Hidden Paris: Secret Vineyards
I walk miles around Paris, so you don't have to. Here I discover some under-the-radar viticulture happening in the French capital
There’s something magnificent about a vine, its tendrils coiling and stretching over long distances; how it bursts from bare wood into fruiting abundance in a matter of months, then dies back to a skeleton of lifeless sticks. How its fruit, when picked and newly dead, then springs back to life through the magic of fermentation - no wonder the vine is associated with spirituality, resurrection, with lifeblood and sacrifice.
And wine is wonderful, let’s not muck about. Glorious stuff. French wine is particularly splendid - I am an absolute monster for a Gallic chardonnay, flat or fizzy and can get outside quite impressive amounts of the stuff. So when I discovered that Paris is home to a number of tiny vineyards, I decided to track them down.
Weirdly, I had little interest in tasting any of their product - it was hunting for the plants that most appealed. This journey took me across the city, from the edges to the centre, peering over walls and peeping through doors like a vine sleuth, or grape spy. I found myself in some really lovely parts of Paris - some very well known, others tucked away in places I had never previously thought of visiting.
You can’t enter any of the official vineyards and some of the vines are on property that doesn’t appear to be open to the general public - but if you are a bit of a trainspotter/nerd like me, then you will understand that there is great pleasure to be had in finding them all. Please do let me know if you decide to go on a vine treasure hunt, and especially if you find any ones not listed here.
(Before anyone starts, I do know about the one private chateau that holds wine tastings and tours. I haven’t been to it yet, as I became all purist about wanting to find the public ones and it is in the rather bourgeois 16th arrondissement, devoid of decent public transport and full of rude old ladies with tiny dogs. But for those who get sick of slumming it, trudging through public parks and gardens - you can visit it here)
My trail will take you through parks, churches, gardens and along river banks. It can be done at any time of year (although the vines can look rather bleak in the winter). It has taken me a full year to hunt them all down - and I think there may be more to discover.
But that’s one of the wonderful things about Paris - just when you think you know it well, it reveals another secret.
The most obvious one: Le Clos Montmartre
14, rue des Saules, Paris 18e
The largest and best known vineyard in Paris - Le Clos Montmartre, has actually only been around since the 1930s, although back in ancient times, vines grew all around the region. It grows a number of red and white varietals and produces between 1 and 1.5 thousand bottles each year, which are auctioned off for charity at the annual harvest festival held each October.
The vineyard is closed to the public, but around harvest time (see above link) it opens for guided tours. At other times of year, you can see the vines very easily from the road - during spring and summer this plot blazes with large numbers of colourful flowers that are planted among the vines. Well worth a look - and a fun step off the beaten track from the generally busy and over touristy Montmartre district.
The other reasonably well known one: Clos des Morillons
Rue des Morillons
75015 Paris
Seven hundred pinot noir vines line up in Georges-Brassens park, located in the very residential 15th arrondissement, in the south of the city, far from the tourist trail.
The park was once home to an abbatoir and a fish market. Some of the old animal sheds now have been repurposed - at weekends they transform into a covered market selling vintage and antique books. It’s a really interesting place to visit and even has a section of abandoned railway, La Petite Ceinture running through it.
The vineyard is fairly new - it was planted in 1983 and is slightly tucked away on the crest of a gentle hill towards the side of the park. Like Le Clos Montmarte, this vineyard is also not open to the public, but is easy to view from the fence.
The most beautiful one - Clos du Buttes Bergeyre
70 rue Georges Lardennois - 75019 Paris
Now this was a brand new find for me on my last Paris trip. I had no idea this place existed and certainly wasn’t prepared for how absolutely lovely a location it was.
In the 19th arrondissment, not far from Buttes Chaumont park (which I know like the back of my hand) I had never made it the short distance to this other lovely hill.
This vineyard is not easy to find - you can reach it via one of three quite steep staircases that bring you up to a delightful plateau crested with some really glamorous houses, These look out over some gardens and allotments which were once a rugby stadium, named after a young rugby player, Robert Bergeyre, who was killed in the First World War
It’s a really peaceful, lovely spot - especially fun to visit in the early morning, when you will have it entirely to yourself. The vineyard has pinot noir, chardonnay and muscat varietals and shares space with allotments and some lovely bees.
