On May 17th & 18th La Revue de Vin held their 2nd wine tasting edition at La Bourse in Paris’s 2nd district. I don’t know what was more interesting, being inside the old stock exchange building and admiring all the history that comes with it, or being able to taste very excellent wine for an entrance fee of only 15€ (one day).

When we first got there around 11:00, there weren’t many people—I guess folks (beginners like myself) had the same feeling as I did: Who wants to taste wine so early in the morning? For me it was early, of course that’s debatable. We stayed and tasted a tiny bit before finally leaving to go have lunch near L’Opera.

By the time we got back two hours later, the place was jam packed, but still not as difficult to walk around in as the last tasting I went to at the Louvre.

You had people of all walks of life present, but mostly what many would refer to as French bourgeois, I guess you could say. Still, there was the occasional student, back packer and quite a few tourists (American, English, Russian, Swedish, and Dutch were among the ones I noted) and just regular people who love wine.

There were over 200 vendors on hand, selected by the magazine’s expert tasting panel, with more than 1200 wines to sample. Among them? Château Gilette, Château Carbonnieux, Château Pavie-Macquin, Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château de Meursault, Champagne Möet & Chandon, and Champagne Taittinger.

Mind you, I didn’t get around to sampling all of them (and I’m sure that’s a good thing), and unlike my extraordinary companion I am just a beginner in this, but I did discover some that I really enjoyed:

South World Wines

Tel. 01 40 26 08 80

I adored the Cloudy Bay sauvignon sold by this company which specalizes in wines from Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and South Africa. This is the first white wine that I have actually ever liked. As a former Bordeaux only lover, that says a lot! It’s actually a New Zealand wine made by the company, and quite terrific. The Green Point brut Rosé 2004 (24€) isn't to be forgotten when you're outside on the terrace this summer, and neither is the Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2005 which has a light red fruit and nice black pepper taste.

I had the pleasure of talking with South Wine’s president, Gaetan Turner, an Australian himself, about his wines, and the difference between wine preferences here and there in his own country. A very fascinating, although brief, conversation indeed. Mr. Turner is completely enthralled by what he does and with good reason: These are definitely wines to buy and try.

Domaine Fichet

Another interesting discovery was that of a Macon domaine called Domaine Fichet. I absolutely love it when the owner is on hand and shows enthusiasm and passion for what he’s doing, and that was also the case with Mr. Olivier Fichet. My favourite? The La Cra, Maco Igé, White 2006.

Ampelidae

Helene Brochet introduced us to several of her domaine’s wines and they were good! My favourite was the Marigny Neuf Sauvignon, Haut Poitou, White 2006--perfect for a seafood dinner, or your cocktail hour, and sells for only 7€ a bottle. Now that’s nice.

Domaine G&G Bouvet

Poor Mr. Bouvet was there on crutches but that didn’t stamp out his joy of being there! He invited us over to Freterive to check out his cave and I’m sure we will. You should too: try any of his wines, especially the Mondeuse Cuvée Guillaume Charles, Red 2006, or the Chignon Bergeron, (also called Rousanne in the Rhone area), Cuvée Dominique (which has a light apricot smell), and you’re bound to like them.

Champagne Bollinger

Ah, Bollinger. That was and is such a fabulous champagne, if I ever tasted one. Pure. Unadulterated. Class. I’ll be getting a bottle of it very soon for my upcoming birthday, maybe the new Bollinger Rosé that just came out in the beginning of April. I especially appreciated the Special Cuvée, which is great for les aperos, white fish or chicken dishes.

Château Siaurac (Lalande de Pomerol)

Run by Mr. Goldschmidt who actually studied at Stanford, this is a good address to know as well. The Chateau Siaurac is delicious, as well as the Pomerols. So many of them were fantastic that I’d just advise you to taste as many as you can.

Chateau des Coccinelles

You got it, ladybugs, and moreover, ladybugs on surf boards! I’d never seen labels as cute as these. Mr. Fabre who was present at the tasting of course explained that the labels were originally for the U.S. bottles only, but they were such a hit that they were kept for Europe as well. Try the Cote du Rhone rouge, 2005 for only 6€.

L’Oustal Blanc
Mr. Fonquerle has the best accent. His wines had the best taste! I especially liked the L’Oustal White Naick, 2006. Also charming? He lovingly explained that his wines were named after his daughters. How cool is that?

Chater

Although Jacky wasn’t present at this one, I did want to mention her because she was present at one of the last tastings I went to and her wine was a pleasure to try. Jacky hails from the UK and the Domaine Chater is one to keep on your list! Their inexpensive but delicious wines with the cute labels are a must-try, and Jacky is a joy to talk to, so do check them out.

There were many more present at the tasting that I liked and would have loved to write more about ( Hect & Bannier, Domaine roux Pere et Fils, Chateau de Cedre, Champagne Philipponant ) but alas I have to end this one here…but until the next one, happy tasting!

Priscilla Lalisse moved to Paris from New York City in 1999. In addition to being the Editor and Founder of Prissy Mag, she is the author of the novel STOCKDALE . For her complete bio, please click here.

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