used as you explore the various cellar rooms, each focused on a different aspect of winemaking. You will test your olfactive skills trying to pick out the various scents associated to wine in the aroma room before taking to the earth, understanding the importance of soil in the terroir room. In the Lab, guests can opt to take a two-hour winemaking course during which you can create your very own blend ( if can’t make it in person, you can also do it online). The rest of the winemaking process is covered in the bottle and label room, always explained in a fun, informative way.
There are also some other from interactive surprises along the way (see photo below!). Tours finish with a non-mandatory tasting of French wine with a selection of whites, reds, rosés and Champagne, which are also stocked in their wine and souvenir shop.
Information:
52 Rue de l’Arbre Sec, 75001 Paris
Open daily 10am-6 pm
Admission: From 11€, includes app, excludes wine samples
Tickets available online at: www.frenchwineexperience.net
1 Comment