Champagne Dreams
You’ve been to Paris before, but are drawn back to the magic of the City of Lights. Wandering along the Seine, people watching from a cafe, soaking in the vibe….this is what Paris is all about. But you have seen all the major sites and find yourself with a few open days. What to do? Why, a few days in Champagne for some bubbly of course!
During our month long stay in the Champagne region we visited maisons in both Reims and Èpernay. Both are accessible from Paris by train.
Champagne in Reims
Reims is a mid-sized town of about 200,000 residents. It is a quick 45 minute train ride from Gare de l’Est in Paris to the Gare de Reims train station. Here’s you’ll find some of the premier champagne houses! There are 16 houses here, including Veuve Clicquot, Tattinger, Mumm, Martel, and Vranken-Pommery.
Most of the larger champagne houses are located on the south end of Reims. You take a taxi, uber or a bus. Or you can get your steps in from the train station and see two UNESCO Heritage sites along 1.8 mile walk: Notre Dame de Reims, the cathedral where most of the kings of France were crowned, and Basilica Saint Remi, an 11th century abbey.
Seven of the champagne houses sit atop les crayères, chalk quarries that were dug in the middle ages. These are underground cathedrals, still showing the pick axe marks from 1500 years ago! They maintain a constant temperature of 11c which aides in the slow fermentation and aging process that are ideal for champagne.
We did the Only One Quality, the Finest tour and tasting at Veuve Clicquot. It was €80/person. It lasted 90 minutes and we had 4 tastings in the cellar.
If you like a good strong female character, which I certainly do, it doesn’t get more inspirational than The Widow Clicquot. (side note….I had watched the movie, and knew a little about her story, but didn’t know that Veuve meant widow in French!).
In 1805, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot was widowed after only 6 years of marriage and inherited her husband’s wine business. She was tenacious, and in the face of bankruptcy, that pesky Napoleonic War, and more than a few men who doubted her, she broke the proverbial glass ceiling, building one of the largest champagne houses in France. She was also an innovator, developing the riddling method of twisting the bottles in a rack to keep the yeast in the neck. That’s a method still used by all champagne producers!
The caves, the history, and the fabulous champagne make this a must see champagne house in Reims.
Champagne in Épernay
For a small village that is all about champagne, the village of Epérnay is a must visit. Épernay is a short 30 minute train ride from Reims. The scenery is beautiful, particularly with the changing colors on the vines in October.
The train station is a short walk 5 minute from the famous Avenue de Champagne. There are several restaurants in the city center. We chose a quick lunch at a cafe, but there are many options for more traditional french fare.
In Épernay, you’ll find some of the major labels like Möet, but also a number of smaller boutique maisons. We visited on a Saturday in late October and it wasn’t very busy, but I imagine that in the peak of summer it is very crowded. Generally, reservations are recommend for tastings. We prebooked one tasting at Boutique Champagne Pierre Mignon, which we really enjoyed. We had four pours for €24/person. Since there weren’t many people when we were there, many of the champagne houses had signs out front that they were open for tastings.
We learned a lot about champagne on our tastings and tours, including the proper way to open a bottle (take off the foil, untwist the cage 6 turns, then hold the cork and turn the bottle to ease the cork out). Whether you chose to stay in Reims for a few days or do day trips from Paris, it is a great experience to learn about something quintessentially French!