Though wine has been grown in Paris since ancient Roman times, the only remaining vineyard within the Périphérique is Clos Montmartre. A small, 16,774-square-foot (1,556-square-meter) patch of greenery located adjacent to the Montmartre Museum (Musée de Montmartre), the winery also features various fruit trees, and, to the untrained eye, resembles nothing more than a garden. That changes, however, each October, when the annual harvest festival (Fête des Vendanges) is held in the neighborhood and celebrates the winery’s latest bottlings.
Clos Montmartre features on walking-tour itineraries of the neighborhood, as well as various wine-themed Paris tours.
Clos Montmartre’s wines are fermented in the basement of Montmartre City Hall.
The vineyard produces roughly 1,000–1,500 bottles annually, though most are purchased as collector’s items—their proceeds are used to support local charities.
While the original vines succumbed to phylloxera (a grapevine pest that ravaged France’s vineyards), they were later replanted in 1933.
Given its steep slope and elevated position, Clos Montmartre offers views overlooking Paris, including as far as the Eiffel Tower.
Each year, different local artists are commissioned to design the wines’ labels.
Clos Montmartre is located at the corner of Rue des Saules and Rue Saint-Vincent. To get there, take Metro line 12 to Lamarck–Caulaincourt station, or use the Montmartrobus. The vineyard can also be reached by car, on foot, or by bike, though that may require navigating the area’s notoriously steep streets.
While Clos Montmartre is typically off-limits to visitors, applications can be made in advance through the Montmartre tourist office; groups of 12 visitors or larger are preferred. The annual Fête des Vendanges allows another opportunity to get acquainted with Clos Montmartre.
Held every October, the Fête des Vendanges has been celebrated for nearly 100 years. The multi-day festival comprises dozens of events, including ceremonial speeches, tours of the vineyard, musical performances, parades, wine tastings, and even an artisanal food market held in the shadow of Montmartre’s iconic Sacré-Coeur Basilica.
