austine

Am going to Paris soon and want to pick up a really good bottle of wine for my brother who is a wine connoiseur. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Robert2533

What does your bother like? You have an almost endless variety to choose from.

You might want to drop by "La Derniére Goutte" at 6 rue de Bourbon Le Chateau in the 6th. It's an excellent little wine shop and they should be able to help you out.

Morganne

You can go in shops called "Nicolas", there are a lot of these shops in Paris, for example in Opera, there is one..They have a lot of different kind of wines and you can probably find very good wines in this shop!

ezlivin

Le Grand Filles et Fils is a very good wine store with casual and staff that are knowledgeable, especially on wines from regions that are not so popular.

It's probably a good bet that since your brother is a wine connoiseur, he must then have laying around the good wines from popular regions and vintages purchased at much more reasonable (cheaper) prices in the US.

BTilke

Fauchon has an excellent wine department. Re Nicolas, they have some very nice everyday wines, but I don't think their selection (at least not in any of the Nicolas stores we've shopped at in Belgium and France) would have anything of serious interest to a serious wine connoisseur.

Gretchen

Get him a nice bottle of burgundy.

111op

I really don't know anything about wines but was at Legrand once to ask about Yquems. The woman I asked was very nice, but I later bought my bottle from the Epicerie in Bon Marche as it was about 1/3 less expensive (if I remember right).

So, if you know the bottle you want, it may pay to comparison shop (as should be obvious).

On the other hand, Legrand offers a wine bar, and it looks very nice, though I didn't try it.

uhoh_busted

Actually, no -- burgundy is a tough choice these days, I wouldn't buy a burgundy at those high prices without tasting first, and if austine doesn't feel confident in making such a choice, I'd look for something else. Go to the library and get one of the good "Wine for Dummies" type books that are out there (actually that one isn't terrible, I'm just too lazy to head upstairs and get the title of our fav right now.) Get an idea of several, maybe ask Bro if he has preferences, and you'll be all set.

Ryan

One of the top restaurants in Paris, Taillevent, has an wine shop at 199 Rue Faubourg-St. Honore called Cave Taillevent. If you go on a Saturday, they will have several bottles available for tasting. The staff is extremely helpful and I'm sure they can make some recommedations.

As others will state, it's really a function of what your brother likes and your budget. 2000 was a spectacular year for Red Bordeaux so that would certainly qualify as a really good bottle. However, that's a wine that is probably best left to mature for a few more years.

If you're considering something that you want him to enjoy now, then perhaps a '95 or '96 Bordeaux or a '99 or even '02 Burgandy mightbe a better option.

ezlivin

"...Re Nicolas, they have some very nice everyday wines, but I don't think their selection (at least not in any of the Nicolas stores we've shopped at in Belgium and France) would have anything of serious interest to a serious wine connoisseur. "

Ditto.

LoriNY

The best prices we have found on wine in Paris is at the Grand Epicurie at Bon Marche. Nicholas is OK, they don't carry alot of really high end stuff, but not bad to pick up a bottle for a picnic, etc. I think their prices tend to be on the higher side, after all, they are a chain. There is a huge wine store in Place Madeline, supposively the largest in Europe, I can't remember the name and I have never been there so I can't comment on the prices. We're going to check it out next weekend when we are there, I understand they have Saturday tastings. That said, I think a Burgundy is a great choice, there are so many, and so many are not available in the US.

dln

I'll second Bon Marche as a good place to look for fine wines. They are very helpful there as well. (Although I don't think it's possible to go into such a glorious food store as Bon Marche and come out with <i>only</i> a bottle of wine!)

MikeBuckley

I consider myself more of a wine hobbyist than a true connoiseur. I figure that since I'm not even sure if that is the correct spelling of the word, I'm probably not one.

If your brother really is a connoiseur, I'd be willing to bet that he has a few ideas about wines that he'd love to have that he can't easily get back home. Your gift would be especially treasurable because it is purchased in the country of its origin and because the wine is associated with your great travel memories, many of which might be told while enjoying that very bottle of wine. You might ask him to provide you with three wines to look for, each in a different price range so you've got some budget flexibility.

ira

Hi austine,

I go with Mike.

Give your brother a price range and let him suggest what to look for.

Christina

I'm not a connoiseur so would be nervous about buying something special as a present. I think you could ask what he'd like, but if this is more of a surprise, that kind of spoils the whole thing, to me. I think you can certainly find a good wine with the advice at some of the better shops. Generally, around the Madeleine you will find several choices.

I don't think Nicolas is that great, either, and overpriced for what you get. I have bought some bottles there in the neighborhood I was staying because they were the closest wine shop, but I wasn't that impressed with their selection and prices. I bought wines about half the price at the local supermarket that were just as good.

In any case, here is an online guide to Paris wine shops that I think is useful. The large shop mentioned above is Lavinia, probably. They do say the Nicolas store at the Madeleine is the best and has the most special wines.

http://www.wine-pages.com/travel/paris02.htm

LoriNY

Christina,
Yes, Lavinia, that's it.

LarryJG62

First, find out what type of wines he likes. You could also try to hunt down and get him a bottle of a 2000 grand crus Bordeaux if you really really want to impress him.

The Bercy village is the wine warehouse section of Paris, so you might want to spend a few hours shopping around there. Among the shops is the aforementioned Nicolas.

Also, you could visit a few wine bars and taste the wine and find something that he'd enjoy. I recommend the Caf&eacute; du Passage (12 rue de Charonne, 11e, M° Bastille).

ezlivin

I don't believe that ANY grands cru classes from Bordeux 2000 will impress your brother. Be aware that the so-called &quot;grands crus&quot; in Bordeaux consist of a much wider classification starting from Premiere Grands Cru Classe (First Growths) to Cinquieme Grands Cru Classes (Fifth Growths). Generally, the prices and qualities are much lower with the lower growths (higher numbered).

I have to believe that a wine connoiseur such as your brother would already have stashed more than a few cases of the good bottles of Bordeaux 2000 (believe me, these were so deservedly hyped-up that most or all of these were made, or are still, available in the US for cheaper prices than in Europe).

Just like others have mentioned, just ask him what he wants (he might be into whites, rather than reds) or if you want to surprise him go to stores (Le Grand Filles et Fils, Lavinia, etc.) that has knowledgeable staff and ask for suggestions on bottles from the less popular regions. As previously mentioned, most Nicolas stores in Paris carry everyday varieties and do not seem to cater to serious wine enthusiasts.

Cheers.

seafox

Try to purchase something he can not get in the US. That may be a challenge in that really the best advice on what is not exported may come from the vinters....I know for example that Veuve Clicqout Posardin's Rich Reserve champagne is (sadly) not available state side....if he likes a good champagne, that could be an answer....

AJPeabody

It depends on where you and your brother live. In areas of easy wine availability (e.g., New York, etc.) the availability and pricing of French wines will be better than in Paris. Your best bet is to get something that cannot be found in the US, which means low volume production or low popularity.

The well known wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy are not what you should get, as these will be readily available here without difficulty. Instead, consider getting a late harvest wine from Alsace, or some other uncommonly exported item.

I have gotten the best response from bringing back something unknown here such as an old Calvados (an apple brandy) or the reserve wine of a small winery that does not export.