Would You Rather Drink Wine In A Napa Or Paris Vineyard? Tasting Table Readers Decide

Approximately 3.85 million visitors traveled to Napa Valley in 2018, according to Visit Napa Valley, and the region is considered to be one of the top wine destinations in the world. The area even assisted California in recovering its tourism levels in 2022 to those of 2019 (aka pre-pandemic), per The City of Napa. There's no doubt the valley is a go-to spot for winos living in and visiting the U.S. — but considering the first commercial winery in the area only opened in 1861, it's not the oldest region around. In Paris, on the other hand, the beverage has been made since the year 276, when the city was the former French capital of wine.

With so many places to choose from in 2023, we polled our Facebook followers to find out if they would rather down some vino at a vineyard in Napa or Paris — and the results may surprise you. Among the respondents, 64% voted for Napa, while 27% chose Paris. As for the remaining 9% of Tasting Table readers, they opted for option C — their favorite vineyards excluding these two. One person mentioned Italy, while another preferred the Yakima Valley in Washington state.

Assuming the responders primarily live in the States, location bias may have helped tip the results in Napa's favor. In fact, one Tasting Table reader cited proximity (and a little nostalgia) as their reason for voting for the California-based wineries. "Definitely Napa," they wrote. "Close to where I used to live in California. I miss it!" On the flip side, one responder who lives 35 miles from Napa Valley voted for Paris, since it's a region they're not as familiar with.

But the Paris voters had good reasons for doing so. As one proclaimed, "I've seen grapes grow, I'm all for sightseeing and drinking multiple varieties of vineyards. You can do that in Paris!" Meanwhile, another cited the French city as a potentially more affordable area to visit vineyards. "Napa has become so [expensive] (they charge a high fee for tastings, and do not waive the fee when you buy bottles). It's almost cheaper to go to Paris!" they said. 

However, one commenter was unaware of wineries in the city of Paris, while another said the "good" vineyards are in the countryside. While it's true that incredible wineries exist all over France, there are in fact about 150 vineyards in or near Paris, including some stunning hidden landscapes. Whether it's a cheaper place to drink wine than Napa, however, is still up for debate.