Cover image: Clos Montmartre
Photographer: Shadowgate 
Source: Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-2.0

Every autumn, Montmartre briefly remembers that before it became synonymous with artists, cabarets and Sacré-Cœur, it was a village replete with grapevines.

The Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre, which takes place this week, celebrates that history with wine, food, and music. At the center is the Clos Montmartre, the district's celebrated, working vineyard. It is a small, yet active reminder of a time when there were numerous vineyards in the Paris area and wine production was a major activity.

A glass of Montmartre wine
© Entrée to Black Paris

As the grape harvest begins, I thought it fitting to raise awareness of a lesser known aspect of the industry—that of the growing presence of Black people in the French wine world.

Their stories challenge the notion that France's wine industry belongs exclusively to old European families whose names have appeared on bottles for generations.

Consider Stephanie Wangui, whose path into French wine began not with inherited vineyards but with experience in London's restaurant world.

A former senior sommelier at Noble Rot, Wangui moved to Burgundy's Côte d'Or and undertook a viticulture internship at Domaine Roulot in Meursault, one of Burgundy's highly regarded estates.

Her trajectory—from the dining room to the vineyard—is unusual and significant. Sommeliers traditionally occupy the world between wine producers and consumers: they translate terroir into something a guest can understand and appreciate. Wangui's move into viticulture represents something more fundamental: learning to work the land itself.

Click here to see a beautiful photo of Wangui and read more about her career trajectory.

Marie-Inès Romelle, founder of Champagne Marie Césaire, offers another version of that journey.

Romelle trained with the Lefevre family in Champagne before establishing her own brand. Marie Césaire brings together French Champagne tradition and Romelle's Caribbean heritage, including the use of cane sugar instead of beet sugar and a distinctive emphasis on tropical aromas.  It will celebrate its 11th anniversary in December 2026.

Joséphine en Rose champagne by Marie Césaire for Josephine Baker's pantheonization
© Entrée to Black Paris

Read Travel Noire's article about her here.

Pascal Carole's winemaking story unfolds in France's Loire Valley. Originally from Martinique, he was introduced to winemaking through a course at Ruby Wine in San Francisco. Shortly thereafter, he had the opportunity to harvest grapes and produce a small batch of Chardonnay. This experience prompted a career change and led him to spend a year apprenticing with Brent Mayeaux before moving his family to Saumur to launch his business.

Carole produces wines from his own Cabernet Franc grapes, which he grows in the commune of Distré, as well as from organically-grown grapes from local vineyards. He produces his wines in his garage, limiting his annual production to 2,000 to 3,000 bottles to ensure quality.

Click here for a detailed article about his story.