Reims/Epernay...?

[AndrewIC]

So heading over to France on Thursday, stopping in Epernay for three nights before heading South and wondered what people would suggest doing.

We are staying at Royal Champagne, outside Epernay, for three nights and having dinner in Reims one evening, but apart from that haven't really organised anything. We are waiting to hear back regarding a tour of Taittinger, as it is apparently worth visiting one of the large producers, just to see the scale and mass production. Any others worth a look?

I would like to visit a military cemetery, as I have never done so before and have seen there are some small ones quiet close to Epernay... I don't think the wife would be keen to stop en-route at one of the larger ones (Arras for instance) I remember passing before, but any suggestions would be welcome? I think the larger ones probably bring things into perspective better. We will be on the Autoroute all the way, so E15 and E17.

Any of the small houses worth visiting, we are quiet into wine/champagne, so any gems to get some cases sent back from would be appreciated?

I should add that French isn't a strong point.

Thanks.

[nyt]

the signposted 'champagne route' is worth a tour. Very pretty and you pass by a lot of very small champagne houses. It's well worth stopping at the smaller houses for tastings. You may be surprised how good their champers is for about €16 a bottle.

Definitely go into the cellars of at least one of the big brands. They are extensive and impressive with guided tours.

There are some world class restaurants on Reims if you have the money and can get a table. Reims itself has a good outdoor bar scene. The cathedral and old town are interesting too

All in all it's a great weekend break.

[NickXX]

I did the Tattinger tour last month. It's worth going and mine lasted around an hour. I also went to visit a little producer called Bruno in Dizy which was fantastic. Good quality, €12/bottle champagnes produced on a very small scale by a man and his wife. He showed us all of the equipment used to make it and the cellar under his house with the 24,000 bottles.

Also go to the old race track buildings on the outskirts of Reims if you're going by car.

[g3org3y]

AndrewIC said:

We are staying at Royal Champagne, outside Epernay, for three nights and having dinner in Reims one evening, but apart from that haven't really organised anything.

Any road trip to Reims should involve the customary photo at the Reims-geaux grandstand.



In addition, there is a very interesting motor museum with lots of rare/unusual cars. Worth a look. I think we arrived over the weekend and were only staying one night so we didn't get round to organising a champagne tour.

Most of the military cemeteries we visited we a little further north (as you mention Arras, many are on the Circuit de Souvenir between Peronne and Albert).

Here's a link to the write up of the trip we did a few years back. Hopefully will help.

[audidoody]

Don't attempt to buy any cases of wine or champagne with the aim of taking them back to the UK in your car. By the time you get home it will only be useful for sprinkling on fish and chips! As I found out to my cost a couple of years ago.

[Squiggs]

audidoody said:

Don't attempt to buy any cases of wine or champagne with the aim of taking them back to the UK in your car. By the time you get home it will only be useful for sprinkling on fish and chips! As I found out to my cost a couple of years ago.

If you're suggesting that being transported by road spoils it then how would any of it get distributed?
We've bought plenty back and it's always been ok.

[huwp]

Best Champagne I've had is Borel Lucas from Etoges.

You could visit Vimy Ridge and maybe the Menin Gate.

[//j17]

If you fancy seeing the other end of the scale and tasting some very good but much cleaper champagne I can recommend booking a visit to Lamiable, a small, family run champagne house.

For WW1 info visit greatwar.co.uk. They have some really good maps to cemeteries in the North but oddly don't seem to have anything south of Saint Quentin. If you fancy streatching your legs Lens/Arras way I can recommend popping to the German cemetary at Neuville-Saint-Vaast. Very sobering walking around a field of crosses and stars of David marking the resting place of just over 44,000 young men, regardless of nationality.

[Zod]

audidoody said:

Don't attempt to buy any cases of wine or champagne with the aim of taking them back to the UK in your car. By the time you get home it will only be useful for sprinkling on fish and chips! As I found out to my cost a couple of years ago.

I's fine if you put the cases in the cellar at your hotel every evening, unless you have a boot that gets very hot from the exhaust (like mine).

[VTECMatt]

I visited Henriot which was really good not sure they do do public tours but had a fab tasting. They have magnums dating back to 1917 and the oldest Champagne House, I bought 3 cases of 2003 Vintage back in 2010.

The Champagne tour is nice, our guide took us around tasting different wines in various places were the grapes are grown.

[Podie]

Forest-Marie - don't expect fancy premises, but excellent champagne and very reasonable prices. You MUST pre-book though.

Forest-Marie
20 Rue de la Chapelle
51140 Trigny
tel - 0326031323

[so called]

I got a touch of the French equivalent of Delhi belly in Reims last month.
It was the Beuff Tatar what did it
Nice town though.

[AndrewIC]

Thanks for all the suggestions, the champagne route sounds like a good idea. Off today, so should be a fun couple of days. Will report back.

[audidoody]

Squiggs said:

If you're suggesting that being transported by road spoils it then how would any of it get distributed?
We've bought plenty back and it's always been ok.

Well I can only speak as I find. A fine case of Gevrey Chambertin was transformed into vinegar after a two-day journey in the boot at the height of summer and bouncing up the M3 from Folkestone. Presumably professional transportation offers a temperature-controlled environment.