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Good news! I have more great Parisian hot spots yet for the readers of Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com. Read on, I believe you won’t be disappointed.

Wine tasting at Galerie Vivienne

If you like your wine, you won’t want to miss this French 1950s-style period wine shop. With its wood paneling and charming window displays, it opens up onto the Galerie Vivienne, one of the most stunning indoor arcades in Paris. There lie the wine cellars of ‘Legrand filles et fils’ (Legrand daughters & sons), some of the most highly reputed in Paris.

These cellars have been lovingly and expertly stocked by three generations of the Legrand family ever since the end of the World War I. Sadly enough, these cellars are not open to the general public. The shop offers however a warm family atmosphere.

Wine prices range from 5 to 10,000 euros a bottle, with a wide selection in the 5-15 euros price bracket. You won’t go hungry either, as the shop also carries a range of delicacies to bring out the flavor of the wine.

Worthy of note, the shop offers wine tasting and lessons! For 60 euros you can attend an introductory wine tasting session every Monday from 8 to 10 pm. Seating is limited, so book beforehand by phone or by e-mail.

The shop also features a wine tasting corner, open from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm, where you can choose a wine and get a plate of accompanying delicacies specially selected to bring out the taste of your wine. The cost is 5.25 euros a glass and 15-30 euros a plate. You can also order desserts.

The shop has two entrances: No. 1 Rue de la Banque, and No. 12 Galerie Vivienne, 75002 Paris. For wine tasting reservations, call: 33 (0)1 4260 0712 or email: info[at]caves-legrand.com.

Monastica – craftsmanship steeped in tradition

This is a fantastic place where you can get your hands on authentic French handmade products, crafts and souvenirs steeped in tradition –- and do a good deed at the same time. If you wander at the tip of the St Louis Island, you’ll discover on Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe a boutique called Monastica, owned and run by the nuns of “Les Fraternités de Jérusalem” (The Brotherhoods of Jerusalem), a religious order originally founded in 1975 at the Church Saint Gervais in Paris, which has now spread out internationally.

Most products sold by the shop are made by the Order, the rest by lay craftsmen, but all profits go to the Order. Their products are typically French: stoneware crockery, jams, biscuits, chocolate, marzipan, Provence honey, perfumes, hygiene and beauty products, fine Catalan house linen, statues, decorations, etc. Their Catalan linen is particularly valued, and they have an incredibly wide array of soaps.

You can lay your hands on country jams for around € 5, essential oils from € 4 to € 8, post cards for € 0.80, soaps for € 2.75. Prices are very moderate.

Should you want to buy gifts, your purchases can be beautifully gift-wrapped. The nuns speak English too.

Once again, the address is 11, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris. You can reach them at: 33 (0)1 4887 8513 and 33 (0)8 7455 6685.

Free concerts in an awesome setting!

Free music anyone? While in Paris you can attend free concerts twice a week at Saint-Merri Church in downtown rue Saint-Martin. This church dates back to 1550. Its architecture has been inspired by Notre-Dame’s, and in fact it is known as ‘Notre-Dame la petite’ (the little Notre-Dame). It is chock-a-block with impressive stained-glass windows, frescos, bas-reliefs, sculptures, tapestries and paintings, not to mention its beautiful musical center-piece, an awesome organ with a long and distinguished history.

Concerts last around an hour and start on Saturdays at 9:00 pm and on Sundays at 4:00 pm. Although the musical genre is predominately classical, they do play jazz from time to time, and even rarer kinds of music: classical Indian, Chinese, Armenian, and medieval music. Donations are appreciated but entirely at your discretion.

On the first and third Sundays of every month the Church offers a guided visit of the building after the concert.

The Saint-Merri Church is situated at 78 rue Saint-Martin, 75004 Paris. The phone number is: 33 (0)1 4271 9393. The two closest metro stations are: Hotel de Ville (take exit Rue du Renard); and Chatelet (take exit Place Sainte Opportune).

Don’t miss my next issue of Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News newsletter, with yet more discoveries of hot spots, shopping gems and the best in authentic Parisian eateries.

