I can bring back four bottles .....read a lot about your knowledge of wine....Can you all recommend specific bottles for under $15 to take back.not fond of chablis as a rule( probably because it as cheap}can I get a decent wine at the monoprix? Thanks

I am replying to your "I can bring back four bottles". Is that because you only have room for four bottles or is it because you feel that is all they will let you bring back. In the last five trips to France I have taken back at least six bottles and when I go through customs I just tell the how many bottle I have and I have never had to pay any duty. I have a seen people in this fourm say that they have brought back a case with out a problem.

As to the wines, you might try some Sauternes. I am sure you could find some in the $15 price range. Three years ago I purchased some Sauternes in Paris for about 55F (8.38&euro. In the US where I live you have to pay $50 to $100 for a good bottle of Sauternes.

You might also try going to some wine web sites, like wine.com, and see what French wines might interest you, see the price here and when you are in Paris look for that wine, compare the price and make a purchase if you wish.

The March issue of Wine Enthusiast has a section of the magazine called the "Buyers Guide" and in that issue there are a number of French wines with there current US dollar prices that would definately fit in you $15 price range and in France I would think you could find them for at least half the price.

As to your comment about Chablis. I have a friend in Maligny, France (near Chablis) and he produces an excellent Grand Cru Classe Chablis and it is definately not cheap. You might try purchasing a good Chablis while you are in Paris to make the comparison to the chablis that is currently available to you.

Hi euro,

May I most respectfully suggest that there is little sense in schlepping $15.00 wine home from France.

Bring back two bottles of some reasonably good stuff and save them for cold, unpleasant evenings when you need something to raise your spirits and remind you of Paris.

Get one bottle of a proper Chablis to go with the pate de fois gras that you will bring back, and a good Haut Sauternes for sipping.

Also, one Burgundy, one Bordeaux, one Rose' d'Anjou, one Beaune, one Cotes du Rhone, one Pouilly Fuisse,......

The Sauternes would do double duty, as it goes beautifully with foie gras. Definitely a Beaune red--look for Savigny-lès-Beaune for quality at a reasonable (for Burgundies) price. A good French chablis is a delight and should not be missed--forget what's called chablis here and give it a try. For something good, try a red Bergerac or the mildly sweet but refreshing Montbazillac.

I'm getting thirsty.

There are a lot of 2000 Bordeaux around and they are quite wonderful.

A good Chablis is not cheap. It is also not young; Chablis must be aged to develop its full characteristics. Your best bet for trying one is to find a reputable wine merchant where you live and take his advice.

As for bringing wine back, unless you find something that you really like which is not available where you live, you're better off skipping it. Good French (and Italian) wines cost as much in France (and Italy) as they do in the USA; sometimes they even cost more. I've never encountered bargains on quality French wines in France; 20% tax is probably part of the reason. The only real finds I've discovered are in inexpensive wines. You can find some really quite drinkable wines for €3 or 4 that aren't exported because they are so cheap. If you find something that you like that you haven't seen at home, pick up a few bottles of that. You can always impress your friends with 'this nice little wine that I picked up in Paris'.

I almost never disagree with ira , but this time I must.

Some of the best wines to bring home will be under $15. They are the small wines from independent producers that you may not be able to find where you live.

Last night we drank a chardonnay/chenin blanc blend from the Vendee that was an excellent wine with shellfish. It was just a V.D.Q.S. and we paid only 6.90euros for it at Le Nectar des Bourbons on rue de Turenne in the Marais (just off the Place des Vosges). Depending on where you live and how many hands it would have to pass through before it reached the consumer (importer, distributer, government), this wine would probably retail for about $12 in the U.S, even more in a restaurant.

In addition to Le Nectar de Bourbons, here are some other places where you can find interesting wines:

Le Derniere Goutte, rue Bourbon-le-Chateau, 6eme
Caves du Marais, rue Francois Miron, 4eme
Cave St. Antoine, rue St. Antoine, 4 eme
Lavinia, boulevard Madeline, 8eme.

Even for wines that you can buy in the states, there are (non-economic) reasons for buying in France. Bringing it back yourself eliminates some of the stress of shipping and storage. The less "hands" that are involved in the transaction, the more assurance you will have that the wine has been properly stored, shipped, and handled.

