Meeting Géric of G.IV in Paris

Not long ago we wrote about G.IV: a wine bar in Paris’s 2nd arrondissement. We loved that little spot so much that we went back to do an interview. Meet Géric, founder and owner of G.IV. He walks us through his path and the great products you’ll find at his place. Enjoy the read.

Can you introduce yourself?

I opened this place four years ago. My path is a bit unusual. I started off in banking for about twelve years. I really enjoyed it. I was working on a trading floor. I wanted to switch gears with two passions: wine and pastry. I’d done a CAP (vocational diploma) in pastry while I was still in banking. Those two things pushed me to leave banking. That was the end of 2012.

How did you end up here?

The banking environment really suited me for a few years. I genuinely enjoyed working there. But I wanted to create something, that entrepreneurial drive. Plus the passions I mentioned. I grew up among the vines, in cognac country. So I had this passion and that environment with me. I wanted to leave banking and create a place where people could come taste good products and good wines. And here we are.

How did you get into wine?

I was always around vines when I was young. My father grew vines for cognac. I was a student at Bordeaux’s business school. I joined a society to develop oenology. I did a specialized master in finance, also in Bordeaux. There I created a society to organize tours of the Bordeaux vineyard and tastings. I also have a cousin who makes wine in Pessac-Léognan: Château Haut Lagrange. I organized a visit there at the time.

You mentioned you also did a CAP in Pastry?

Yes, I’ve loved pastry since I was a kid. I’d take books and follow recipes. I’ve been making cakes for ages. I wanted to dig deeper into the topic. There’s a very precise side to pastry. You often use the same ingredients but get very different results. I took evening classes after work. I like setting myself goals. So I went for a CAP in pastry. The good news: every dessert at G.IV is homemade.

You leave banking in 2012 and immediately open G.IV?

There was nothing here, it was a showroom. The space wasn’t a wine bar or a restaurant at all. Between leaving banking and opening, two or three years went by. I went from a fairly comfortable place to an environment I knew much less. I went to work in several places, in Bordeaux, in Paris. Then I worked at Nysa, on rue Montorgueil, on weekends. The rest of the time I was working on my project.

First, finding a space isn’t easy. Location matters, price too. I found this space. It’s 90 square meters, with a 70-square-meter room and just over thirty seats. Everything had to be created from scratch. I have no partners. That’s pretty exciting because I get to decide everything. But when you’re alone, you have to know how to surround yourself and seek advice. I was lucky enough to have close friends who helped a lot. We set up a steering committee. I’d organize a meeting every two weeks on a specific topic. I’d wait for their feedback. We’d cover the products, the atmosphere, etc.

How did the first night go?

I’d told friends to come and break the place in. In fact, the first night we were full. Big tables came in. It was excitement, but also a moment of truth. The first night will stick in my memory. It was a great evening. People stopped by and came in to discover the place.

How did you select your products?

For wine, I lean heavily on French wines. I don’t have huge space, so I have to be selective. Each wine has its story. They’re encounters with winemakers at trade shows or elsewhere. I have a nice selection of natural wines. With natural wines there’s a lot, I don’t really love it when it’s too animal. There are more linear things I prefer. I know the Bordeaux region well, so I have indirect contacts there. In Paris, winemakers also work through agents who sell their wines. I know a few agents I’m in touch with regularly. They keep close to the winemaker, who sometimes comes here to do tastings.

Can you tell us a bit more about the G.IV concept?

What I’m interested in is the pairing between the wine and the food. There are a lot of wine bars where you’ve got the boards on one side and the wines on the other. I thought it’d be good to go further. We start with the drink. The customer chooses the wine they want and we propose a board to match. We had fun finding the products and getting the pairings right. On the menu, the boards are organized by grape. We’re also a wine merchant, you can come buy your wine here and walk out with it.

Do you create the food and wine pairings yourself?

Yes. I pick a wine and taste products to see if they go. Sometimes you have ideas in your head, but you have to verify them. Before opening I did tasting sessions with friends to get their input. Sometimes it works, sometimes less so.

Do you also organize workshops here?

Yes, fairly regularly. The idea is to bring together a group of 6 to 10 people. For 2 hours, I make a selection of 4 wines on the theme of natural wines. It’s often foreigners, so I do it in English. The idea is to introduce them to the wine list and to French vineyards. We talk about the difference between organic, biodynamic, and natural wines. We taste, and I prepare a small plate of products that pair very well. If you want to organize this, just contact me. I’m also listed in the AirBnB Experiences section for the foreign clientele.

Have you noticed shifts in what people are looking for?

Yes, real shifts. Natural wine is more present. People also often ask for vegetable-based dishes. I’m still very attached to my products, but I really enjoy proposing vegetable-based sides. We have one board that’s more cheese-led. There are very interesting things to do with vegetables.

What should we hope for next at G.IV?

I always have ideas. For now there’s a lot to do. I’m working on a partnership with a producer I love. Nothing’s defined yet, but why not develop another spot.

Why G.IV?

It’s a family story, four generations around wine. I wanted to put that front and center.

I read a book over the summer holidays. It’s by Sylvie Augereau and it’s called “Le vin par ceux qui le font et pour ceux qui le boivent”. A really beautiful book, full of photos. You’ll find winemakers whose wines I pour here. Beautifully written, you learn lovely things. I’d happily recommend it.

Is there a wine that’s marked you recently?

There’s a wine I love a lot from David Reynaud in the northern Côte du Rhône. It’s an explosion of fruit and a beautiful expression of Syrah. Not too peppery, very fruity. I find it really interesting. He’s a winemaker I really love.

I recently saw Joseph Landron, who makes a cuvée called Amphibolite. He’s a really interesting, warm, passionate character. He came here to let me taste his wines. What I loved was his passionate side and the precise work he puts into his wine. He talks about it with real precision.