Reims, Champagne

We were out so late last night that when our alarm went off this morning, we didn't want to get up. Our train reservations to Reims were at 7:52am which means we had to get up before 7am. We decided to skip our train, and take a later one instead. We slept until about 9am. Then we posted our previous blog and headed to the train station. Luckily, it's not far or difficult to get to. In fact, it's been the easiest metro trip yet. We checked the schedule before we left and we knew there was a train leaving at 11:35am. We arrived at the station at 11:10am. We went straight to the platform and asked a guy at an information booth if we could get on with our rail passes. He said no, we needed reservations because it's a TGV (high-speed train) so we ran to the ticket office. By the time we waited in line, it was about 2 minutes until the train left and there was nothing they could do. So we bought reservations for the next train, at 12:42pm. It was only 6 euros for both of us, well worth the extra sleep in my opinion :-)

The train ride was quick and before we knew it, we were in Reims, the capital of the Champagne Region of France! The town is so small that the train station is practically in downtown. We followed signs to the office of tourism and asked them there about some Champagne tours. She gave us a map with about 10 different champagne companies and where they are located. There was one corner of the map with 3 right next to each other. She said one of them was completely booked today, one you need reservations for, and the third you can walk right in. She called and made us reservations at Pommery for the 14:30 tour in English. It was already 2:10pm and she said it was about a 25 minute walk, so we practically ran there from the tourism office. But we made it just in time.

The tour was so cool! The whole area was decorated beautifully and professionally. Our tour guide wore a whole suit and everything. They took us down these dark stairs into what looked like caves. He explained that thousands of years ago, when Romans occupied the area, they dug out the chalk (limestone) to build their houses. They dug out the chalk in the shape of a chimney. These are now the cellars where the bottles of champagne ferment. The Pommery company was started before 1830 with another guy. I forget his name now. Anyways, Mr. Pommery joined up with him. Then only a couple years later, Mr. Pommery died and his widow Madame Pommery took over the company. She bought more land and discovered more of these Roman tunnels. She connected them with her own tunnels and built up the company.

Besides the history of the company itself, he told us about how they make champagne. We learned that they actually buy the grapes; they don't own the vineyard itself. There are three types of grapes in champagne: pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot grigio I think. They hand pick the grapes and then put in yeast and sugar. They let the bottles sit and the yeast eats the sugar which turns into alcohol and the yeast dies. When it dies, the yeast settles in the bottom of the bottle. They have a special process to get rid of the dead yeast that involves turning it a quarter turn every other day for 6 weeks. The small bottles are turned mechanically, but the large ones are turned by hand. They employ people that literally go down into the cellars and turn bottles all day long! So eventually the sediment ends up in the neck of the bottle. Then they dip just the neck into really super cold liquid which freezes it in just a few minutes. Then the pressure inside the bottle pushes out the frozen sediment like a gun shot and it shoots out. They replace the empty part of the bottle with sugar dissolved in previous years' champagne. This ensures the consistent quality in taste from year to year. The amount of sugar they add determines the type of champagne. They had names for it, but I can't remember them.

What we actually saw down in the cellar was basically piles and piles of bottles. There were corridors lined with stacks of bottles. There are different sizes of bottles too. The names were so funny. The big ones were like Belthezar and Methuselah. They were biblical names. Anyways, our tour guide took us around and showed us the sediment and how they turn the bottles and everything. He also showed us some art down in the cellars that Madame Pommery commissioned. She loved art so she asked an artist to come down and carve out the chalk into sculptures. The artist did three or four of these around 1830 and did them completely by candlelight (since there was no electricity then). He went almost blind from it. Today they had some modern art exhibits down in the cellars. They continue her tradition of art down in the cellars with this modern art exhibition. At the end of the tour we saw their oldest bottle of wine from around 1870. He said that one would not taste very good. Once the sediment is removed, champagne has a shelf life of only a couple years. Unlike red wine, it doesn't get better with age. He also explained to us that you want to store it upright with the cork at the top, while red wine you store on its side.

Of course the tour ended with a tasting. Daniel and I elected to pay for 2 tastes of champagne each. The "tastes" ended up being full glasses. We weren't expecting to get quite that much champagne all at once! We got 8 different bottles to choose from. The guy at the bar explained each one. Some had more sugar, some were more dry, some were vintage, and some were traditional. It was interesting how each one tasted just the slightest bit different. We enjoyed all of them of course.

Champagne tasting!

The bottles were very dirty down in the "gallery" These bottles have been there for about 30 months.

Then we bolted just down the street to join onto a tour at Taittinger. This tour was a little less formal and sophisticated, but we learned a little more detail about how the champagne is made. They actually showed us the machines that freeze the sediment and remove it. The tunnels that they used were actually taken over by monks in the 13th century and used as chapels and living quarters. So part of the tour they showed us some staircases and doors and artifacts left by the monks. Taittinger is much younger, started in the 1930s. It is still run by the Taittinger family. They own about 50% of their grapes and buy the other half. Pommery told us that they export 60% of their champagne to other countries and keep 40% in France. Taittinger exports 70% and keeps 30% nationally. Taittinger also produces much less champagne than Pommery. They had a few neat exhibits at the end of the tour. The largest champagne flute and their largest bottle of champagne. That bottle was special ordered by Royal Carribbean for the christening of one of their ships. And again it ended with a taste. We didn't enjoy their champagne quite as much as Pommerys. But we can't complain. All champagne is good, of course!

All the different sizes from a half bottle on the left

Daniel and the largest bottle of Taittinger

After the tours we went back to the town center to have a look at their cathedral. They have their very own "Notre Dame" in Reims and it is beautiful.

Reims Notre-Dame Cathedral

Right as we got there it started pouring rain, so we thought that would be a good time to get some dinner. We found a little shopping mall and ordered a sandwich at the deli. I thought it was a mozzarella and tomato sandwich. It turned out to be hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, and a crab salad spread on the inside. It was actually pretty good, though not what I was expecting at all. Before our train left, we stopped at a little café and ordered some drinks. I had their special mojito Royal which is made with champagne (what else?!) and Daniel had a Salsa Caliente. They were delicious, and quite expensive. But what else do you do in Champagne, France? We also stopped in a liquor store and bought a small half bottle of Pommery to take home. We just couldn't resist.

The train back went very fast and here we are back in Paris. What a day! It was so exciting to be in the actual place where champagne is made. I consider it definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And we took full advantage! We decided we definitely want Pommery champagne at our wedding.