Clos des Arènes
- Geoffrey Finch
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
Among the newest of Paris' wine-producing vineyards
MAR 13
UPCOMING LOCAL WINE EVENTSThe 2nd pruning festival for the Domaine Viticole Paris Gravelle is being held on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 March 2025. For details and to sign up to participate, click here.
The history of the Clos des Arènes, the once lost and forgotten Roman Arena of Paris dating from the year 50, located just behind where I live and work in the 5th arrondissement, was replanted with vines in February 2020. Replanted, because the Clos des Arènes already existed in the 12th century and belonged to the Abbaye Saint Victor (more on this further on). Although wine production suggests volume with cases of wine for sale, any amount of wine coming from the smallest of vineyards must necessarily be referred to as its production. And the first ‘vintage’ of the Clos des Arenes was very, very small, coming in at about 10 litres. This is by no means indicative of what it is potentially able to produce, as 2024 was by no means typical, and has already been cited in earlier posts as among the 6 worst vintages of the past two-hundred years.
This most ancient of Parisian historical monuments was unearthed and rediscovered in the 19th century during construction of the Place Monge Metro. It was also the location of a medieval vineyard, first cited in the 7th century, also called the Clos des Arènes. Today, the sloping banks of the arena, once occupied with seating but since its restoration simply covered in grass, offer the perfect pitch for vines. In February 2020 these slopes were planted to vines, making them one of the most recent additions to the vineyards of Paris.
The varietals that have been planted are disease resistant hybrids called ‘Artaban’, ‘Vidoc’ and ‘Floreal’ developed by the INRA (Institut national de le recherche agronomique). The first two are red grapes. Artaban is planted on the North slope, Vidoc on the South and Floreal on the Southwest slope. Based on the initiative of a neighbourhood association (aptly called the Clos des Arènes), the intention is for this vineyard to serve as an historical landmark connecting us to the quarter’s rich viticultural past.
When Lutèce was sacked during the barbarian invasions of 275 A.D., some of the structure’s stonework was carted off to reinforce the city’s defences around the Île de la Cité. Subsequently, the amphitheatre became a cemetery, and then it was filled in completely following the construction of the Philippe Auguste wall (ca. 1210). Over time, it was covered by 20 metres of earth and forgotten for 12 centuries.
The Abbaye Saint Victor, which occupied the area now taken by the Jardin des Plantes, the campus of Jussieu University, and the streets south of there (Cuvier, Guy de la Brosse, Linné), was, along with the Abbaye Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Notre Dame de Paris, endowed with very extensive land holdings, planted mostly to vines. Saint Victor was also in possession of the vines variously referred to as ‘les Arènes de Saint Victor’ or the ‘Clos des Arènes’. Etienne Lafourcade in Paris Pays du Vin (1998) cites references to the vineyards of Les Arènes, the first dating from around 616.
The tasting of this first vintage was held at the Mairie du 5è (town hall of the 5th arrondissement) with the mayor, Florence Berthout in attendance along with Sylviane Leplatre, who makes all the wines of the city’s vineyards, and the president of the Clos des Arènes, Philippe Rolin. This meagre contribution was again, hardly typical of what the Clos des Arènes might one day produce, as the vines are still very young and it is difficult to extract anything of merit with only 10 litres of juice. But the novelty of being among the first to experience the fruit of this young vineyard was a thrill in itself.
On Saturday 8 March, following this tasting, which was held on 6 March, an enthusiastic group gathered to prune the vines of the Clos des Arènes.
The mood was convivial and very well attended for the amount of work there was to be done. A similar area in practically any commercial vineyard would have been pruned in a couple of hours by one person. The work of pruning is very important as it ‘shapes’ the vine for the year to come, thus helping to determine how much fruit the vine will yield.
Meanwhile, the Domaine Viticole Paris Gravelle, the city’s largest vineyard located in the Hippodrome de Paris, is hosting a pruning workshop this coming Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a tasting of the beer we helped produce last September. Santé
My book, ‘The Hidden Vineyards of Paris’ (reviewed in Jancis Robinson’s wine blog, the Wine Economist, National Geographic Traveler UK, UK Telegraph) is available for purchase via our website and at anglophone bookshops and wine shops in Paris. You can also find it at the Musée de Montmartre and the Librairie Gourmande.
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