La Winerie Parisienne, the team behind the first winery in the greater Paris region since 1970, has unveiled a new site in one of the world’s most iconic urban landmarks.
Founded in 2015 by Julien Bengué and Adrien Pelissié, La Winerie Parisienne has until now sourced grapes from regions including the Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence, the Rhône, Bordeaux and Corsica, producing wine from their site in Montreuil, a suburb to the east of the centre of Paris.
In 2017, the company planted three hectares of vines in the department of Yvelines, aiming to create the first proper commercial vineyard in the Île-de-France for over 150 years. It now has a total of 10 hectares.
Earlier this month, it installed stainless-steel tanks, oak barrels and a grape sorting belt 58 metres up the Eiffel Tower. Sete, the company that operates the tower, confirmed that the winery is based next to Thierry Marx’s 80-seater La Bulle Parisienne restaurant, which is housed in a giant transparent dome on the first floor.
Adrien Pelissié, president and co-founder of La Winerie Parisienne, told Wine Searcher that the opportunity to acquire the site had presented itself earlier this year.
He told the news site that the winery was completed on 4 October and started its first harvest on 7 October, aiming to release its first wines – made from Merlot – next year.
Pelissié expects to produce around 2,000 and 3,000 bottles from the first harvest from grapes grown in La Winerie Parisienne’s Yvelines vineyard.
Grown according to organic principles, the company has applied for organic certification.
At its peak, the vineyards in the area surrounding Paris covered an area of 44,000ha. However, following the outbreak of phylloxera in the late 19th century, the region fell into decline.
La Winerie Parisienne launched a fundraising drive back in 2017 to support their project to put the vineyards and wines of the Île-de-France back on the viticultural map.
The Eiffel Tower winery joins the growing ranks of urban wineries around the world, including London’s Renegade, London Cru and Blackbook; New York’s Rooftop Reds, Brooklyn Winery, City Winery and Red Hook Winery; and Cape Town’s Dorrance Wines.
