Is a Cheese and Wine Tasting Worth It in Paris?

By Maxime Malbranque — trained cheesemonger, founder of EatCheeseWithMaxLast updated: October 2026

Yes, a cheese and wine tasting in Paris is worth it when a specialist runs it, the group is small and the portions are real. At my tasting in Montmartre you get 8 raw-milk French cheeses and 5 French wines over 2 hours, with a maximum of 12 guests, for €69 per person.

Let me answer this question the way I'd answer it if a friend asked me over a glass of wine: yes, absolutely — if it's done with the right intentions, the right product, and genuine passion for sharing. That's exactly what I set out to create when I started hosting tastings in Montmartre.

I'm a cheesemonger by trade. Not a sommelier who added cheese to the menu, not a tour guide who learned a few facts about Brie — a cheesemonger, with years spent selecting, aging, and understanding French cheese at a professional level. That background changes everything about the experience I'm able to offer.

What do you actually get?

When you sit down at one of my tastings, the table is generous. I mean that literally.

• 8 carefully selected French cheeses — not the ones you'll find in every tourist shop, but the ones French people actually eat. Cheeses with stories, with character, with regional identity.
• 5 French wines, including one sparkling.
• Fresh baguette tradition, because good bread is not optional when you're tasting serious cheese.
• 2 full hours — unhurried, conversational, with the full story behind every cheese and every wine on the table.
• Maximum 12 guests, always. I keep groups small on purpose. It's the only way to make the experience feel like a gathering rather than a presentation.

The portions are generous — genuinely generous, not symbolically so. I'd rather you leave full and happy than leave having tasted a sliver of something extraordinary.

Which cheeses will you taste?

One of the things I care about most in these tastings is showing people what French people actually eat — not the postcard version of French cheese, but the real thing. That means going beyond Brie and Camembert (as wonderful as they are) and into territory that genuinely surprises people: an Ossau-Iraty from the Basque Country, a Morbier with its iconic ash line, a Fourme d'Ambert that converts blue cheese skeptics on the spot or even a regional Tomme that express perfectly the identity of his Terroir.

As a cheesemonger, I select every cheese personally. I know where it comes from, who made it, and exactly what stage of ripeness will make it shine on the plate. That level of attention isn't something you can fake — and it's what makes the difference between a tasting that's interesting and one that's genuinely memorable.

What will you learn?

Beyond the eating and drinking — which is already a very good reason to come — you leave with a real understanding of how to approach French cheese and wine. How to read a cheese. How to pair without falling into the classic traps. Why certain wines belong with certain textures. What AOP means and why it matters.

That knowledge travels with you. Long after the trip, when you're standing in front of a cheese counter somewhere in the world, you'll know what you're looking at — and that's something I find genuinely satisfying to give people.

Why Montmartre?

I chose Montmartre deliberately. It's the most village-like neighborhood in Paris — a place where independent artisans still thrive, where the pace slows down just enough to actually taste something. It's not a performance of Parisian life; it's the real thing, in one of the city's most beautiful corners.

There's something right about tasting a Norman Camembert with a glass of Chablis in Montmartre. The setting is part of the experience.

What do guests say?

I've hosted more than 5,000 guests since 2023, and the feedback that means the most to me isn't "it was delicious" — it's "I finally understand French food culture." With 186 Google reviews and a 5/5 rating (October 2026), I'm proud that the experience consistently delivers on that promise.

People come curious and leave converted — to French cheese, to white wine pairings, and often to the idea that the best experiences in Paris are the intimate ones.

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