La Winerie Parisienne set for ‘significant expansion’

The owners of La Winerie Parisienne – the first urban winery to open on the outskirts of Paris since 1970 – are poised to “significantly increase production” at their operation in the Ile-de-France region.

Founded in 2015, La Winerie Parisienne’s headquarters are located in Montreuil, a suburb to the east of the centre of Paris. The firm sources grapes from areas including the Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence, however, vineyards located to the west of Paris will increasingly provide the grapes they need, according to co-founder Adrien Pelissié.

“In 2016, we had the opportunity to purchase a piece of land in a little village called Davron, in the ‘plaine de versailles’ – we went through 23 soil studies and realised that we were inheriting an amazing argile-calcareous terroir, 25 km away from Paris,” said co-founder and President Adrien Pelissié.

“In March 2020, we intend to plant 13 more hectares in the Versailles area, reaching a total of 26 hectares under vine. We are also looking at other fascinating terroirs in different parts of Ile-de-France – there is no limit to our ambitions.”

Today, the brand markets over 200,000 bottles to wine merchants and Michelin-starred restaurants across Paris, in addition to sponsoring major international events such as the Roland Garros tournament.

Their vineyards are part of the Yvelines departement, which Pelissié described as being “very similar to Burgundy, in climate and soil.”

He stated that as global warming increasingly results in undesirably high alcohol levels in more southerly regions, winemaking in the Ile-de-France region will become massively resurgent, as producers seek cool climate conditions.

“For over 6 centuries the Ile-de-France was the most important wine region in France, until the phylloxera crisis in the 19th century,” said Pelissié. He is now campaigning for other farmers in the region to plant vineyards and embrace what he describes as the “coming revolution” in Paris winemaking.

“We are encouraging growers and farmers in the region to diversify and invest in viticulture. We are also currently helping a few qualitative projects to rise up – my dream is to have our own appellation status one day.”

La Winerie Parisienne also unveiled a new winery on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower in October this year.

Their inaugural cuvee, based on Merlot grown in the Yvelines departement, will be released in March 2020.