Le Baron Rouge

Baron Rouge perfectly demonstrates a simple idea done very well.

A fantastic range of wines is available, both to sample in the bar but then also to buy and take home, making for a far more enjoyable way of buying wine than a trip to the supermarket.

A modest but tasty range of cheese, bread and charcuterie can be purchased to enjoy alongside the wine.

The best way to find somewhere special in Paris is to keep your eye out for the crowds of locals outside, seen here in abundance.

It sometimes takes a little wait for a table, but I assure you it's a wait that will duly be rewarded.

The Baron Rouge is actually called the Baron Bouge now, for reasons I might have to look into :)

What a fantastic place! I love wine, so what better surroundings than a dozen or so wine barrels and a bar with a whole load of bottles behind it. The wine, of course, is french, but there’s a wide diversity, all available by the glass, 50cl or litre. You can even buy a five or ten litre container to take away wine with you, and at between 2-8 euros per litre for fantastically drinkable choices, a weak will like mine stood no chance.

As well as the wines, they also offer plates of cheese and meats, to nibble at while you drink. When in season, they also offer some delicious looking oysters as well… I opted to share the “Grand Assiete de Fromage” with my girlfriend, and got three giant chunks of hard, soft and goats cheese, all ripe and delicious, along with bread and butter.

The main draw for this place, to me, is that it’s just outside the Aligre market, so you can go shopping on Sunday morning and then relax with a glass of wine when you’ve finished. This idea is not lost to the locals; the Baron is normally bustling come lunch time. Don’t let this put you off however, the overspill into the street is very much part of the atmosphere.