My own personal preference has changed over time. I typically bring back no fewer than four bottles of any single label. Finding one, two or three wines that I know I actually like means that I know (sort of) what it will taste like when it get it home. I used to bring home so many different botles of wine shopping by "labels". Kinda goofy (though I still do this here at home).

I go to places where I can TASTE it (which I do not expect to do for free, and usually means buying a bottle to get to taste it).

And I buy wines at a wide range of prices. I love having a nice elction of wines from Europe that do NOT say "Imported by xxxxx distributors, xxxxx, Ohio". My wines are imported by me. A silly little snob appeal thing, but I like it.

Best wishes,

Rex

If you are planning to visit Montmartre, you could stop off at the Cave des Abbesses at 43 rue des Abbesses. It's a wine store at the front, but at the back there is a wine bar where you can try some of the wines that they sell in the store (they have a list of about 20 wines you can try). They also do nice plates of charcuterie, paté, cheese, toasted bread with pesto, etc to accompany your wine. In nice weather they have a couple of tables out on the pavement.
A very entertaining way to purchase wine, and a fun place to stop even if you don't intend to buy any bottles

Look for the Nicholas wine stores. They sell a good range of wines and the staff is quite helpful. Keep buying and trying until you find what you want to take home.

Hi elle,

I think that this is a question upon which reasonable people can disagree in a reasonably disagreeable manner.

The Nicolas store at Bercy Village has a wine bar attached where you can try things by the glass. Usually about 2-3 euros a pop.

Lavinia has a bar on the second floor where you can taste things by the glass at a reasonable price. They may also let you taste on the floor.

Le Derniere Goutte and Le Nectar des Bourbons both have informal tastings on Saturday afternoons.

>Lavinia has a bar on the second floor where you can taste things by the glass at a reasonable price. They may also let you taste on the floor.<

I don't care if it is cheaper on the floor, I'll take my glass at the bar.

Some of the fun of being a wino is finding wines that taste really good to one's palette for NOT more than $15 a bottle. I am partial to the burgundy blancs...the Maconaise are beautiful to me. I found them for 3 and 4 e's ...
AND I LOVE french Chablis (which I learned years ago not to confuse with Californias). I love Sancerres and Muscadet's as well...I found all of these for far less than 10. Also, never ever confuse a provencal rose' with any American "blush"... north and south poles!

ira, you're a card!

SuzieC--have you tried any St. Verans (currently my favorite white Burgundy)?

St. Verens! LOL, remember the fois gras discussion last Friday? Well, my apetite had been thus "whetted"! So it was a St. Verens, a slice of a goose-liver terraine en gellee; some rogueford and a goat cheese brie, a baguette and I called that dinner! What a happy girl I was!

I am not a gourmet, but I think I can tell a good wine from a bad. We stayed in the Marais, and within a block there were two wine stores, both of which had excellent selections for reasonable prices. I was also surprised when we went to the monoprix, for our supply of eggs and orange juice, at the wide selection of wines they had there at very reasonable prices. My rule of thumb became 5 euros; the wines they had for less than that were undistinguished, but not really bad, while those costing that much or more were most often surprisingly good, even though they are labels unknown back in Ohio.

I like to bring some back, just for the memories of having gotten it.

There is a lot of great advice on this thread. I am partial to Burgundies. A favorite is Passetoutgrains, a reasonably priced blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes. For a white Burgundy my preference is Aligote.

These wines are not easy to find in the USA. You should be able to find them in Paris. I would get mine in Beaune and Nuits St. Georges at the "caves" with "degustation." That would require a train from Paris on your part, but everybody here can tell you how nice it is to visit Beaune.

well thank you all! I sure wish I had the money or taste for wine over 20$ a bottle but to tell the truth the only t ime I spent more that that was afor few bottles of Moet e Chandon. yes I will look for those places in the Marais I will try to find a real chabis and sauterne to try...as Im still not sure whether they will be to tart for me.. I like Rieslings. maybe if I am in the monoprix someone they can make a suggestion......I lked you comment "The only real finds I've discovered are in inexpensive wines. You can find some really quite drinkable wines for €3 or 4 that aren't exported because they are so cheap." maybe 6 bottles.. oh they are so darned heavy!!!