Champagne Tasting in Reims

Reims is the main city in the champagne area of France, also known as the home of champagne. Perhaps of secondary importance (debatable) is the fact that for roughly 1,000 years, all French kings were crowned in Reims.

This is the Reims cathedral.

So, here is my American tourist confession. Reims is pronounced so that it rhymes with France. So, you would say "Rrrrrance" (the multiple R's indicates the guttural emphasis). I knew this and I even kind of sort of maybe practiced it at home before we left, but I just couldn't do it. It's like those people that say "hero" instead of GYRO or super emphasize FUH instead of pho. I can't be one of those people, so...on to Reems. 

Approximately 2 hours (by car) outside of Paris, Reims makes for a good day trip from the city. We spent our first night in France here, and did the champagne tasting before moving on to our next destination the following day, but you could certainly stay for an extra day, and visit a couple different champagne houses.

We decided to do our tasting at Ruinart, which is the oldest champagne house in Reims. You do need to book your tour ahead of time, and it certainly wasn't the cheapest tour available, but the group size was small and the tour guide was informative, passionate and allowed plenty of time for questions. Also, Ruinart is maybe one of the best champagnes in the world, so go on with your bougie self.

This is where our tour group waited for us for probably over 30 minutes because we could NOT figure out how to leave the parking lot. I literally ran all over the city, trying to find help because Jorge had the car trapped between two metal arms and couldn't leave the parking lot or go back inside, effectively stopping traffic. I was like those aneurysm patients who wake up speaking another language because somehow in the midst of all this stress, I a) could run like Jackie Joyner Kersee and never get winded b) taught myself how to ask for change and help in French. After alarming everyone in our vicinity, Jorge just pushed a red button on the speaker box and shouted "I'm an American, help me". Those, apparently, were the magic words because that is how we finally got out. 

These steps lead to underground cellars where the champagne is stored. These underground tunnels or crayeres are formed out of limestone which keeps a uniform temperature, ideal for champagne production.

Ruinart bottles are specially shaped and stored in these racks during the production process. The bottles above are just for display as they must be kept out of light. The bottles are frequently turned during this stage so that the sediment evenly disperses.

After the tour, we were brought to a comfortable tasting room where the guide explained the differences between their champagnes and walked us through the tasting.

Here I am, thinking about all the brie I'm going to eat later.

So if you are in Paris for a few days, I would think about making a day trip to Reims. Just maybe don't park in a pay parking lot you don't know how to get out of.