In a noisy corner of the 9th arrondissement, Fro. shows off its immaculate conception: bright white walls, a bar draped in plastic, dazzling neon lights… This rough-around-the-edges monastic minimalism is a thousand leagues away from the warm welcome you’ll receive from Sophie Léger, who used to work in the record press industry, and who opened this singular wine / book / record shop with Anne-Laure Paulhiac, who used to work in fashion and publishing. On the pale shelves, colorful magazines stand out (Trax, Apartamento, Double), much like the saturated records (D.K., Pharoah Sanders) and bright labels: a collection of militant wines from Vins & Volailles, a highly unusual bottle from Zulu Wines and the Danjou brothers, a pet’ nat’ from the Baccus Social Club… Taken with us the night we visited for a multi-sensorial tasting session: a briny Acqualina from Simon Batardière in the Loire (€16), a “Normandy Cowboys” special edition of Hobbies magazine (€12), and Adios Bahamas by the rapper Népal (€20) to help it all go down easy. // R.P.
The bullet-proof bottle: A pure Auvergne Picpoul from Patrick Bouju (€24).
