August 2025
Paris has five vineyards within the city limits. This trip, I made it a goal to see all 5.
Close Montmartre – the 18th Arrondissement
The Vineyards of Montmartre
I have visited the vineyards of Montmartre many times, thinking they were the only ones in Paris. I was wrong, there are currently five. So this trip, I set out to find all of the others.
Clos Montmartre stands as Paris’s largest and most esteemed vineyard. It has a modest annual yield of about 1,500 bottles.
None of the vineyards are legally able to sell their wine. So every year, an auction is held to sell all of the bottles of wine produced, with the profits going to the local community.
Clos de Belleville – The 20th Arrondissement
I could smell the red ripening grapes before I saw the Clos de Belleville.
Clos de Belleville is the smallest vineyard in Paris. Planted in 1992, this vineyard of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay has a production of from two to three kilograms of grapes per foot, depending on the year.
The clos des Chaufourniers – The 19th Arrondissement
It is said that this small vineyard was planted by a gardener from the City of Paris to see what would result. The first harvest took place in 2010, and as of 2023, there were over 240 vines, with a mixture of Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Muscat, and Chasselas, as well as Pinot Noir.
Clos des Morillons – The 15th Arrondissement
Up to the 18th century, a huge vineyard covered the southern slopes of the Hauts de Vaugirard: vines made up more than half of the cultivated area of the Vaugirard plain. The grape variety of the day, named Périchot, was harvested by the monks of the Clos des Morillons.
Clos des Morillons
When George Brassans park opened, the idea to replant some of the area with vines arose. In 1982, since Périchot had disappeared, 700 Pinot Noir vines were planted, along with around twenty Pinot Meunier vines. In 2022, the harvest was 300 kg of grapes.
Clos de Bercy – The 12th Arrondissement
In the 19th century, Bercy was the biggest wine and spirits market in the world. Today, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay vines grow at Clos de Bercy in the Parc de Bercy. Planted in 1996, the grapes from this Paris vineyard produce about 350 bottles per year.
Finding all five vineyards took me to places in Paris I would most likely have never visited, this was a real treat.