Le Zinc des Cavistes

I now have my "go-to" wine bar! Granted I didn't find it, my old friend led me to it, and I am very grateful to have this card in my hand. Le Zinc des Cavistes is a wine bar that offers a wide selection of wine by the glass, and at completely reasonable prices. I have noticed that ordering wine by the glass is less common than ordering a bottle for the table, even if there are just two of you, or even if it's just lunch. However, at le Zinc, you can sample many different types of wine, as always, organized by region. In the US, we are used to seeing what type of grapes are used for the wine, Merlot, Pinot Noir, etc.. However, in France, the wines are described by what region they are grown in, and that is enough information for most connoisseurs. For example, about 50% of wines from Bordeaux are Merlot. Apparently, even a true connoisseur can even tell you where within the region it comes from...I'm not quite there yet...

This is a popular spot, and it quickly fills up, but I've gotten there before 8pm both times and haven't had a problem getting a table on a weeknight. I have only had the platter of assorted charcuterie, but I think next time I need to order a full meal. Or those profiteroles, they looked pretty good too. The charcuterie plate is one of my favorite things to nibble on with a glass of wine, or even beer, but who am I kidding, this is France and wine it is. Last time I tried Brouilly, a fruity red wine from the Beaujolais district in the Burgundy region, and very good. The second time I started with a Médoc, from Bordeaux, which was quite zippy and medium bodied, and I enjoyed it as well. Next glass was a Pinot Noir (I don't remember which vineyard it is from) and it was lighter and more delicate than the Médoc, and we probably should have had it first. If you know more about wine than me, which is proably likely, you might be laughing at me right now. I have a feeling I'll be going here often, but then again I just got word of another wine bar/restaurant that is a "must-try"...

Le Zinc des Cavistes
5, Rue Faubourg Montmartre
75009 Paris, France‎
01 47 70 88 64‎
Metro: Grands Boulevards