Uncovering The Differences Between Wine Bars in Paris and New York
Written by Cerise Zelenetz
It seems like no matter where one turned this summer, it was nearly impossible to escape images of friends, coworkers, friends of friends, and anyone else that you may follow on social media fleeing from the heat and humidity of New York, into the somehow more appealing heat and humidity of Europe. As New Yorkers escaped, their Parisian counterparts were just as quickly swapped in, roaming the boroughs in search of cold brew, hot dog cart pretzels, and of course, the coolest wine bars.
This summer switch is nothing new, but as social media’s influence creeps more and more into every crevice of society, the lines between wine bars in New York and Paris begin to blur, and images of beloved bottles, seasonal small plates, and chic interiors seem to blend into one another. All this to pose the question; what really are the differences in the experience of walking into a wine bar here, or there? You know… besides all the French.
As a frequenter of both Parisian and New Yorkian wine bars, as well as the owner of Cherry On Top, a wine bar based in Brooklyn, I’ve noticed that although a cute little bar in Cobble Hill may have the same white painted brick walls and exposed beams as one situated next to the Canal St. Martin in Paris, as soon as you walk through the respective doors there are discernible differences.
First of all, New Yorkers like things loud. A lack of background music of some kind is rare, as if silence implies boringness. In Paris however, it is quite common to eat and drink in silence as silence leaves space for conversation, stories, and contemplative cigarettes.
When approaching the bar, in Paris it’s more common to pick a color of wine you’re interested in drinking, and rely on the bartender to pick an open bottle or two for you to try from your description. In New York, it’s not uncommon to have some special bottles open for pouring, but the by the glass menu is usually printed, and stays more consistent. As the cost of most wine is higher to import into New York, it’s harder to find wines that work for by the glass pricing. Oftentimes the wine buyers for restaurants and bars will opt for larger quantities of more affordable bottles to get case breaks and keep the by the glass pricing for customers as affordable as possible, while picking higher priced bottles (that in Europe could be a glass pour) for the bottle list. This changes the dynamic of both the pricing structure and the structure of service, allowing Parisian bars to switch up their by the glass selection more freely, and not need a menu as everything rotates more quickly and is within the same range of pricing.
I asked Joshua Fontaine, American transplant to Paris, and owner of Le Mary Celeste in Le Marais, for his thoughts on wine bars that don’t offer printed by the glass menus. He told me, “As a wine geek I don't love it because I want to know vigneron, vintage, cuvéee, etc. but I think for your average person it makes the ordering a lot more casual and less time-consuming.”
I posed the same question to Max Leleux, Parisian transplant to New York, and former General Manager of Ten Bells in Brooklyn, now General Manager at Foxface in the East Village, “How does not having a printed list change the ordering experience?” He had an interesting, alternate take on the matter, stating, “I like the idea [of not having a printed list], but it raises my expectations. If the staff really knows what they’re talking about, it makes for a great experience because I like being told what to drink. If I’m picking a bottle by myself, I’ll usually go for a safe choice. I won’t be adventurous unless I have someone telling me ‘you should get that.’”
In both cases, it seems the ideal ordering scenario should be fun and easy but does require a sense of trust in the person taking the order, as well as a bit of basic wine knowledge in how one orders. I asked Max how he found the process of serving wine to customers in New York, and how they approach the ordering process, not necessarily being in the wine industry. In his words, “Customers will ask questions before ordering a glass here because they don’t always know if it’s okay to ask for a taste. They sometimes feel a bit shy about it. The server needs to be capable of giving good descriptions of all the wines, but the customer also needs to know what they like and give a correct description of what they’re looking for. Sometimes it’s easier to just bring a taste to customers, because sometimes I’ll recommend a wine that is exactly what the customer described, but then they don’t like it and will choose something completely different because they didn’t have the proper vocabulary to describe what they actually wanted.”
There is a definitive sense of casualness and ease at the heart of what makes drinking in Paris so unique. No sense of fear, or indecision when it comes to having a drink out. But in New York it seems, the people want answers. This leads to a more technical, structured ordering process that, perhaps, leaves less room for the Parisian sense of effortless discovery.
At Cherry On Top, I see many more sales from our by the glass list than from bottles, and most bottle sales come from cuvees that we offer by the glass as well. This may very well be due to this fear of committing to something unknown. Even though a bottle can be more economical, it can feel riskier to commit to without tasting, or knowing the wine prior. I asked Josh on his opinion about this matter of pricing, and in his words, “Paris pricing structures make it easier for the guests to take a chance on a new/unknown wine...if you're only spending 6-10€ on a glass, versus like $18-20 plus tax plus tip in NYC, you are probably more willing to try something new.”
If this is the case, what can we as New York-dwellers do? Do we forfeit the price of a flight to France for a cheaper but more interesting house red? Or throw caution to the wind and take a chance on ordering a bottle we’ve never seen before? Sure, we could hate it, but it could be our new favorite wine, or at least our favorite wine of the night. It doesn’t seem like prices will be dropping anytime soon, so why not go with the latter and have a little adventure close to home? Give yourself over to the pleasure of turning down the music, hearing a cork pop, taking turns pouring with friends, and maybe, feel a little closer to the Seine while doing so.