Taste without committing. Compare without giving up. Explore without limits.
May 11, 2026 — As habits evolve, wine is gradually detaching itself from its most rigid codes to become a field of experience, curiosity, and freedom. In the United States, this transformation is particularly visible: consumers are no longer just looking to consume, but to understand, to experiment, to multiply discoveries without constraints.
In these dynamic, traditional formats are showing their limits, giving way to more open models capable of combining diversity, accessibility, and high standards.
It is precisely along these lines that Le Cercle des Arômes operates, a French concept entirely dedicated to wine by the glass.
Building on its development in France, where it has established itself as the number one in wine by the glass with eight locations, including an upcoming opening in Brussels, the network is now entering a new strategic phase: its expansion into the United States.
To bring this ambition to life, the brand is seeking an investor-partner to open a first pilot unit, laying the foundation for franchise development across the American territory.
Here, wine is not chosen: it is explored
Le Cercle des Arômes is based on a simple idea, still largely underexploited on a large scale: freeing wine from the constraint of the bottle.
In each establishment, between 150 and 200 wines are offered by the glass. A range that transforms the menu into a true space for exploration. The customer no longer commits to a single reference: they build their own journey, moving from one terroir to another, from one grape variety to a signature, from an accessible wine to a more confidential cuvée.
The formats offered — half-glass / glass / bottle — structure this freedom. The half-glass allows access to more prestigious wines in a refined tasting approach. The standard glass fits into a more traditional consumption. The bottle remains available for those who wish to extend the experience.
This approach redefines the relationship with wine: it is no longer about choosing, but about understanding, comparing, exploring.
Serving 200 wines by the glass without ever betraying a single drop
Behind this promise of diversity lies a strong technical requirement: ensuring that every wine served retains its integrity, at any moment.
Le Cercle des Arômes relies on a preservation system using argon gas, via Coravin technology. This process makes it possible to serve wine without opening the bottle in the traditional way, preventing any oxidation.
Each wine can thus be served multiple times, without alteration of its aromas. This mastery makes it possible to offer a particularly broad, lively, and constantly renewed selection, without compromising quality.
Innovation is not highlighted for its own sake: it operates in the background, as an essential condition for fulfilling the concept’s promise.
Attention to detail, precision of gesture: a distinctly French signature
Le Cercle des Arômes is rooted in a demanding French wine culture, based on selection and atmosphere, both elegant and warm.
The wines offered come from winemakers recognized for their expertise. This choice shapes the identity of the concept: to showcase a living heritage while making it accessible through a renewed format.
Added to this requirement is tangible recognition:
- Terre de Vins — Top 100 Wine Lists in France (2024, 2025);
- Star Wine List — Silver Gold (Best By-the-Glass Program) and Special Jury Prize (2026).
These distinctions confirm the consistency and quality of the model, as well as its ability to structure a large-scale wine-by-the-glass offering.
Beyond wine, Le Cercle des Arômes offers a true immersion into a French art of living. More than a place, it is an atmosphere that is created: elegant, warm, where every detail — lighting, music, service — is designed to evoke the spirit of great French establishments. This intangible dimension is an integral part of the concept: offering a unique experience, where wine is discovered as much through the senses as through the ambiance that surrounds it.
A true journey to France.
At the table, wine finds its allies: terroir products designed to interact
The Le Cercle des Arômes experience naturally extends to the plate.
Each establishment offers a selection of products from French artisans based in the USA: cold cuts, cheeses, ham, tartines, foie gras. All are prepared on demand, often in front of the customer, reinforcing the artisanal dimension.
Here, the cuisine does not seek to dominate: it accompanies, balances, and extends the wine experience.
Everything is in place to scale up: supply, method, support
The move to international markets is based on already solid foundations.
Partnerships related to the supply of wines, spirits, and food are already in place, ensuring continuity in quality and diversity of references offered across the United States.
The model also includes structured support for partners: training, operational follow-up, communication. These systems, already proven in Europe, will be deployed in the United States.
Menus can be adapted by integrating American wines and spirits as well as international references (Italy, Spain, South Africa, Chile, Argentina), while maintaining a strong French presence.
The concept is designed to adapt without diluting.
From Colmar to Europe: the trajectory of a concept born from conviction
Le Cercle des Arômes was created in 2017 in Colmar (Alsace), at the initiative of Antoine Castillon.
At 23, freshly graduated with a Master’s degree in Wine Management, he invested all his savings to launch his first establishment.
At the origin, an idea made possible by technology: thanks to Coravin, offering not just around fifteen wines by the glass, but more than a hundred. The first venue opened with 100 references, quickly increased to 150, then up to 200.
The success was immediate. A second establishment opened in Colmar, followed by gradual expansion. In 2023, the model was structured as a brand license.
In 2026, Le Cercle des Arômes has eight locations (seven in France and one opening planned in Brussels in May) and has established itself as the number one wine-by-the-glass concept in France.
United States: opening a first location to build a network
The ambition is explicit: to become the number one wine-by-the-glass concept in the United States.
To achieve this, Le Cercle des Arômes is implementing a gradual strategy centered on opening a first pilot unit. This location will serve to validate the model on the American market, refine its parameters, and act as a showcase.
In this context, the brand is seeking an investor-partner ready to carry this structuring project. The objective is, ultimately, to develop a franchise network capable of expanding in major metropolitan areas as well as mid-sized cities.
The project is not limited to a single opening: it aims at building a network.
Learn more
Website: https://lecercledesaromes.com/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Le-Cercle-des-Ar%C3%B4mes-100091669760852/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lecercledesaromesofficiel/?hl=fr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoine-castillon-2082a54a?originalSubdomain=fr
