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Lavinia, the largest wine shop in Paris

Lavinia, the wine shop in Paris

The largest wine shop in Paris

With a range of 6,500 wines, champagnes, spirits and accessories from over 30 countries, Lavinia is, by far, the largest wine shop in Paris. Contrary to what you might think by watching the video shown at end of the article, Lavinia is not a luxury boutique and offers wines from 5 € to more than € 20,000 a bottle.

The premises are impressive with 1,200 m² spread out over three floors but, even so, you will not get lost. The shop is a rather friendly place where Parisian hedonists love to share their passion for wine. Moreover, the sommelier sales personnel can guide you in your choices and several “Tasting tours” allow you, through pre-paid cards, to taste by 3cl glass, not only a selection of the “top favorite” wines but also of the great vintages (Grand Crus).

To offer the best storage conditions and to prevent oxidation, all wines are displayed horizontally, the shop is climate-controlled at 19°C and the lighting is low voltage. Furthermore, the old, rare or fragile wines are presented in a cellar at 14°C.

Lavinia’s selection of wines is divided into a prestigious international supply and also a selection of small estates who use authentic and artisan methods,which remains at the heart of Lavinia’s business.

Lavinia is also a bar offering a menu of 180 wines by the glass and, as it states on the wall, wines are served at shop prices and therefore without ‘corkage’. You simply tell your sommelier salesperson that you want to enjoy your bottle at the bar. If your choice is a white wine or champagne, your bottle will be chilled for ten minutes and if you do not finish it, it will be re-packaged in a nice bag. A restaurant located next to the bar provides service from 12 pm to 4 pm.

If you are a resident of a non-member country of the European Union, you can take advantage of a 12% tax rebate on purchases starting at 180 €. Also good to know: Lavinia not only organizes tasting parties around a theme but also tasting courses which you can pre-pay for on the website (click here).

Finally, if you are passionate about wines, you can also visit the Bon Marché department store which offers a remarkable 550m² wine cellar.