Champagne Road Trip

[mrbongo]

Hi guys

Next weekend the lady and I are off to La France to spend a few days in Champagne . We're staying in Reims, that's all sorted, but wanted to get any tips from anyone who's been to the area - Champagne Houses to visit or not to visit, restaurants etc...

All advise is welcome, let's just hope the sun shines!!

Thanks!

[V8 GRF]

Are you in the TVRCC? If you are you need to contact the Surrey ROs, Steve & Karen Thomsit.
Very nice people and they arrange the Surry Champagne run every year.

The website www.tvrcc-surrey.co.uk/ has a past events part that lists places visited and so on.

Hope that's useful, have a great time

Edited by V8 GRF on Friday 4th May 11:59

[puffsorted2]

Simon Selosse in Avize (a few miles south of Epernay) produces superb Champagne. He doesn't speak much English but is very welcoming.

My advice is get out in the villages and knock on the doors of the small Champagne growers, each village has a list on a road sign as you drive in. They are very happy to show you round and tend to keep the best stuff for themselves rather than sell it to the big Champagne houses.


www.champagne-simon-selosse.com/

Edited by puffsorted2 on Friday 4th May 12:06

[59fan]

Good choice, if it's your first time then Moet in Epernay and Mumm in Reims are both recommended. Veuve (Reims) is also good, and Lanson (Reims) is exceptional, but you will need to book before you go as you can't just turn up.

Good advice on the small producers, the quality of these is excellent.

Have fun.

Ian

[thegamekeeper]

Be sure to go and visit the old Grand Prix circuit

[Steve_T]

V8 GRF said:

Are you in the TVRCC? If you are you need to contact the Surrey ROs, Steve & Karen Thomsit.
Very nice people and they arrange the Surrey Champagne run every year.

The website www.tvrcc-surrey.co.uk/ has a past events part that lists places visited and so on.

Hope that's useful, have a great time

Edited by V8 GRF on Friday 4th May 11:59

Appologies that the website is not up to date - we ran a trip last year as well. This year is the big one - currently 40 cars and climbing for the 60th anniversary of the Marque.

Moving on to the question at hand, we tend to stay either in Epernay or in the surrounding villages rather than Reims. If it's your first time in the Region then Moet and Mercier in Epernay do good tours for a historical view on the Champagne making process (they're on the Avenue de Champagne). In Reims I'd say the Pommery tour is interesting, although I was not that keen their Champagne. For a look at how thing are done in reality, I would go to Nicolas Feuillatte - their Champagne is excellent! If you're feeling adventurous, try the smaller houses, go for villages that produce Grand Cru grapes and you can't go wrong. We're stay at the Champagne house of Michel Gonet, in Avize (a small producer) when we go over and it is fabulous.

One note of warning if you do head to Epernay, is that they are digging up the town centre at the moment, in particular the Avenue de Champagne. As you're Surrey based, if you fancy meeting up to talk about the Le Surrey Run trip, we meet at the Woolpack Inn, Elstead on the 4th Thursday of every month.

Cheers,

Steve.

[Steve_T]

thegamekeeper said:

Be sure to go and visit the old Grand Prix circuit

Yep, get off the A26 in the junction for Tinqueux, head for Gueux, the old pit straight is the D27 iirc.

[Mrs_T]

Did somebody mention Champagne!

Epernay and the surrounding villages are amazing, brilliant roads too!

As for restaurants, Le Sardaigne (1, place Mendes) is where many of the locals go as its central, good value and top quality. For a bit of fun you can also enjoy a float down the river Marne on the local river boat which we all enjoyed thoroughly in September. If you go to the tourist office, opposite Moet(park in Moet), they will give you plenty of maps and suggested places to visit. The Avenue de Champagne has Moet, Mercier, Pol Roger(not for public tours), Castellane, Perrier Jouet(open Monday-Friday)and Esterlin just to get the ball rolling. The best advice is follow the road out of Epernay down towards the Cote de Blanc and stop at any of the hundreds of smaller houses. You'll soon develop a taste for what you like.

Our ferry leaves tonight so here we go again.

It's a tough life being an RO, who am I kidding ;0

Enjoy!

[V8 GRF]

See I told you you needed to talk to the Tomsits

[FUBAR]

V8 GRF said:

See I told you you needed to talk to the Tomsits

Problem is, when they start, they wont fing stop.

[chas&dave] ...more rabbit than Sainsburys, yap yap etc [/chas&dave]

[Tangoed]

Pick monkey a bottle of Krug up! and I'll have one too.

[Mr.Cerbera]

The Pommery House (Reims) takes tours without pre-booking and has a fabulous, individual history (very TVR)

[engelborghs]

Mr.Cerbera said:

The Pommery House (Reims) takes tours without pre-booking and has a fabulous, individual history (very TVR)

Hi Paul,


next time you're going, let me know. I'll be drunk before you get there !!! (one glass of course)
By the way everything OK?
You're going to Zolder in June?

and 95% of the picture looks fine; naturellement

Koen

Edited by engelborghs on Friday 4th May 19:04

[mrbongo]

Brilliant tips guys - thanks for all of them! Got a couple more days to finish the plans, and then we're off. Let's hope the sun shines!!

[chris&chris]

will post details of fab champs house later....worth stocking up on a case!....

[chris&chris]

Obviously very much personal choice, there are so many small houses it can seem a bit daunting but a house that we find very good is Olivier & Fils B.P.2 10 Route de Dormans,Trelou-Sur-Marne.
They have a web site www.champagne-veuve-olivier.com
I hope you find this useful, we're going over in June, although not to that region. Hope you have a fab time