Caves Legrand occupies the shop at 1 rue de la Banque that Francois Beauge opened as a grocer's in 1880, taken over by Pierre Legrand after the First World War. His son Lucien turned it toward wine, visiting growers himself and building the Selection Legrand. Francine Legrand has run the house since 1986. A restaurant, a wine school and a Tokyo cellar have followed.
Best for Fine wine, spirits, and connoisseur gifting.
Caves Legrand traces its address to 1880, when Francois Beauge opened a grocer's shop at 1 rue de la Banque. The shop stood between the Palais Brongniart and the Palais Royal and sold the exotic spices, Indian teas and Levantine coffees then in fashion. Twin brothers Pierre and Alexandre Legrand apprenticed at Felix Potin in 1905 and later ran a grocery and confectionery at Issy-les-Moulineaux. When the shop could no longer support both, they drew straws. Pierre left, took over the Beauge business and settled at rue de la Banque. His son Lucien Legrand took charge after the Second World War and turned the shop toward wine. Until the 1970s wine was sold mostly in bulk from Bercy. Lucien chose instead to visit growers and select their bottles himself. The house says that practice invented the modern caviste and produced the Selection Legrand. His daughter Francine took over in 1986. She built long relationships with growers such as Laurent Vaille and Jean-Yves Bizot, and by the late 1990s she had introduced tasting on the premises. Today the cellar at 1 rue de la Banque is joined by La Table des Caves at 4 rue des Petits-Champs. A wine school, Legrand dinners and a cellar in Minami-Azabu, Tokyo, complete the house.
More than 600 references span everyday bottles, mature Bordeaux and birthday vintages dating back decades. The cave regularly opens bottles for tasting and advises on service, food pairings, hotel delivery and tax-free purchases.
Best for French wine, Burgundy, Rhône and Champagne bottles
La Maison des Millésimes stands at 137 Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, a small cave of about 20 square metres in the centre of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The house calls itself the specialist of ready-to-drink Bordeaux. Old and sometimes very old vintages are kept for the moment they are opened rather than for years in a cellar. More than 600 references run from 10 to 2000 euros and from 1937 to recent vintages. Everyday bottles fill a selection of the month, while mature Bordeaux such as Las Cases 1985 and Poyferré 1982 are priced for drinking. The stars of the Bordelais are all present, from Ausone and Cheval Blanc to Haut Brion, Lafite, Mouton, Latour, Margaux and Yquem. Old vintages are held for birthdays and anniversaries, with 1966, 1976 and 1986 among the years on the shelf. Wines from Burgundy, the Rhône, the Loire and Champagne are chosen for their price to pleasure ratio. Many rare bottles are sold only in the shop. Thomas tastes at least 3000 wines a year and travels to fairs and vineyards to find the makers of tomorrow. Thomas, Pierre-Yves and Florian advise on serving temperature and decanting, and on food pairing. The house offers gift boxes and bubble wrapping for travel, with delivery in Paris.
Paris spirits house trading since 1956, with its historic whisky boutique at 20 rue d'Anjou dedicated to the category since 1968. More than 2,000 references include single casks, an Islay Room of peated malts and a Collectors corner of rare bottles. Le Lab hosts masterclasses, and sister shops stand at Odéon and rue Tiquetonne.
Best for Rare whiskies, rums, and collector bottlings.
La Maison du Whisky has sold spirits since 1956. It describes itself as sourcer, official importer and exclusive distributor of many brands found around the world. Its historic boutique at 20 rue d'Anjou in the 8th arrondissement has been dedicated to whisky since 1968. The shop gathers more than 2,000 references, among them many single casks. Scottish single malts and Japanese whiskies stand beside Irish single pot stills and American bourbons, with whiskies from other countries and exclusivities of the house. An Islay Room is given over entirely to the peated malts of that island. A Collectors corner holds old and rare bottles. Le Lab is a tasting space built for masterclasses and meetings where the house shows its expertise. Two other Paris addresses complete the picture. The Odéon shop at 6 carrefour de l'Odéon is devoted to fine spirits, and Le 11 rue Tiquetonne specialises in spirits and saké with Japanese gastronomy. The company also runs the Golden Promise Whisky Bar and the restaurant ERH in the same city.
French wine retail chain founded in Paris in 1822 by Louis Nicolas, credited as the first to sell bottled (rather than cask) wine and to offer home delivery, from 1840; now over 400 branches across France, the UK, Belgium and Germany.
Best for Everyday French wine and champagne gifting.
Nicolas was founded in 1822 by Louis Nicolas, who opened his first shop at rue Sainte-Anne in Paris. At a time when most Parisians bought wine by the barrel, Nicolas pioneered selling wine already bottled at consistent quality and price. In 1840 the company added home delivery, another early move for the wine trade. A notable 1860 acquisition of the Buhler grocery chain added roughly 40 points of sale and helped establish Nicolas as a reference name in French wine retail. The chain has since expanded into a network of several hundred branches - commonly cited today as over 400 - spread across France with additional branches in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Poland.
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