Small pleasures: Le Caviste

"Parce que qui aime le vin, aime la vie"

There’s a unique and intimate relationship you form with your local businesses in Paris. Shopkeepers, barmen, pharmaciens, boulangeristas are all often the people a Parisian will encounter most in their daily life, colleagues aside. They’re our confidants, the first port of call when anything happens, the people who we see at our best and at our worst.

I’m lucky enough to live in a part of Paris that is still relatively un-touristy, and still has a pretty great sense of local community. And, as I’ve written about before, it has everything I could need within a 10-min walk max.

Including multiple different cavistes.

The other day, with a few visitors incoming, I wanted to pick up a few bottles that are a cut above my usual supermarket plonk. My local caviste (La Cave Bleue) knows me well, having once memorably recommended an excellent biodynamic wine for me to enjoy in the bath. She laughed then, a bond was formed. This time, she enthusiastically recommended me an orange-but-not-too-orange wine and a white wine with floral notes for apero, both under 15€. Really, Florentine is an absolute gem.

I then popped over the road to the Italian deli/caviste, because of course in France it’s impossible to buy non-French wines except in specialist stores. Great chat about my recent Rome trip, and bottle of Fiano secured (and noted that they sell artisan Marsala AND artisan vermouths), I scampered home with my purchases.

15 steps later, as I punched in the code to my building, I had such a smile on my face. In both places, I’d had truly lovely, personal interactions with the people in the shops – people who already knew my face as a local and were happy to take a few minutes out of their day to share their passions with me.

Fast-forward to this afternoon. After an intense day in front go my laptop at home as the heatwave temperatures rise, I took myself to La Cave Bleue for a chilled ape rose before dinner. I sipped peacefully, while people-watching and reading my book, and mostly ignoring my phone. So good.

I don’t want these stories to make it sound like Paris is heaven to live in, or that I’m doing an article for Monocle magazine. Because a lot of the time it’s not – socially, politically, culturally. Where is these days?

But the joy that these small interactions have, the way they take over your memory, they way they give you a good vibe. It’s a vibe that makes me fall in love with Paris a little bit more every time. It’s priceless.

Some other stuff I enjoyed this week:

- Fashion week prep. Yes, again.

- Strawberry-flavoured Freddos, a gift from Petah from Oz

- Booking to see Kelela in October. I‘ve got a spare ticket if anyone else is into her?

- Embracing the idea of solo dates and joining a sports club (not running, dw!)

- Seeing a double-page magazine spread of the fabulous Faye Fearon!