In Search of The Best Chocolate Cheese and Wine Paris Has To Offer
 

In September we will be in Paris celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary and on this trip we are not doing any Museums or metros....stairs tough on old knees!
We want to take each day as it comes and search around for the best chocolate shops,the best cheese shops and the best wine tasting places.
Restaurants we will just go to where the mood strikes and do a few quiet picnics along the Seine or parks.
Anyone have any suggestions?

There are plenty of shops that sell good cheese and chocolate and wine. I think there are some guidebooks dedicated to such things, if you really want a list of names. Patricia Wells has a Paris guidebook that lists restaurants by category but also has lists of specialty shops in the rear, that alone would be all you'd need. Here it is
http://www.amazon.com/The-Food-Lover...dp_ob_title_bk

There are plenty of online blogs or websites that will give lists, also, like these
http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to...d-candy-shops/

http://www.francetoday.com/articles/...colatiers.html

not to mention our host http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/f...ure_30041.html

there are similar things on www.timeout.com, etc. and for other things like fromageries. But really, Patricia Wells alone will do it.

As for wine tasting, I'm not really sure what you mean by that. You can go into lots of cafes or bistros and drink wine, of course. And some specialize in it more (like a wine bar). But if you want some regimented program that is called a "wine tasting" because you intend to buy in bulk (I see no reason to do it otherwise), I've heard of only a few but I dont' really take note of them. O Chateau has one. The wine museum has some thing, also.

Patricia Wells and other guidebooks probably list top wine bars, eg
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...aris-wine-bars
http://www.timeout.com/paris/en/eati...best-wine-bars

I liked Hugo et Victor on Boulevard Raspail (near the market) and Patrick Roger (a few shops in the city). If you like patisseries, my favorite is La Patisserie des reves on rue du bac, near la Grande Epicerie.

If you are in the marais, I really like Pain de Sucre, on rue Rambuteau. Actually, on the same street, there are several really nice shops, including Pralus and Berko (a cupcake shop, though I'm not sure they are still around).

One place I regret not having stopped at is Un dimanche a Paris, I saw it from the outside while with a group of people... it seemed really great and I've been told delicious chocolate.

Have fun! Your type of trip to Paris is just the way I want my next one to be :)

Christina I did mean wine bars like O Chateau which we have done before which was nice.

I believe La Derniere Goutte offers tastings (I haven't been there). I like Juveniles Wine Bar but don't know if they do tastings.

My favorite chocolatiers are Jacques Genin, Jean Paul Hevin and Michel Chaudun.

Here's where the commas are necessary: are you seeking chocolate cheese and chocolate wine, or chocolate, cheese, and wine?

Check out the Paris by Mouth tours. The three hour gourmet tour I took this past October included Androuet Fromager, Henri Le Roux Chocolatier et Caramelier, Maison Guyard, La Derniere Goutte Wine Shop and one other famous chocolate shop on Blvd. St. Germain (lost the card and can't remember the name), all in the Sixth Arr.

Eric Kayser baguettes were provided for the cheese and pates purchased by our tour guide for later when we all sat down at Le Derniere Goutte for the wine tasting and a well earned feast of the aforementioned. Samples were given at each stop to munch on as we were given the history of the well known shops visited along descriptions of what we were sampling.

This was a great way to see the Sixth in a systematic well organized tour, no need to wander and hope to happen upon a "find". I'm sure you would be able to get further recommendations for specifics to search out on your own from this well informed source.

I, too, have mobility issues but was well able to manage this tour, as at each stop along the way I used the "leaning against" method to rest my back and knees.

Ditto on the Patricia Wells books.
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Hi cornelius01,

I second the recommendation for Paris by Mouth tours. I took the cheese tour -- the guide selected various cheeses (telling us about each one) and then we went to La Derniere Goutte to eat the cheeses with wine. It was a few hours, and it was very informative and delicious.

I posted a review of the tour at Trip Advisor, if you'd like more details.

If you want to take one of the tours, I would just suggest you do it early in your trip so that you know which cheeses/treats you want to buy for the rest of your time there!

Have fun as you plan!

s

I booked the baguette et fromage tour from Context Tours but we were soooooooooo lucky to have Meg Zimbeck from Paris by Mouth as our tour guide. She is so knowledgeable in cheeses and breads, and has an awesome personality. We also stopped in a couple chocolate shops and a patisserie, and it was well worth the money spent.

Plus on those tours you get to meet fellow foodies who can share great tips with you, so I get a lot out of chatting while we walk to our next destinations.

We like the tastings at La Derniere Goutte. We like Verjus, O Chateau and Juveniles which are wine bars

For chocolate, Patrick Roger and Jacques Genin.

I didn't know there was a chocolate cheese, but it sounds interesting.