Our wine philosophy

In a nutshell, we never drink poison.

Real wines are made with fermented grapes that have been grown without chemical intervention in living soils and so are true representations of their 'terroir'. The world of wine has never stopped evolving technologically, but too much technology and too much technicity has lead to over dressed, made-up, artificial wines that are produced in labs rather than vineyards. These wines, often produced with an arsenal of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and artificial additives not only destroy the soils they are grown in – their ‘terroir’ – but destroy the soul of the wine along with any authenticity in taste.

But happily, the fastest growing trend in vineyards is a return to sustainable natural, organic and biodynamic practices creating real wines that are the perfect reflection of their terroir, their ‘spirit of place’. These are the wines we love and these are the vineyards we visit.

Paris Wine Walks exclusively features living wines (organic, biodynamic, natural) with real taste that don't give headaches and also preserve soils, reducing CO2 emissions and allowing water-tables to stay clean.

"Vines and wine are great mysteries. Only the vine, in the plant kingdom, makes intelligible to us what the true flavour of the earth is. How faithful the translation is! It feels and expresses the secrets of the soil through the grape. The flint, through it, lets us know that it is alive, fusible, nourishing. The ungrateful chalk cries golden tears in wine." Colette

Our food philosophy

The focus of Paris Wine Walks is really the spirit of place through taste - tasting something unique to a specific part of the planet, whether a bleu cheese from Roquefort or an organic wine from the Loire Valley, that brings us into contact with the very essence of a place. The world is filled with special foods – unfortunately many of them have become highly processed and artificially flavoured. The flavours of organically and bio-dynamically grown foods are alive and vital. They tie us to the soil. The French call it the ‘terroir’ of a place and hence its spirit. This is a common reflection when speaking about wine, but can be applied to any local produce that reflects the true nature of where it was planted, cultivated and picked – unsullied by chemical inputs, additives or industrial processing. It is part of the mission of Paris Wine Walks to bring travellers to the discovery – or rediscovery – of what food really tastes like. We believe that taste makes all the difference.

Food sourcing

Paris Wine Walks is also about discovering how things are grown or transformed to become what they are. In our travels we meet growers, farmers, winemakers, cheese makers, fishermen and foragers. These encounters help us to better appreciate where our food comes from and what is involved in producing it. They help us to make better, healthier choices for ourselves and the planet. So join us and share with us the real tastes of the world.

Lifestyle & Health

We support vegetarian choices and have stopped serving meat on our walks. As agriculture, and meat in particular, is the biggest contributor to climate change, our decision to eliminate meat is climate conscious. We also support vegans, and though we still include cheese on our walks (we're in France!!) we can supply vegan options upon request. We are also sensitive to gluten intolerances and allergies and though the breads we serve contain gluten, they are fermented and always contain much, much less gluten than commercial breads.

Please let us know if you have dietary restrictions when booking.