While in Canada in May I had the opportunity of being interviewed by Margaret Gallagher, who hosts a radio programme on the CBC in Vancouver called ‘North by Northwest’. The programme’s byline reads as follows:
CBC Radio host Margaret Gallagher meets creative people from all around the province. Hear about their passions and inspirations. You'll visit artists in their studios, musicians and performers backstage, writers at their keyboards and chefs at the cooktop. There's great conversation and a lot of laughs too waiting for you every weekend on North by Northwest.
The interview was about my book ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’, which was aired last week on 27 July, but you can still listen to the interview by clicking on the following link:
CBC Radio Interview July 27, 2024: Uncovering the Hidden Vineyards of Paris
And if you’d like a copy of the book itself, which has been selected for the National Geographic Smart Traveller Book List (see below), and been very positively reviewed in: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC UK - THE WINE ECONOMIST - JANCIS ROBINSON (TAMLYN CURRIN) - UK TELEGRAPH, you can purchase a copy via the Paris Wine Walks website, or ask your local bookstore. And if the interview peaks your curiosity about the walks themselves, you can also book any of our wine walks directly on the Paris Wine Walks website.
Meanwhile, the Olympic Games are in full swing, and as Victor Hugo once wrote about the streets of Paris, “there could be a riot going on around the corner and you wouldn’t know it”, as the excitement and populism of the games is micro-focussed. In other words, if you’re not at or near one of the venues, the streets are pretty empty. Apparently so is the péripherique, the multi-laned ring road that circles the city, connecting drivers to the highways leading in and out of the city. This is a very rare occurrence and the very opposite of what people were expecting as they imagined endless traffic jams to and from the Olympic sites. Outside of the thrilling spectacle of live sporting competitions being held around the city, Paris seems like a ghost town as Parisians have left in droves and the tourists that would normally have been here this time of year for the myriad reasons people visit the city, have ironically stayed away to avoid the crowds…
One of those venues is an indirect satellite for watching the events, which are being projected on a big screen in Les Arenes de Lutèce (Paris’ Roman arena), just around the corner from where I live. In addition to the big screen that you can watch lounging in deck chairs or at picnic tables, there are events and sport-related performances under the shade of a grand canopy. So even if you were initially uninterested, or unable to attend any of the Olympic events, you can still participate. They also serve a rather interesting array of organic snacks, drinks, cider and wine (unlike many of the other Olympic venues where alcohol has been banished).
And amidst the excitement and triumphs of human sporting prowess, the grapes on the vines of the Clos des Arenes are quietly ripening, protected by police tape, presumably to discourage children from sliding down the slopes as they are wont to do.
This is one of the hidden vineyards of Paris that is included in the Latin Quarter Unbottled wine walk, the vines emblematic of a story that spans 20 centuries of Parisian history.
If you’re in Paris and reading this and want a break from all the blood, sweat, and tears of the Olympic Games, retreat to the shade of some of Paris’ lesser known parks and gardens (we’re currently in a heat wave with temperatures in the +30’s C, +90° F) and join us for a civilised wine walk to discover the real history of the city. And if you’re not in the city, but are planning a visit, you can still book a wine walk as they operate year-round, rain or shine.
PS If you’re looking for a more in-depth wine experience, we are still welcoming people for our fabulous, 7 day - 6 night Burgundy - Beaujolais wine tour of glorious gastronomic indulgence, incomparable wines & backroads beauty (30 Sept - 6 October).
Happy 1st of August!
Thank you for letting me into your world and for reading the Paris Wine Walks Substack. Your support is invaluable as are your comments, suggestions, critiques, dreams, thoughts and remembrances. A little encouragement goes a long way, so please consider a paid subscription, which need cost no more than (a cheap) glass of wine per week. Or, book a wine walk!
My book, ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’ (reviewed in Jancis Robinson’s wine blog, the Wine Economist, National Geographic Traveler UK, UK Telegraph) is also available at ‘The Red Wheelbarrow Bookshop’ at 11 rue de Medicis, 75006 Paris. If you haven’t yet discovered this gem of a bookshop, now’s your chance. Open every day!
Wine Walks!
For more information, click on the underlined links:
Sparkling Wine Splash!
Share a sparkling, convivial moment with colleagues, friends or clients to celebrate the moment or to simply gather for fun.
Clos Montmartre - Paris in Your Glass
Paris' most famous wine producing vineyard
Latin Quarter Unbottled!
An insider's journey to the oldest wine neighbourhood in the city
Belleville Unbottled!
A winebar crawl that features some of the best winebars in the city
Wine Your Way Through the Marais
The Marais seen through a wineglass
Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Discover the vinous spirit of medieval Paris
3-Vineyard Cycling Tour
A comprehensive overview of medieval Paris
Paris Bottled!
Short on time? This one’s for you.