Yard in Paris: natural wines and rock vibes

Yard is a perfect mixture of natural wine, awesome food and rock-n-roll.

It’s got that edgy and yet cozy vibe of a cool rock dive. The kind of place where you would expect Jim Morrison to show up and request a decent glass of Jura or Etna.

Corner shot of Yard in Paris

Yard in Paris outside view

Here is the perfect itinerary for a half-day in Paris.

Make your way to Père Lachaise in the 20ième and on the way back hit the natural wine spots in the 11th arrondissement - to drink the macabre away.

Père Lachaise is Paris’ largest cemetery. It is quite impressive and dare I say - beautiful. It has many notable residents and not just of French origin.

Walking in Père Lachaise Cemetery

Promenading in Père Lachaise

We did a self-guided tour and saw the tombs of Edith Piaf, Oscar Wild and the entire French communist party - among others.

By the way - Jim Morrison is here too. So maybe he does drop by Yard in his otherworldly form.

After the tour of the cemetery - when the weight of mortality lies heavily on your shoulders - what can be better than to drown it in some natural wine?

Yard is a stone’s throw away from Père Lachaise. And it’s sure to shake off the gloom.

Entrance to Yard natural wine bar in Paris

Two lonely plants, a stool and a wine barrel - they kinda look like a rock band of misfits.

Interior shot of Yard in Paris - looking at entrance

There are some stunning beauties behind those glass doors on the right.

Yard in Paris - came for the wines, stayed for the food

As far as natural wine bars in Paris go, Yard came heavily recommended. We showed up at Yard for a couple of glasses of natural wine before we hit the pillow.

They do have a seated area - and I heard that dinners are sensational here. But we were full from finger plates at la Buvette. So we opted to sit at the bar like some hillbillies.

We loved the rock and roll vibes. Especially my Californian cousin who finally felt at home with her fringed bag and studded Uggs.

Corner of the bar at Yard natural wine rest

Wine bar entrance at Yard. I appreciate a little poetic touch - a white and a red rose to greet you. Makes you think of the meaning of life.

Yard in Paris back window with stickers

A cozy little corner at Yard in Paris with stickers, wine bottles and flyers.

Empty bar at Yard in Paris

Row of empty bottles from all the natural wines somebody else drank

I would normally start with the wine, since that’s the focus of my ramblings. But I was so impressed by the food and the service at Yard that most of my praise will flow in that direction.

Brace yourself - food porn coming your way.

Let me tell you that we aren’t an easy group to please when it comes to food (and many other things for that matter).

My sister is gluten-free.
I am vegan and gluten-free.
And our cousin from California is just fucking picky.

We were honoured and touched when the chef came out to greet us and said that he would make something special for us.

He noted our dietary restrictions and asked us to trust him. At that point I would have followed him to the end of the world, let alone eat his food.

Here’s what he came up with:

View from top - bar at Yard wine bar in Paris

Tadahhh!

Thonine carpaccio with beets for Anastassia. She was ready to leave us and go to heaven after this meal.

Little tunny carpaccio with beets at Yard

Bar at Yard in Paris with food and wine

Tarama with squid ink for Zlata. It was so intensely delicious and flavourful, she couldn’t make her way through it.

Tarama with squid ink and lime at Yard natural wine bar in Paris

This thing was really flavourful apparently. I couldn't try it cause it ain't vegan, but my cousin who eats caviar for breakfast was very impressed.

Tarama with squid ink and paired with natural orange wine

Paired with a lovely Alsatian Gewurztraminer with 8 days of maceration from Domaine Einhart. Match intensity with intensity!

A vegan sensation of mushrooms in coconut milk for myself. If you know me, you know that mushrooms bring me to the point of orgasm.

Plate of mushrooms in coconut milk at Yard natural wine bar in Paris

Plate of mushrooms at Yard natural wine bar

And another fully vegan creation to share - a plate of leeks.

My sister was so impressed by this dish that she continued to make it at home for the next two months. I am all leeked out, to be honest.

Plate of leeks at Yard natural wine bar in Paris

Leeks in olive oil and lemon juice - and nothing else apparently.

Everything was super delicious and light.

And it gave our stomachs some cushion to continue exploring the natural wines.

Natural orange wines at Yard

These naked orange beauties accompanied the meal: Puls’Art Gewurz by Domaine Einhart in Alsace to the right. And a mysterious wine that even ai failed to identify - to the left.

Rocking natural wines at Yard

We drank a bunch of sensational beauties. There are two that I would like to highlight. Both are by the same producer - Domaine Bois Moisset.

Coup de Foudre 2021, Domaine Bois Moisset
Sans Pression 2021, Domaine Bois Moisset

Natural wines at Yard in Paris

Sans Pression and Coup de Foudre 2021, by Domaine Bois Moisset

Both are petnats.

We drink a lot of petnats. Petnats (or pet cats - as autocorrect keeps on suggesting) satisfy our three main requirements:

Cheap (so we can drink a lot)
Low ABV (so we can drink even more)
Delicious & funky

They were pretty crazy and to demonstrate that point - here are our drunk tasting notes from that night for the Coup de Foudre:

"Pickled tomato juice on the nose and grapefuit pulp on the palate"

Coup de Foudre (i.e. pickled tomato juice) in the glass

Domaine Bois Moisset is just southeast of Toulouse, in a very picturesque area called Gaillac.

It is a multi-purpose estate run by a lovely couple. They don’t believe in mono-culture - using land to grow other crops as well. In addition to wine, they sell bread that they make from their own grains.

I love this focus on biodiversity. I’ve travelled extensively for wine and have seen with my own eyes how unhealthy vine-growing is. It kills the environment.

No matter how organic, biodynamic and esoteric you are. If there is nothing else growing but the vines - it is not natural. Biodiversity is key.

The grapes for these wines come from the old vines, trained in gobelet style, organically farmed and surrounded by green growth.

The yields are super low. This concentration definitely comes through in the wines.

3 natural wine glasses at Yard on the bar

Petnats (also known as pet cats) - lined up on the bar at Yard.

Spontaneous fermentation with whole clusters in the winery. No sulphur added at any point.

The estate focuses on indigenous varieties, which are still in abundance in the Gaillac region.

The Sans Pression wine is made from Mauzac and Loin-de-l’œil. Rings a bell? Didn’t think so.

Very rock-n-roll!

And speaking of rock-n-roll - Yard was awesome through and through.

Yard wine bar calling card

Yard's calling card

Not ashamed to admit this was another 10 out of 10 experience for me - meaning I reached my alcohol-consumption limit of 10.

But hey, sometimes girls gotta have fun - especially in Paris.

Yard in Paris back alley shot

Yard's back alley - haunted by the spirits of Père Lachaise and drunk Canadian tourists.

6 Rue de Mont-Louis, 75011 Paris, France