The Parisians not only take their food and wine seriously but also their shopping. Shopping in Paris is an art.   Once you know a few secrets, Paris can the best place in the world to buy discounted designer items.  I’ve also observed how the French shop.  They buy quality rather than quantity.  Two or three classic pieces each year, normally bought during their favourite shopping time “Les Soldes”.  Twice a year, the French do some serious shopping.  Summer Sales in August and Winter Sales in February.  These are government controlled and while there’s a lot of dissatisfaction among retailers about these restrictions, I believe it works well for consumers.But what if you can’t shop in sale time?   You have several choices.  Warehouses (entrepôt); second hand stores specialising in designer brands only (dépot-ventes) or private sales (held for a short specified period and online).   If you are a Paris resident, ‘ventes privées’ offer great bargains (see below for three of the best sites). But back to retail shopping. Warehouse outlets:Not far from the popular rue de Rennes (home to the big brand ZARA, H&M & GAP) is rue Placide.  For designer labels, head to ‘Mouton a Cinq Pattes’ (Sheep with five Paws) This Parisian institution has every imaginable designer label on sale; although some items have been there so long they’ve made a comeback.  They have three stores in this small street, which is a bit of a mystery.  Lots of bargain bins to search deep and wide while I can’t guarantee a ‘Hermes Scarf’ you may find a Louis Vuitton or a Chanel, lots of Gucci belts and other surprises.Word of warning; finding your size can be disappointing.  Anything under a European 40 or US 10 should be fine with skirts, shirts and little tees.  Anything over might be limited to their choice of jackets, coats (fur and leather) and other accessories. I guess there’s some truth in ‘French women don’t get fat’.  In the same street you will find the outlets for Carroll and ETAM which offer good classic work suits and tops as well as numerous children’s boutiques and shoe shops. It’s a small street and well worth the detour.  At the end of the street, it’s back to luxury shopping at the Bon Marche or a spot of lunch in their recently renovated “Le Grande Epicerie Paris’. At the opposite end of town is rue D’Alésia.   My Parisian friends tell me they don’t shop there as it’s just not chic enough but I don’t believe them.  Its only a short metro ride away from high street shopping and well worth a visit, particularly if you like Cacharel and Sonia Rykiel.  There are lots of small stores stocking Armani, Dolce & Gabbanna, American Retro and numerous French labels. It’s quite a long street so you could easily spend a full day shopping there.At Cacharel I couldn’t resist a hip length woollen jacket, with a rabbit-fur lapel (€660 reduced to €120) and a frilly, high-neck silk blouse (reduced from €320 to €90). There’s also a great selection of clothes for children; girls’ embroidered cardigans at €30, boys suits from €100 as well as lots of cashmere twin sets around €80-120. The ground floor is dedicated to Monsieur:  Suits, shirts and sweaters at great prices.Also impressive are the two Sonia Rykiel stores.  As France’s queen of ‘knits’ you can be assured of quality and there’s plenty of her trademark bright coloured wool tops and skirts for under €100.   Both stores had last winter’s stock greatly reduced and some new season items, albeit some with flaws.  The larger of the SR stores has a section dedicated to the under 2s.  You can image how cute this is. Lastly, shoes, glorious shoes.  Head to rue Meslay; the entire street is dedicated to our ‘pieds’.  I would recommend going straight to No 13.   This store specialises in Charles Jourdan (should have more stock after the liquidation) Valentino and Langerfeld.  Prices range between €80-200 and there’s lot of classic styles and colours.  Afterwards, there are over 50 stores to browse.  Many offer ‘copy’ designs in Chanel and Prada but the quality often matches the prices.   I saw lots of the Italian brand Superga from €25, Converse and Todds.  When I visited in winter there was an extensive range of leather boots from €150.To diverge a little, minutes away from rue Mesley is the rue Temple.  This district is famous for its wholesale jewellery supplies: Beads, chains, tools as well as costume jewellery.  It’s a great street as there’s always a frenzy of activity.  Retailers bargaining with wholesalers.  Large garbage bags of costume jewellery being dragged back to the 5th and ready for a mark-ups of 70-100%.  These stores usually only sell to retailers but you are free to wonder around and you can always ask if you see something you like.  If you can buy in quantities, they will almost certainly turn a blind eye in demanding the necessary retail registration details.  I’ve never had problems buying semi-precious stones and chains.Now, back to shoes, for all fans of the ‘stiletto’.  I am going to recommend a store on the outskirts of Paris, “Mini-Prix’.  It look more like a 7/11 but you will find designs by Jill Sanders, Ralph Lauren, Blackberry Neal Alexandra, Patrick Cox and Gianfranco Ferre – sorry no Manolo Blahnik -  all for less than €200.  Surprisingly, some new season stock. They also have a small range of designer label handbags but I wasn’t too impressed with the collection.  It’s not far from the Porte de Versailles, the major trade exhibition hall in Paris.  There’s really nothing else in this area, a couple of stores promoting clothes, but not a great collection.  However if you like heels, you’ll love this place.Of course, this is only a tiny selection of the many places in Paris.  Everyone has their favourite and I’ll certainly be back to Cacharel when time and budget permit!Address list:Cacharel & Sonia Rykiel – rue d’Alésia Métro: Alésia, t: 01 45 42 53 04Mini-Prix, rue Boulevard Victor  M: BalardShoes rue Meslay – M: Rennes