Food and wine tour of Paris with wine-tasting and lunch

Gourmet food, unsurpassed wines, and a tradition of culinary passion are essential to the national character of France. Strolling through the downtown district that once housed the city’s central market, our professional guide will give you a memorable “Tour de France” through the food shops. We’ll enjoy specialty breads, cheeses, charcuterie, pastries and chocolates from all over the nation.You'll meet your group (12 people) in central Paris and start the day as many French do, with a coffee and a croissant. You’ll learn how these flakey buns are made and your guide will stock up on baguettes for your lunch later on.We'll walk through the neighborhood of Les Halles, formerly known as the “the stomach of Paris” as it featured the massive wholesale food market that daily provisioned the city. Nowadays this district is still a must-see for our gourmet visitors, since it features a wide variety of gastronomical specialties and restaurants as well as kitchen supply stores.The busy rue Montorgueil will conduct us to the most delicious boutiques, offering us samples of artisanal cheeses from all around the country in a traditional fromagerie, and tasty and complex chocolates at a noted chocolatier’s. We’ll continue to the city’s oldest patisserie, founded in 1730 by the Queen’s baker (who also invented the baba au rhum). This shop is still famous today, recently winning the Best Chocolate Éclair; we’ll obtain our favorite desserts here for our lunch a bit later. The final food shop included is an épicerie full of atmosphere, which offers delicious typical products from Southwestern France.Other sights and opportunities will be available in addition to our partner food shops. You’ll admire the full range of specialist food purveyors including butchers, fishmongers, and vegetable markets as we amble down this pedestrian street that epitomizes the French respect for all foods. If you are a cook yourself, you may be drawn to the professional quality tools and supplies available in the kitchen boutiques along the way; one such shop is the oldest of its kind in Paris.Our visit culminates in highly rated wine bar, where we will be served a flight of wine by an expert sommelier. Your experience will end with an authentic picnic lunch of a variety of foods and wines, the ideal conclusion to your journey into French gastronomy.