“Only the unimaginative can fail to find a reason for drinking champagne.”
Oscar Wilde.
If I have something in abundance, it is definitely imagination. An occasion has yet to be invented for me to say no to champagne. So I went to the heart of the region to bring you the top bubbly experiences. Buckle up and let’s talk champagne!
Before we begin, if you want to expand your knowledge about champagne or need to brush up on some champagne concepts, read this guide with the essential things you should know about the queen of bubbles.
A TALE OF 2 CITIES
The region of Champagne is located in the northeast of France, around 160 km away from Paris. Traditionally, two cities are associated with the region: Reims & Epernay. It seems like there’s a bit of a debate regarding which of these cities is considered the actual capital of Champagne. Both cities claim the title and deservingly so.
Well, I’d say why settle for one capital when you can have two? Instead of fuelling the debate, I’ve visited both and I will tell you all about these champagne destinations.
Let’s start the journey in Reims…
REIMS, A CITY WITH THE KING'S SEAL OF APPROVAL
Besides being one of the capitals of Champagne, Reims is famous for its cathedral, a prime example of gothic architecture with huge historic importance -most of the Kings of France were anointed here. The cathedral has stunning artwork by Marc Chagall and also, an impressive window with stained glass depicting the process to make champagne.
Reims houses various world-known champagne Maisons. Several of these provide a visitor experience where you can tour the cellars -which by the way bear the UNESCO world heritage denomination- and also, taste some of their finest cuvées.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN REIMS
The first time I was in Reims was 5 years ago and I loved it! So when a friend of mine told me she wanted to visit the city, I had no hesitations and immediately packed my bags.
I wanted this trip to be different to my first time in Reims. Also, I didn’t want the fuss of hiring a car, because who wants to drive when you are sipping champagne? Nobody.
With this in mind, I found 3 fantastic experiences, all champagne related of course, that are conveniently located in the city of Reims so no car is needed.
1. VISITING A CHAMPAGNE MAISON IS A MUST
Once you are in the birthplace of champagne, you need to visit one of the world-famous Maisons or houses. On my last trip to Reims, I visited two Maisons: Veuve Clicquot & Mumm. Both are stunning! A review of these is in the making, stay tuned.
This time, I decided to visit the house of Taittinger. The correct pronunciation is hard to convey in a written manner, here is my best shot at it:
[TAY] -as in Taylor Swift
[TAN] -as in fake tan
[JE] -as in je m'appelle in French
[TAY]-[TAN]-[JE]
Welcome to the house of Taittinger
The tour begins with a short film with an intro to the Maison . Afterwards, we headed to the cellars where a deeper explanation of the house and its cuvées followed.
The guide explained that Taittinger has two cellars in Reims. The historical one is where most of the manual work is made and is the one that you can visit. The other one is called La Justice and it is a modern cellar in the centre of the city where most of the production is made. La Justice is not open to the public.
This historical Taittinger cellar was created by Benedict monks and you can still see the stairs that the monks used to go down to the cellar. Down here, wherever you look, you see bottles of champagne (the dream!). To get a sense of scale, 2 million bottles are stored here including prestigious blends and some vintages. In comparison, La Justice houses 25 million bottles and it is 10 km long *sign me up for the next hot girl walk there*.
Amongst the 2 million bottles in the cellar, you can find Taittinger’s Brut Reserve, Vintage and some Blanc de Blancs. The Brut Reserve is a blend of chardonnay, pinot noir & pinot meunier. If you need a refresher on vintage, blanc de blancs, or any other champagne-related term, check out the Wine Glossary: Champagne Terms.
The cellar goes deeper and deeper reaching 80 metres on its lowest level and it is at a constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius.
The best sips of Taittinger Champagne
After finishing the cellar visit we went back upstairs for the dégustation.
The cellar tour is the same for everyone but you can choose among different types of Taittinger champagne for your tasting when you purchase your ticket.
I chose a glass of Prélude Grands Crus and a glass of Millésime 2015 for my tasting. I made this selection because both cuvées have a similar blend and similar maturation time and wanted to see how different they would be.
The Prélude Grands Crus is a 50/50 blend of chardonnay & pinot noir.
