France - Wine Regions

[Cruiser Elite]

What a beautiful old city Reims is - history wherever you walk - and every amenity one needs in the 21st century. If I am ever in town and am strucken down with a mystery affliction this is where I'll be heading for an emergency transfusion:



Walked for over an hour around town this arvo at a solid clip - spotted this establishment - I guess the name is apt - like I mean you you wouldn't go with Le Beijing or Le Nairobi or such would you?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Crikey - main drag in Reims like a ghost town on Sundays:



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[Cruiser Elite]

Tonight we ate at Brasserie Flo - Sunday night many restaurants closed - no reco here just walked in off street - EXCELLENT - Brasserie Flo Reims - Brasserie emblématique à Reims

Inside back page of menu:



This basically said it all - enjoyed a Taittinger at €70.

 

[ellen10]

Enjoying the trip report and photos.
Thanks for sharing

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Some general street scape shots of Reims - at the risk of sounding like a parrot Reims is such a beautiful old city:



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[Cruiser Elite]

And a few more street shots:



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[Cruiser Elite]

Of course Reims is home to Cathederale Notre-Dame de Reims - what a spectacular building. But even more spectacular is the light show on Cathederale exterior at 11pm - if you are lucky enough to be in Reims on a night it is on then DO NOT MISS IT.

I tried to take some pics - but Cathederale so huge and light show so spectacular that these just do not do it justice:

 

[TheRealTMA]

Of course Reims is home to Cathederale Notre-Dame de Reims - what a spectacular building. But even more spectacular is the light show on Cathederale exterior at 11pm - if you are lucky enough to be in Reims on a night it is on then DO NOT MISS IT.

I tried to take some pics - but Cathederale so huge and light show so spectacular that these just do not do it justice:

Yes, fabulous cathedral, especially given the history. Was -3 when we were last there so enjoy!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

And some more:

 

[Cruiser Elite]

And a couple more:



As I said - this show was simply SPECTACULAR - no pictures could do it justice - it made any 'cracker night' I have ever witnessed simply second rate.

 

[JohnM]

If you get up Amiens way (near the W Front battlefields and the Australian memorial) - but not a wine region, they also do a light show on the cathedral there in summer. I must say though that the Reims one, which I have not seen, looks more spectacular, on what is definitely a more spectacular cathedral .

 

[Cruiser Elite]

OK now for some serious stuff - a visit to Pommery:



Now look at this next picture - see the bottle middle front right? This is an original bottle from Pommery 1874 production that changed Champagne forever! Madame Pommery instructed her winemakers to reduce sugar content from >200gms/bott to <50gms/bott - the modern Brut was born:


Pommery was just specatacular - the steps down into caves:



And all these bottles you see in next 2 pics are indeed genuine Champagne just ageing away - the real stuff - we walked and walked within touching distance of all the quality product - such a surreal experience:



And this cave with a tributary picture of Madame Louise Pommery the widow who singlehandedly turned Champagne as we know it on it's head - http://champagnejayne.com/champagne-pommery/:



In less than 2 hours visiting Pommery I took over 300pcs - what an experience - I just cannot begin to explain it - just do yourselves a favour and put it top of bucket list.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

That's not a wine barrel - this is a wine barrel!

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Then it was off to Taittinger:



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TBH - Taittinger was just miles behind Pommery as an experience - was so ho hum - kinda like experiencing QF F after you have been in SQ R or F - you know - not in same league!

Mumm tour was fabulous - Taittinger was probably good also but unfortunately we did Pommery in morn then Tait after lunch - there was just no comparison - still enjoyed a tipple or 3 at each. Holiday Inn booked the tours for us - either day before or on morn - we wanted to do Ruinart today but it was booked out - still as someone else said once you have seen the caves the all look alike - but DO NOT MISS POMMERY.

 

[JohnM]

'Pommery sells close to 5M bottles each year and holds some 20M bottles in 18 km of chalk mines 30m under its grand premises in Reims.' - Tyson Stelzer, The Champagne Guide 2014-15.

It's the third largest producer after LVMH and Lanson-BCC (Stelzer again).

You saw about 1 hour's production, I'd say!

Did they put up the Australian flag just for you?

 

[Cruiser Elite]

OK so there is a wine merchant right in main drag Reims - some images:



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[JohnM]

Looks very familiar .

 

[Cruiser Elite]

And some magnums:



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[JohnM]

If you buy any Ruinart in the clear glass bottles, just make sure it's not the display wines - they will be light-struck.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

So what does a 750ml bottle of Champagne cost in a bottle shop / wine merchant in the heart of the Champagne region? Here ya go kids: