Lavinia, French for wine convenience
If you are in Paris looking for a wine from the Etats-Unis, New Zealand, or even Brazil, your home to one-stop shopping convenience has a name: Lavinia.
Sprawling over a climate-controlled three floors, the store is the most New World in its orientation in all of Paris. Opened in 2003 after its owners cut their teeth on locations in Barcelona and Madrid, the store stocks 6,000 wines, hundreds of spirits, a significant selection of wine books in French and English, and a handsome tasting bar and restaurant. And with copious amounts of staff, the customer service is as refreshing as the air conditioning.
Consider it a must-stop for wine geeks, whether for ex-pats or locals who are stuck in a rut or visitors who are looking for the best of French wines.
The entry floor has many wines stuck neck first into a display with helpful rings around them indicating a good value, organically grown, best seller, or a seasonal selection. One section suggests wines paired with various foods. They offer a sample of a wine or two a week, poured in a glass (not plastic!).
This floor houses the wines of the world, from Argentina to Spain and Tuscany to Napa. A panel on the wall said “Cuba” and I was intrigued–since my home country has an embargo against products of the island, this was my first chance to try a wine from the island more known for tobacco than grapes. Alas, it was not to be since the wine, once stocked, was no longer available (a testimony to its poor quality a staff member told me).
Upstairs is the library, a huge array of armagnacs and cognacs, and the swanky bar/restaurant. Their attitude toward customer service is such that the whole store becomes the wine list: each wine in the store can be consumed at the bar for the same price as in the store, which makes it the most diverse wine bar in Paris (open til 8 PM).
Downstairs is all French, all the time. There is a cooler storage area for not just e expensive and rare wines but also some affordable “natural” wines that need a little more TLC. This area holds perhaps the most appeal for visitors to Paris looking to pick up some of the bounty of France.
If the sumptuous selection is too much for you to carry home, they deliver! (a concept, essential in Manhattan, which is still in its infancy in Paris) And for non-EU visitors who start swiping the plastic with vigor, the store offers a 13% tax refund on purchases over 300 euros–though it will require getting to the airport early to claim it.
The selection here of wines from the world can’t be beat in Paris. If you are sold on the business model, then it can be yours: a sign in the window says “franchisees wanted.”
Lavinia, 3-5 Boulevard de la Madeleine, 75001 Paris. 01 42 97 20 20
www.lavinia.fr
tags: wine | wine shops | wine stores | Paris
On August 2nd, 2006 at 12:52 pm ,Bertrand wrote:
Hi Tyler ! How are you since the other day ? Seems you are in a heat wave again…
The best thing in Lavinia (you said it but this must be underlined) is that you can grab any bottle in the store and drink it for the regular price (no cork fee) at the bar. When you are 3, 4 or 5 people, that makes it just the best-valued wine bar in Paris…
On August 2nd, 2006 at 3:01 pm ,Ryan Opaz wrote:
Good to hear the service was nice. I just wrote about the service in the Madrid store. Sadly not that refreshing. I wish the French shop would pass on some advice to their other locations!
On August 3rd, 2006 at 1:50 pm ,Anali wrote:
I’m so curious about this Cuban wine now, especially with what is happening with Castro now. I just watched a very interesting special on PBS about him last night. There was no mention of wine as a product, just sugar cane. I wonder…
On August 3rd, 2006 at 9:13 pm ,Dr. Vino wrote:
Bertrand — indeed!
Ryan — Too bad about Madrid. I assume the selection was still good though?
Anali, yes, me too. The staffer couldn’t remember the name. He said it was something about Italy–perhaps grapes from Italy and made in Cuba? That would certainly be the easiest way to do it. Not much terroir though…
On September 17th, 2006 at 11:58 am ,Per & Britt wrote:
Definitely the place with the most extensive list in Paris. Generally friendly staff but not always as knowledgable as one would have hoped (quite good enough though). A pity the don’t have evening service in the wine bar. I have not been to their shop in Madrid, but the one in Barcelona had an excellent selection of Spanish wines (of course) but was much smaller than in Paris and located a bit off-centre. It was all started by two French guys living in Spain, it appears, and seems to be donig well. But for a different wine shop experience (and one that is a bit more “traditional” and local) you should try some other stores. Some suggestions here:
More Paris wine shops
On May 30th, 2007 at 6:45 am ,Hot Tables in Paris: Lavinia Restaurant and Wine Bar - The Informed Traveler wrote:
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