John lived in just outside Paris from 1958-1962 while his father was stationed in France. He learned to appreciate French food, wine and the way of life at a very young age, and transmitted this love to his kids.
John-Paul moved to France more than a decade ago to work for a few months as a tour guide. After living in France for only two weeks, he met Julie, who eventually became his wife! Those few months in France quickly turned into a few years, and today Julie and John-Paul still reside in France.
In 2009, John-Paul and Julie hosted dinners at their apartment focusing on French regional cuisine, which eventually led to the creation of their successful Culinary Tours of Paris in 2010.
After conducting hundreds of tastings and tours for several thousand clients, we decided to pool together our knowledge to create F & R Wine Imports, LLC., to provide some of France’s best organic and natural wine to an ever growing market in the United States.
We visit several natural wine fairs per year all over France, whether in Languedoc, Beaujolais, Provence, or in Paris. We spend time getting to know all of our winemakers, visiting them at their homes and seeing how they work in the vines. They have all become our friends over the years and we are very pleased to be able to share the wines of our friends with you!
Julie opening wine in Jura
John-Paul harvesting Gamay in Beaujolais
John tasting wine in Burgundy
St. Louis
Straub's- Webster Groves
Parker's Table at Oakland and Yale
Farmhaus
The Wine and Cheese Place- Clayton
Starrs
Vicia
Brasserie by Niche
Local Harvest Grocery
The Wine and Cheese Place- Rock Hill
Bar Les Frères
Extra Virgin, an Olive Ovation
The Wine Merchant, Ltd.
33 Wine Bar
Cork & Rind
Robust Wine Bar
Union Loafers
The Wine and Cheese Place- Creve Coeur
Olive + Oak
The Crossing
Maypop Coffee and Garden Shop
Civil Life Brewing Company
Winslow's Table
Bulrush
Wild Carrot
Chateau Maplewood
iNDO
Yellowbelly
Blood & Sand
Balkan Treat Box
Straub's- Clayton
The Stellar Hog
The Modern Brewery
Little Fox
AO & Co.
Akar
Elaia
The Scottish Arms
Gezellig
The Side Project Cellar
Columbia
Kansas City
Beet Box
The Antler Room
The Pairing
Fox & Pearl
The Campground
Tannin
The Town Company at Hotel KC
Louie
Room 39
Big Mood Natural Wines
Civil Alchemy
Underdog Wine Co.- Crestwood
Buffalo State Pizza Co.- Crossroads
Pastaria Deli & Wine
The Lucky Accomplice
Herbie's
Beast Butcher & Block
Westport Café
Pizzeria da Gloria
Saint Louis Hop Shop
Mike's Wine & Spirits- Brookside
Tempus
Le Macaron
Clover & the Bee
Clayton Wine House
Mike's Wine & Spirits- Westport
Ça Va
Timothy's The Restaurant
Southside Wine and Spirits
Wines by Jennifer
Seven Swans Crêperie
Café Sebastienne
Springfield
Cherry Picker Package X Fare
Harvest
Progress
Grand Spirits Bottle Company
Perennial on Lockwood
Cellar Rat Wine Merchants
What makes our wines special?
-The French producers with whom we are working are some of the more sought-after organic and natural wine producers in France itself.
-These producers are all small, environmentally conscious winemakers, many of whom have had little exposure in the United States.
-All are at the very least practicing organic, if not biodynamic and/or natural, winemaking techniques.
-Minimal intervention in the winemaking process- no pesticides, no additives, no enzymes, no chaptalisation, only indigenous yeasts, minimal amounts of sulphur used, if any at all…