It is aged for more than 5 years in the cellar and it contains grapes solely from Grand Cru vineyards of Champagne, which means la crème de la crème of vineyards. It is described by Taittinger as “a joyous blend of finesse and complexity”, oh my! This pale yellow elixir is giving floral notes, citrus and white peach. Yum, yum, yum.
The Millésime 2015 is also a 50/50 blend of chardonnay & pinot noir.
The year 2015 was chosen by the house of Taittinger because of the extraordinary conditions of the year: mild winter with a varied spring (frost followed by heat), sunny summer with little rain and cool autumn.
This champagne is made using only the first pressed juice (considered the most valuable) and with grapes coming from both Grands Crus & Premiers Crus vineyards. After ageing for 5 years in the cellar, this champagne is giving orange blossom, toasted almonds and a hint of citrus. *muah! chef’s kiss*
In Taittinger’s words “It is the perfect confluence of terroir, year, climate and our house style. This vintage encompasses all of our terroirs’ finesse and maturity, that can only be fully appreciated upon tasting”. *mic drop*
2. VISIT A SPECIALISED CHAMPAGNE BOUTIQUE & BAR
To have a full-rounded experience, I wanted to visit artisan producers of champagne in addition to the world-known Maisons.
There are so many wonderful villages in the appellation that host artisan producers but it is tricky to reach them without a car - no drinking and driving here, strictly no car policy for me.
Doing my research back home I discovered a promising hidden gem and trust me, it did not disappoint. Trésors de Champagne la boutique is a marvellous spot where you can taste the best champagne from artisan producers in the region.
There are 7 reasons why this champagne boutique is über cool
1 It was born from a champagne club. The club itself is, of course, called Trésors de Champagne which translates to champagne treasures, magnifique.
In their own words, the club strives to “preserve the essence of their various terroirs and to promote the exceptional character of their wines”
This stellar club features 28 members who are all artisan champagne producers and who advocate for the highest standards of quality in viniculture.
They have a rigorous approach to membership with top experts judging the work made both in the vineyard and in the wine-making process. Successful members have gained their badge after their cuvées have been subjected to 2 blind tastings and have been deemed superb.
The boutique showcases the produce from the members in a fun and innovative way. From workshops to champagne master classes and of course, tastings.
This place is extra special because it houses exclusively artisan producers. While the large Maisons focus on consistency year after year, artisan producers have more flexibility when it comes to the creation of their cuvées. They can ‘play’ with the design of their wines based and present adventurous champagnes that can blow your mind.
It gives you the rare opportunity to taste several styles of champagne by the glass. Do you fancy a Blanc de Blancs? They have it. How about champagne from a specific village? Also available here. When tasting by the glass you can embrace a wider range and discover something new and exciting. I have a soft spot for Blanc de Noirs so I was delighted to try some.
With this background, the expectations were high and I am happy to say they were exceeded.
The Boutique - is giving chic and knowledgeable vibes
From the clever use of bottles for the lighting to the colour palette, this place is gorge. One of my favourite features is the map of the region that is stamped on the floor. It depicts the villages of the appellation and assigns them a number. The bottles of champagne are aesthetically organised around the boutique and display the number that corresponds to the village.
For example, if you are standing on the map and spot Sacy -a Premier Cru village- with the number 13, you can look around and find the champagnes produced there.
If you are looking to expand your knowledge of champagne you are in luck as some of the bottles that hang from the ceiling have additional information. Bonus, around the boutique, you can see the portraits of the producers, which gives it a more intimate touch.
People here are very knowledgeable and will give you a warm welcome. Big shout out to Pierre who was super nice. If you are planning on visiting, do make a reservation.
The Cuvées - this is what I tasted
🥂 Champagne Vincent Joudart Millésime 2013
Extra Brut. Côte des Blancs - Fèrebrianges
60% Pinot Meunier
30% Chardonnay
10% Pinot Noir
Fèrebrianges is a village between the Côte des Blancs and the Sézannais. The Vincent Joudart vineyard boasts 8 hectares where the 3 grape varietals for champagne are grown.
The predominance of pinot meunier in this champagne gives it a very nice balance.
This cuvée has a gold colour with notes of summer fruit with a nice balance of freshness and fruitiness on the palate. Just fab.
More information about Vincent Joudart champagnes.