The buzzy one: Clos de Belleville
Parc de Belleville - Rue des Couronnes - 75020 Paris
Belleville Park is a lot - it’s a busy, buzzy place that is home to a large number of rough sleepers in tents, who never seem to be disturbed by the larger number of elderly East Asians who turn up early in the morning to practise Tai Chi, dance and socialise.
I wandered about lost through this large park that spans a steep slope, until a kind gardener took pity on me and pointed me in the direction of the vineyard at the top of the hill. There I found a Chinese aunty standing fascinated before a line of vines, each carefully swaddled in polystyrene sheets to protect their nearly-ripe fruit. We exchanged delight and suprpise at the presence of a vineyard in the park and she let me know that she would absolutely be in the market for a glass of wine right now (it was 8 am - but it is Paris).
This is another quite youthful and small scale vineyard - planted in 1992, it covers an area of just five hundred square metres.
The fancy one: Clos de Bercy
1 rue Joseph Kessel - 75012 Paris
Bercy Park is down in the east of the city on the right bank, towards the River Seine. It’s big, urban and open feeling and at first glance seems to lack the personality and charm of the smaller parks mentioned above.
However, its vineyard is most impressive - covering a number of spacious plots with beautfully maintained vines (I visited in September, so the fruit was also carefully wrapped in polystyrene sheeting). This is my kind of vineyard - as a Basic Burgundy Bitch - there’s lots of Chardonnay grown here along with Sauvignon Blanc. These vines produce about 250 litres of white wine annually. There are some pleasant paths to meander through the wines and a few shady park benches. One of the most satisfying vineyards to visit.
That’s pretty much it for the larger municipal vineyards - now for the strange, the loners, the tucked away sites which I had the greatest fun hunting down. Let’s start with some of the large parks
Jardin des Plantes
61 Rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris
On the other side of the river and worth a visit at any time - this magnificent botanic garden unsurprisingly is home to a couple of vines. Over on the right hand side, shoved rather cack-handedly into a flower bed, if you want to claim true vineyard nerd statues - then trot over and have a look. Not sure what varietal - the sign on the fence just mentions that vines were being grown in Ile de France as recently as a century ago, but doesnt go into any detail about this one
Jardin des Tuileries
1 Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris
Of course there has to be a vine here, I told myself as I wandered backwards and forwards like an absolute moron, attracting stares from bemused park goers as I leaned over bushes and rummaged in the undergrowth.
Eventually I found a small plantation, stuck in a very dingy, shady area near some sheds (on the left hand side, if you have your back to The Louvre). Was it worth it? Of course it was. I like to be right. Again, not sure of the variety of this one, so botannical experts, please do enlighten. I’m going to speculate that being so close to such immense artworks, we’d be looking at something rather classic, like a pinot noir - but in this instance, I am prepared to be wrong.
Jardin de Luxembourg
3 Rue Guynemer, 75006 Paris
This is another fabulous park and home to one of the several Statues of Liberty dotted around Paris. It is awash with rather prissily trussed up apple trees, and much like in the Tuileries, I spent far too long wandering up and down rows of flowerbeds, desperately hoping for a glimpse of vine. Eventually I was rewarded, and how. My absolutely favourite varietal of all, Chasselas, prized in Switzerland (a place that has really lovely wine, but doesn’t sell much overseas) - just a small amount, tucked right away in the corner. You can chuck this one in with the Jardin des Plantes - they aren’t that far from one another
And now for the most eccentric ones - these are the places I strongly suggest you seek out as you will see Paris in a wonderful new light. Quite barking, some of these, but all utterly wonderful
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon One - a wall on the right bank of the Seine
Walking along the path next to the Seine is always a joy and the time I chose to do it was on one of the most boiling hot days this year. Downing water, sweating quietly in my new Decathlon vest (yet another thing to recommend Paris is the vast number of Decathlon shops around the city) the condensation, or steam coming off the river was most welcome.
I passed moored boats, tubs of plants and a mural until eventually I saw a wall covered in climbing leaves and weighted with bunches of fat dark fruit. What a magnificent sight and what a super position - a south facing wall that got glaring sunlight during the day, but benefitted from the cool proximity of the water at night. Possibly one of my favourite Paris vineyard finds.
