Come as you are to Rerenga Wines, a tiny wine shop in the 10th arrondissement of Paris where Nathaniel “Nathan” Ratapu pampers his collection of bottles and books with infinite care, perhaps displaying a copy of Du Pain et des Roses by Andrea D’Atri next to a militant rosé from Vins et Volailles (Tu dessers ta cause, Domaine du Temps retrouvé). The American wine shop owner with Maori roots (ex-Thirst Wine Merchants in NYC and Sauvage in Paris) took over a former record store across the street from the Hôtel Grand Amour and turned it into a little haven of viticultural generosity, featuring a structure covered in rough bricks acting as a bar and mustard yellow walls. You’ll find various noteworthy bottles, like a 2013 Riesling oozing with panache produced by Laurent Bannwarth (€25 a bottle), 16 Ares, an Angevin Chenin from Fabrice Chaillou, and a good amount of Cévennes vintages from the Belgian winemaker Lous Grezes – Château chapeau, Le Lous, Grandiose… €14-18). And for some reading material to go with these beautiful bottles, there’s an impressive collection to flip through, featuring options like Pur jus by Fleur Godard and Justine Saint-Lô, Manifeste pour un vin inclusif by Sandrine Goeyvaerts, Féminismes & pop culture by Jennifer Padjemi… Long live the fluid revolution! // R.P.
The bullet-proof bottle: La Canya, a white wine from Oriol Artigas, the new darling of the Catalan natural wine scene (€24).