🥂 Champagne H. Goutorbe. Brut. Grand Cru. Äy
Blanc de noirs. Millésime 2013
100% Pinot Noir
Äy is a Grand Cru village right at the centre of the Vallée de la Marne in Champagne, just 3 kilometres away from Epernay. In this area, pinot noir is the most planted grape varietal.
This Maison was founded in 1940 and has an estimated annual production of 180,000 bottles.
This champagne is giving forest fruit, spice and a refreshing mineral character that reflects the personality of the terroir. *chef's kiss*
More about champagnes Henri Gotourbe.
🥂 Champagne José Michel & Fils special club 2014
Brut. Moussy.
50% Pinot Meunier
50% Chardonnay
This Maison is also located near Epernay but in the village of Moussy, where pinot meunier is predominantly grown.
The club explains that a Special Club champagne is only made in years with exceptionally great conditions and when the harvest was fantastic. In their own words “Special Club champagnes are the ultimate offering from each domain in any given year. For the consumer, they are a true hallmark of quality… Only made when the Club deems that the quality of the still wines is high enough for a vintage to be declared and the wines made into champagne worthy to bear the name Special Club”.
This Special Club cuvée contains grapes that come from vines that are more than 70 years old and is giving apple, lemon and brioche notes, very elegant, generous and rich… fantastique!
More about José Michel & Fils champagne.
3. DRINK THE JEROBOAM!
This is one of the best-kept secrets from Reims. It will allow you to have a stylish experience that will enrich your senses and will spice up your Insta timeline or your Tiktok.
Just across from the cathedral of Notre Dame de Reims, there is a bar that will surprise you. Yes, this is a bar inside a hotel, but I assure you it is worth visiting. The place is called Le Bar à Champagne and is located in the interior of the prestigious Hotel La Caserne Chanzy, *They had me at Autograph Collection*.
Being a champagne bar in Reims, the offering is superb which is expected. The extra special component here is that they serve Jeroboam by the glass! Jeroboam? Yes darling, Jeroboam.
A Jeroboam is a bottle that contains 3 litres of champagne, which is the equivalent of 4 standard bottles. If you want to know more about the different sizes of champagne bottles and their names, check out this post.
Drinking from a Jeroboam is not something that you do every day. You need a festive occasion to open a 3-litre bottle of champagne other than ‘it’s Tuesday’.
There is something luxurious about drinking from a larger size bottle and Le Bar à Champagne knows it. Their wine list boasts Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée in Jeroboam, by-the-glass. Yes, you don’t need to drink the whole bottle to enjoy this experience -although you are free to do it if you want to.
The Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée is a blend of the 3 grapes that we’ve discussed:
50% Chardonnay
35% Pinot Noir
15% Pinot Meunier
The Maison emphasises that for this cuvée, the percentages are approximated. Since Laurent-Perrier strives for consistency year after year, the percentages can change depending on several factors (harvest, climate, etc). But overall, this cuvée will always have more than 50% of chardonnay and will have a higher proportion of pinot noir in comparison to pinot meunier.
The wonderful staff at Le Bar à Champagne is well-versed in carrying precious cargo (the weight of the bottle is shy of 5kg). They brought the Jeroboam to the table, presented it and poured it. Oh my…*remembers in champagne*.
While the Jeroboam was being poured I could see a sliver of envy from our neighbours and let’s face it, it was justified. I am not saying I am a trendsetter but after this, other tables ordered the same. Go figure.
This pale gold champagne is giving citrus and white flowers on the nose with notes of peach on the palate and a fruity finish, just fab. Drinking from the Jeroboam added that glam vibe that you want when visiting champagne. It makes your glass extra special without having to purchase the whole bottle.
10 out of 10.
REIMS, SIMPLY FANTASTIQUE
Reims is a city with endless champagne activities. I enjoyed each of the experiences above and wouldn’t hesitate to go back a third time; there’s always something new to discover!
It’s hard to choose a favourite, I’m grateful that I got to enjoy all 3 of them. Tell me, which one tickled your fancy the most? Which one would you choose?
If you are planning a trip to Reims, now you have a superb list of champagne-related things to do. And if not, well, you should, so get cracking. Mortgage the house, start an only fans *not actual advice*.
Stay tuned for the next champagne post where I’ll tell you all about the other sister, Epernay.
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