The Holy One - Saint-Serge de Radonage
93 Rue de Crimee, 19th
Genius here decided to set off in the dark to find this one. It was conveniently near a newly opened bakery that I wanted to research for my ever-expanding list, which was not open when I arrived after a half hour, cold, dark walk and no coffee. I detest the word “adulting”, it’s usually only used by the most infantile of people, but despite my age, I often wonder if I am actually doing it at all. At least I had a coat on.
Anyway - I was looking for a Russian Orthodox Church, which made my basic brain think of onion domes and gold paint shimmering in the nascent morning light. Not the case with this venerable place of worship. Hidden behind full length gates, not really visible from the road, I paced backwards and forwards, squinting in a bewildered way at Google maps. “Where the fuck is this place?” I said out loud, alarming a woman in elaborate mittens. As if by magic, in the indigo glow of dawn I saw a line of golden leaves…….(And then the bakery opened, so I got a cup of coffee (but it was quite bad - watery cold brewed American stuff, not my beloved allonge. Hipsters. They are even in Paris now.)
The Fire Station One
28 Rue Blanche
The golden stone fire station on Rue Blanche in the centre of Paris, is one of the poshest emergency services headquarters I have ever seen.. No fireman’s pole or snooker tables to be seen here - just a beautiful mansion with a glorious vine encircling a courtyard. I have heard a rumour the vines are a mix of Chasselas and Pinot Noir. Great choices, if so.
Each year the fire fighters harvest the grapes and make around thirty bottles of wine, which makes them true heroes in my eyes. And it must make a welcome break from posing for saucy calendars.
The Gladiatorial Arena One
Arenes des Lutece
53 Rue Monge, 75005 Paris
I honestly wondered if I had had a funny cigarette, when I found myself a few metres from the Jardin des Plantes, standing in the middle of a huge Roman gladiatorial stadium overlooked by banks of seating. And then, when I saw the seating was divided by areas planted to vine, I had to have a sit down. “Paris” I said. “What the actual fuck are you doing now? Absolutely mental. What will you have up your sleeve next?!” And then I thought “Well it is the Latin Quarter, right?”
The stadium is one of those (sorry - detest this term, but it has to be done) hidden gems that you would not know about unless someone told you. I don’t know why it isn’t on every tourist itinerary, but it seems to slip between the cracks.
And finally, some smaller vineyards in some of the many squares and gardens around the city
Clos Julienas, St Germain des Pres
Square Felix-Desruelles
Over on the left bank of the river is a tiny vineyard with just ten vines - one of the oldest sites for winegrowing in Paris. They can be found growing in Square Felix Desruelles. Vines were originally planted here during mediaeval times. Today, it’s a charming little spot, with some Gamay vines.
I went there after lunch, when this tiny garden was absolutely rammed with people. Luckily my lack of shame allowed me to push past the various lurkers, and lean over park benches, hunting for the elusive vines. The locals stayed put, chainsmoking cigarettes and watching me, like a sort of low-grade, postprandial entertainment. Slightly unnerving, but ultimately worth it.
Jardin des Rosiers-Joesph-Mignere
12P Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris
Right in the Marais and close to several of my favourite bakeries - this little park has a very low key vine quietly meandering around the walls. It’s a park that is often filled with incredibly noisy teenage schoolboys - no idea why - but I have to stifle the urge to shush them every time I go in there, a hangover of having two sons of my own, I guess.
Anyway - it may be noisy, but it is in one of the most fun parts of Paris - there are some superb museums a stone’s throw away, the aforementioned bakeries and an extremely popular falafel shop
Jardin Villemin
14 rue des Recollets, 75010
At the sketchier end of the Canal St Martin, this medium sized park seems to be perpetually under a weed-scented smog. Which it frankly needs to be at times, as some real “characters” frequent the nearby streets. I stayed round the corner once - never again. It was really quite rough, and I am a long way from being a princess.
Anyway - despite the clouds of weed smoke, I was not high when I discovered a lovely vine in the communal garden area. I had no leads for this place - nothing. It was just a hunch. So although I don’t like this park very much, I like it more now I feel I made a discovery. And if you go in either direction along the canal, the area picks up very sharpish - so don’t avoid it on the strength of my slightly neggy write up.
So that’s it for now. Congratulations if you made it this far - you deserve a massive bucket of wine. Do let me know of any I have missed and I will check them out on my next visit