Wine For Misfits

Au 243 is hands down the best cheese and wine shop in Paris. To be fair, it was the only cheese and wine shop I went to in Paris, but that doesn’t mean the statement isn’t true. 

The Perfect Paris Moment

Here’s the thing, I’m a lady of leisure. And while I enjoyed going to the Eiffel tower and love being able to say I went to the Louvre (being there involved a very different emotion), the thing I was really interested in doing while in Paris was eating cheese. 

The Cutest Cheese Shop in the 15th Arrondissement

I’m going to be honest with you, I still don’t know how to pronounce “Arrondissement”. When I try to pronounce it I add an “n” where there should be an “a” and a “d” where there should be an “r” because I have no idea how to pronounce any French word without totally butchering it with my California, valley-girl accent. 

What are Arrondissments you ask? 

Arrondissements are like different districts within Paris. So when I say our hotel was in the 15th arrondissment, I’m saying out hotel was in the 15th district. Lucky for us, the cute little cheese and wine shop, Au 243, was less than a mile away from our hotel.

So Many Cheeses

I know nothing about cheese. I typically go for the hard cheese (that’s what she said), but while in Paris, do as the Parisians do. Now I can’t confirm they prefer soft cheese, but I ate a lot of soft cheese, which means I will assume that’s their preference.

Like many Parisian restaurants, the shop’s doors open to the sidewalk with bistro tables and chairs facing the street. Perfect for people-watching. 

The shop purveyor took the lead and made all the decisions for us. Thank goodness too because I left my decision-making crystal at home. That, and I know nothing about cheese, so I appreciated her assistance as well as enthusiasm.

I wish I had the vocabulary to describe the cheese for you, but, frankly, I don’t even care to learn it. I just want to eat it.  

I’ll do what Gordon Ramsay does and rely on the word “beautiful” to describe food. 

With that said, the cheeses were all so beautiful. 

So Many Wines

The friendly and helpful purveyor recommended white wine with the cheeses because I was definitely going to go with a red until she said something.

We went with a Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon blend. 

What the F*ck is Semillon? 

When I took my Wine Spirits Education Trust (WSET) certification, I learned about Semillon. Now, I can confidently say I don’t remember anything about it besides the fact it’s white.

It doesn’t matter that I don’t remember though, I have my certification and add it to my resume. 

They can’t take it back. 

But Semillon is a grape (a white one in case you skimmed the earlier part of this section) that’s usually blended with Sauvignon Blanc or another grape I’ve never heard of called Muscadelle.

Semillon has a bit more waxy texture which gives a nice round mouthfeel. It adds richness to Sauvignon Blanc without losing the crispness in the wine. 

It can be served slightly warmer than your average chilled wine if that’s what you’re into. But for me, I like my white wine like I like my cats: cold at first then they warm up. 

The bottle was a great recommendation on a warm day in Paris while eating soft cheese at a bistro table on the sidewalk.

If you want to try a bottle for yourself, Trader Joe’s has a blend that’s in my price range of single-digits (under $10). 

Kitty Rating Score

TL;DR

Honestly, this was my favorite place in Paris: I had cheese, an informative cheese supplier who made all the decisions for me, a chilled bottle of white wine from Bordeaux that didn’t break the bank, and city sidewalk views perfect for people-watching. 

Because I see no online evidence this is part of a larger corporate business, I am once again going the route of assumptions and will assume this is a small business.

Au 243 gets a 10/10 Kitties.