France's best wine bars: Our selection of places to enjoy a glass (or three)
SelectionThey are often run by wine enthusiasts and amateur enologists, who have created establishments that reflect their personalities. Chosen for their wine selection, food and atmosphere, these wine bars, located throughout France and listed by region, are the crème de la crème.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Odessa Comptoir, in Lyon's 1st arrondissement
Here, you can find the best of the international natural wine scene, right in the heart of Lyon. American wine lover David Schayne has teamed up with two Lyon-born brothers he met in Buenos Aires, whose Ukrainian grandmother inspired the venue's name. The bar's dishes mix influences from Japan to the Mediterranean, though always with finesse. Moreover, when the fun-loving team dabbles in winemaking, they age their creations in Georgian amphoras!
The bar's star wine: Mer Noire ("Black Sea"), from the La Dernière Goutte domain, in the Beaujolais wine region, €6 per glass, €29 per bottle. "It's one of our house creations, a gamay with freshness and also a nice lingering finish," said the owner.
You can find the Odessa Comptoir website here.
Burgundy-Franche-Comté
Le Bout du Monde, in Beaune
One was from Alsace, the other from Savoie, but the heart of Beaune was what brought Chloé Leininger and François Femia together. In 2021, they took over this cozy establishment, where you'll find a selection of 3,000 wines from all over France, including 1,200 from Burgundy, served alongside generous and carefully sourced charcuterie and cheese boards. Hundreds of rare spirits, from gin to chartreuse, can also be discovered there!
The bar's star wine: Meursault Blanc, 2014, from the François Mikulski domain, €120. "A superb terroir in a ready-to-drink vintage. It's refined, straight, elegant, and balanced, and crafted by a winemaker as skilled as he is very kind," said Femia.
You can find the Le Bout du Monde website here.
La Cave Se Rebiffe, in Dijon
Created 10 years ago by Benjamin Delage, this wine bar, which was designed as a table d'hôte (guesthouse-style venue), is reminiscent of the era of screenwriter Michel Audiard (who wrote the iconic and eponymous 1961 film). "When I opened my business, it was the only one in France to bear this name. Today, there are four or five, but that's just by chance," said the owner. The bar's selection includes around 200 wines, half of which are from Burgundy, to be enjoyed with the simple dishes, such as pasta or beef bourguignon, he puts together.
The bar's star wine: Jus rare, Vin de France ("Rare Juice: Wine of France"), 2021, from the Jean-Yves Devevey domain, €68. "In biodynamics, this white wine, very fresh with pronounced citrusy minerality, is an oddity drawn from a small savagnin plot in chardonnay country."
You can find the La Cave Se Rebiffe Facebook page here.
Brittany
You have 82.73% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.