Reims Day Trip
What's a Trip to Paris Without Champagne?
I'm going to start with a little backstory of my obsession with the champagne region in France… because it actually doesn't come from enjoying champagne and then I'll get into the actual trip details! Almost 10 years ago I read a book about Veuve Clicquot called the Widow Clicquot. The book is about the woman who put Veuve Clicquot on the map. The champagne house was Barbe Nicole Ponsardine’s husbands, who died young and passed the cellar to her at a time when women were not allowed to own property let alone have a business. Nevertheless, she persisted and revolutionized the art of champagne making into what we know today.
The subject matter itself was inspiring, but the way the author wrote the book painted France in such a perfect light. As I was reading the book I was thinking how enjoyable it would be to go to France and sit in a field with some wine, bread and cheese. I told myself if I get the opportunity to go to France, go and if you go you must do a champagne tour. So I did.
One Day or Multiple?
I was debating doing a few days in the region or just doing a day trip. I ended up doing just a day trip and I think it worked out well enough. I was able to see 3 cellars and explore enough of the town. Unfortunately, it was raining when I went so I wasn't able to do much outside, but luckily the cellars are called cellars for a reason and most things were inside and underground.
If I had done a 2-day trip I would have been able to see more of the region or even go to Epernay, another area in the champagne region known for great champagnes. But if you just have the one day, as I did, you'll have plenty of time to get the most out of the experience.
The Journey
I took a train from Gare de L'est in Paris to the Reims train station. It was about an hour and change and I was able to get tickets the day before. The whole process getting to and from the station was super simple, but as I've said, I'm a walker.
Once I got off at the station I headed straight for my first cellar tour: Pommery. I chose this location because it had a self-guided tour and was touted as a different experience. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. You first enter a grand atrium of a room with a gift shop and bar on your right and a giant wine cask on your left. At the opposite side of the entrance is the doors to the cellar. I was given a highlights map and was sent on my way. My first impression of the cellar was awe and amazement. They had interwoven a modern art exhibit into the cellar so you got to learn the history of the cellar plus see a little art.
It took about 40 min or so to walk the whole thing and at the end I got to taste a glass of their champagne. I actually did quite like it, but unfortunately, it's not sold in the states. I had pre-booked this tour before I arrived in France, but you probably could book day before or even day of depending on season.
The second tour I had booked was Veuve Clicquot, obviously. However, I had a bit of time in between finishing the first tour and the Veuve tour. Luckily there are a handful of local, albeit not necessarily well known, cellars in the area where you can do a walk-up tour and tasting. The one I did was GH Martel. Another that is not sold in the US - sensing a theme here :(
This tour was a proper guided tour. We learned about how champagne is made, how all the cellars are chalk because that's what holds temperatures best for champagne. And if you're thinking what chalk is, it's the stuff used to write on blackboards. Yeah, me too. I did not know chalk was a type of soil! Once the tour was complete, we went to their tasting room. For this tour I got to try 3 different type of their champagne, one more delicious than the next. It really is a shame you can't buy this brand in the US because I would be stocked up!
Once I was done with this tour, I still had a bit of time before Veuve and after 4 glasses of champagne before one PM I figured I'd better get some food in my stomach! I grabbed a table at Le Flech and had the most delicious pasta. It was exactly what I needed on a rainy day. Unfortunately, I had to sit outside because they were booked inside, but luckily, they had large umbrellas that were blocking the rain.
Mouthwatering, creamy cheesy pasta hits the spot on a gloomy rainy day.
One thing I would say from a planning perspective, probably not the best day to go on Sundays. While the cellars are open for tours not much else is. The town looked like a ghost town. It was raining so that didn't help either, but there were not many places open for business. Something to keep in mind when planning your trip.
The Main Attraction
After lunch I was off to Veuve Clicquot, the showstopper! It was about a 10-minute walk to the visitor center from the restaurant. I checked in and did a little browse in the gift shop before I headed up to the waiting room.
The visitor center is very Veuve Clicquot yellow label coded. Lots of yellow and why not, it's a great brand. There were a few different tour options at Veuve Clicquot, I naturally did the one about the Widow Clicquot but there were other tours geared towards different subjects. We started our tour crossing the street to the cellars and descending a lengthy aisle of steps to the cellar below. We then toured each room and the guide provided us with history of the Widow (mainly what was from the book), their process for making champagne, the innovations created by Madame Clicquot, and the difference between the yellow label and vintages.
The Grand Dame Herself
The tour culminated with a tasting. I will say this tasting took the cake! We sipped our champagne in a grand room in the cellars. There was so much history around it was hard not to get chills when appreciating the moment. We had two tastings. The yellow label. And a 2015 vintage. I did mention at the top I am not a big champagne girl so I think the vintage was lost on me. It was very good, but I'm not their prime demo. I will say, however, someone in my tour most definitely was. They had tried or owned almost every veuve vintage. They knew their way around a tasting, that's for sure!
On my way back to the train I stopped in the Cathedrale Notre Dame de Reims. It was breathtaking. So much stained glass and since Notre Dame in Paris was still closed, it was nice to be able to see the Reims iteration.
I'm sure I could have done so much more if it wasn't raining. It really put a hinderance to the day. Luckily most of the activities were inside, but having to walk in the rain was less than enjoyable. Like I said I only did one day because I didn't want to have to get multiple hotel rooms during my trip and travel with my luggage. A day trip is a perfect amount of time for Reims, but if you have the time and are ok with the logistics I would try to get a few days in the area. There were so many other cellars I didn't get to see. Such as Moet and Chandon and Taittinger!
I hope you find this guide helpful and I'm so excited for your future trip! Drop a comment if you went or are planning to go. And as always, enjoy!
