Counter Culture: The Wine Underground, 4/22/09 (VIDEO)

[Jon]

Many of you ask me for stories of how and/or where wine is discovered around the world – I though it best to show you instead of just reading about it.

For most in the trade, the preferred method of discovering wine is a traditional one: go to the winery, taste the wine from a single barrel sample and make a decision (or go to a wine fair, taste the wine once and make a decision) - I prefer to go to the people of the underground – to the streets...to sit with the wine among those that have something to say - to hear their reaction and to converse over a glass for an extended period (not just one sip and spit into the rocks of a cellar floor – you CANNOT deduce a wine’s complete prowess with this method and it does every wine a disservice).

Watch this video - this is how it happens, on the street in its rawest form (literally). This is a clip I filmed a few days ago from a wine venue in a new, somewhat rough area of Paris that is setting the bar very high. Check out the barrels of 2008 vintage wines (and others) with a self-serve spigot...unsanctioned by the authorities and without any stabilizers (that would go over very well in the US). The proprietor was not very happy with the idea of a film showing his untaxed bulk “barrels” (fresh from each winery) so I had to sneak the camera around for 30 seconds or so just to show you what it’s like in a venue such as this (thus the raw footage).

Is artistry and the inspiration of youth dead? I don’t think so.

- Jon Rimmerman

[Jamer]

Excellent share Jon! Short and sweet, but, you really get a flavor for what's going on. Wouldn't it be great to have current vintage non-SO2'd wine available to us here in the USA! That is one of the best parts of traveling in Europe.

[BSG]

Jon,
Loved the clip! Looks like our kind of place. Please keep us in the loop as to what's really happening in Europe at the consumer level.

Brian

[davidn]

This is really cool. It really shows part of the wine culture I knew nothing about. Are there many places like this? Is the wine "sanctioned" by the wineries or is it "black market"?

[plb]

Thanks for posting this: it is interesting to see another way of doing this. I suppose US regulations would prohibit this here, but how is it different from dropping into a winery and doing barrel samples in the cellar?
Can't believe the smokers were outside!

[bauskern]

We're headed to Paris in a month --- where is this place? Looks great!!!

[maybe4less]

A friend in Paris randomly invited us to a local wine bar on our vacation last month. Little did we know it would be the place in this video. I thought I was having deja vu until I realized why everything seemed so familiar. We loved it so much, we came back two nights later! A very cool bar and some excellent wines!