Champagne is a special experience only to be found in the French region known as Reims – where the kings of France were crowned.
Veuve Cliquot, Perrier Jouet, Moet Chandon, Tattinger – all the big name wineries are a quick 90 minute ride southeast of Paris, as well as many smaller, family run businesses that have wonderful bottles!
Spending a day in Reims was a special hidden gem that one of my customers requested on a trip to Paris last year. We hired a car to pick us up in the morning and took the easy, 90 minute ride through the French Countryside. As we drove into the area, we could see that the wineries were spectacular! Our guide, Dorothee took us to three very different tasting rooms, as well as on a tour of the cave where the bottles are stored, and the room where the bottles are disgorged and then corked for distribution.
We had a delightful lunch in downtown Reims and then toured nearby Notre-Dame de Reims, which rivals that other more famous Notre Dame in Paris! This is the cathedral which held the coronation of every one of the kings of France. (Lines to see the inside were much shorter in Reims, in fact no lines at all) We shopped in a few boutiques around the square and then hopped back in the car to whisk us back to Paris. What a wonderful day trip for my special client!
Some of Dorothee’s favorite wineries:
And our own local #hiddengem, Fermented in Alpharetta carries three authentic Champagne varieties. My favorite is Roger Coulon’s Heri-Hodie, I like to share a bottle when we finish our White Shirt Tour. The winery has been family owned since 1806 and the wine pairs best with a fabulous plate of pommes frites from Coalition.
