Three Months on the Markets: Wine, Sunshine, and a Wobbly Parasol
July, August, September.
Three months lugging bottles in the car trunk, setting up our little table between the honey stand and the cherry tomatoes, smiling before the first coffee, and chatting with anyone who stopped out of curiosity.
The Concept: Testing the Market… on the Market
The idea was simple: see if our wines would find their audience — without going broke.
No shop, no fancy sign. Just a table, a tablecloth (well… kind of — those who saw our early Instagram stories know our “decor” was a disaster… and honestly, not much has changed 😅), and a few bottles.
At markets, you pay by the “linear meter” — around €2.50 per meter.
Meaning one bottle sold and the day’s rent is covered. The rest is bonus… or a free tan. (Good thing our wobbly parasol mostly held up.)
July: The Big Push
Four markets a week:
Monday in Kaysersberg, Thursday at Les Halles de Colmar, Friday in Turckheim, Saturday at Place Saint-Joseph.
Let’s just say the car trunk saw things it can’t unsee.
Some mornings were calm, others endless.
Turckheim, for example: zero sales. But hey, it’s a wine village with plenty of established cellars — so fair enough that people don’t come to the market looking for wine.
Result: we stopped going there in August.
August: Slower, More Local
We kept Kaysersberg, Les Halles, and Saint-Joseph.
A gentler rhythm — and a more human one too.
too.
Tourists stopped by, tasted, chatted, and left with a “souvenir” bottle.
Locals came back.
Some just said hi. Others restocked.
And that’s what we love: seeing familiar faces, hearing “your wine was great last week.”
September: Back to Basics
End of season, we kept only the Saint-Joseph market in Colmar.
It’s the one that feels the most like us: local, simple, a bit messy sometimes — but real.
That’s where we found our people: the ones who just want good wine, without the attitude.
The Numbers (No Overthinking Required)
Three months :
For the curious:
Not hypermarket numbers, but for us, a real success.
Because behind every bottle, there’s a story told, a smile shared, a hand that tastes, another that buys.
What we remember
The market is our best shop window.
Just us, people, and bottles.
We learned to talk about wine simply, to listen, to adapt.
To manage stock, logistics (yes, unloading the car every single market day).
And sometimes to wait an hour for the first sale — still smiling, of course.
What's next?
We’re sticking with the Saint-Joseph market — our little HQ.
Fewer drives, more exchanges, more fun.
Because in the end, that’s where it all makes sense: good, accessible, honest wines — served with a real human touch.
