Paris’ ‘living wines’ raise the bar

Paris may already be one of the world’s oenophile capitals, but something new is tempting French palates — natural wine. Organically grown, unfiltered, with no sulfites, sugars, yeasts or other additives, these so-called “living wines” are, in fact, about as old-school as they come: it’s what you’d have sipped if you were visiting France in the time of Napoleon.

“The vin vivant [live wine] movement started in the 1990s,” says one of its best-known proponents, Paris restauranteur Pierre Jancou. “At first we were considered hippies.” But in the same way that the locavore and slow-food movements came into vogue, so too did natural wine. “Younger people got really interested,” says Jancou. It wasn’t solely because such wines are chemical-free or made by small producers. “They are very digestable, easy to drink and you can drink more and won’t have a hangover.”

Today, natural wine bars are popping up in every arrondissement, eschewing Paris’s conventional, reservation-only restaurant policy in favor of a casual, drop-in setting. A cross between a classic bistro and cave (wine shop), these trendy spots offer locally sourced small plates, charcuterie and cheeses alongside an extensive list of all-natural wines by the glass. Here are four to try — with savvy, English-speaking staffs who can help you navigate the world of living wine.

Vivant Table/Vivant Cave

“Either you hate [natural wines] or you love them. But if you love them, you will never go back to traditional wine,” says Jancou, the dashing, tattooed owner of Vivant Table/Vivant Cave, a petit resto and wine bar in the rapidly gentrifying 10th arrondissement. Indeed, even the serving of natural wine is nontraditional. Rather than a formal presentation of the bottle and the cork, Jancou puts his thumb over a just-opened bottle of Gamay and shakes it, then allows a small pfft of gas escape. “Some can be slightly fizzy and need to be de-gassed first,” he explains. In the glass, the wine, from Patrick Bouju, a notable producer in the Auvergne, looks like a typical red, if a bit cloudy — natural wines aren’t filtered or clarified. But the taste is anything but ordinary: It’s intensely fruity, slightly funky, with a strong acidic finish. “Most who try natural wines — even when they’re good — are shocked the first time,” says Jancou. “It’s really a new way of tasting wine.”

At Vivant Table, which retains the beautifully tiled walls of the oisellerie (bird shop) it was in 1903, wines are paired with seasonal, sustainable fare such as rabbit and line-caught fish. While reservations are required at this 2½-year-old spot, the adjacent wine bar, Vivant Cave, open evenings only, is a far more relaxed affair. Stylish young Parisians cluster along the long marble bar to sample tasty tapas and choose from a huge selection of natural wines — one of the largest to be found in the city.

Café de la Nouvelle Mairie

In the perennially hip Latin Quarter you’ll find Café de la Nouvelle Mairie (19 Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, 33 1 44 07 04 41), an unassuming café and wine bar with warm yellow walls, worn wood tables and chalkboards listing the day’s specials — including around 18 wines by the glass. The bearlike co-proprieter, Benjamin Fourty, started serving natural wine exclusively three years ago, after being turned off by overly oaky traditional vintages. “I wanted to taste the true wine and tell the region from where it came,” he explains. “You can really taste the fruit in natural wine.” And the terroir, too, which is why a Roussillon “Bottle Neck” red we deemed a bit too earthy; Fourty replaced it with a lighter, friendlier Cotes du Rhone called Sierra du Sud. At just 5 euros a glass, why not experiment?

Unlike many Paris eateries, Café de la Nouvelle Mairie stays open all day starting at 8 a.m. (many close between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.), so you can stop by anytime to try the wines and sample regionally sourced hearty fare — like saucisse seche from the Loire and andouillette de Troyes from Champagne-Ardenne. During the bustling lunchtime hour, the tables and terrace fill with intellectuals and students from the nearby Sorbonne; evenings, locals crowd in to hear live jazz.

Le Garde Robe

Wood-beamed ceilings, exposed brick walls, a long wood bar and a smattering of weathered tables in a tiny sliver of a space — it doesn’t get much more Parisian than Le Garde Robe (41 Rue de l’Arbre Sec, 33 1 49 26 90 60). Tucked away on a quiet side street in the upscale 1st arrondissement, the rustic, convivial spot makes a habit of hosting natural winemakers “so our clients can get to know their wines and get to know [the producers], too,” explains the bartender. On our visit, Antony Tortul, the owner of La Sorga, in Languedoc, was pouring a selection of his champagnes, whites and reds — free of charge — and mingling with fellow natural wine aficionados. (Our pick? A white table wine with the witty label, French Wine is Not Dead.) A mixed crowd of young and old Parisians ordered platters of freshly shucked oysters or shared generous boards of artisanal French cheese and shaved Parma ham. There is also a second Le Garde Robe location in the 17th arrondissement.

Aux Deux Amis

The formerly gritty streets of Oberkampf are now awash with Parisian hipsters, as groovy boutiques and bars take the place of neighborhood dives. One such spot is Aux Deux Amis (45 rue Oberkampf, 33 1 58 30 38 13), where a cool young clientele packs into the retro-diner interior — formica tables, red naugahyde banquettes, bright neon lights — and spills out onto the highly coveted terrace. This is not the place to come if you want to try a wide variety of natural wines — the selectively curated list is short — but rather, if you want to enjoy a glass amid the scenesters. The menu (it’s open for lunch and dinner) features a rotating selection of well-crafted (if somewhat pricey) small plates, many with a Spanish bent.