A friend has asked for recommendations for spending a week in Champagne.
Mostly interested in wineries to visit, but restaurant or lodging advice welcome too. What are your favorites? Any don’t-miss non food/wine things to do or see in the area? Recommendations for tour guides to visit the wineries or can a non-French speaker get along ok?
Mostly they love Champagne and good food. They lean towards BdB. Taittinger Comtes is one of their favorites but they don’t want to limit it to that or to just the big houses.
If they have any connections in the wine world, I’d try to arrange a visit at Deutz. It was easily the most hospitable tour we had.
Ruinart is a must. The caves are the most impressive, and the tour is excellent.
We also loved visiting Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It’s worth walking through the quiet village and stopping by the church. On your way out, have the driver take the dirt vineyard roads up above town. The views back over the village and Krug’s Le Mesnil vineyard are spectacular and I posted a photo below.
I wasn’t as taken with the Pierre Péters visit. If I were doing it again, I’d try for Salon if that’s even possible, or someone like Cazals.
In Épernay, take a walk along the Avenue de Champagne. That’s the main stretch lined with the big houses and historic cellars, well worth an hour or two.
Plan another day to wander Reims, exploring the shops and restaurants. It’s a great city just to stroll and soak in.
Our last trip was during the pandemic. I have a travelogue posted, though it’s on the old site so some photos are sideways and the videos are gone. You’ll need to scroll past a few Paris posts to get to the Champagne portion.
Here’s another post seeking advice for Champagne and Paris.
L’Assiette Champenoise has quite the reputation and a tariff to match, but it was one of the worst restaurant experiences of our lifetime and I’d never go back.
A few years ago, we went to Champagne (Reims) for a day by train from Paris. Had a fun time. Went to Taittinger and Ruinart. Two of my favorite Champagne houses and the visits were wonderful. Went to the big Cathedral and saw Chagall’s stain glass. Great day.
What was it that you didn’t like about L’Assiette? I have always found it very consistent and solid. Historically, Les Crayeres could hit a higher note, but was inconsistent. There are now a number of other restaurants in Champagne such as Racine and Arbanne that are up there and can shine, but I have always found L’Assiette to be a workhorse three star.
We stayed at Les Crayeres and ate there and will go back in a heartbeat. Food excellent, service excellent, staff welcoming and helpful. Wine list out of this world. And the bistro on the property (I think has one or two stars as well) also recommended but not “special” like the main restaurant. Have a great time!
The food was great. The service wasn’t. It wasn’t the pace, it was the tone. They seemed annoyed we were there. Marybeth and I even looked at each other and wondered if we’d said or done something off, but I’m confident we hadn’t. We’ve eaten at plenty of Michelin-starred French restaurants, so a polished or reserved style doesn’t bother us. This felt genuinely hostile. Truly the worst restaurant experience of our lives. And we had purchased the L’Assiette Champenoise Hotel Krug package.
A lot can be accomplished via email or IG DM. If BdB is their preferred route, then they will have all sorts of options.
I know you’ve said they’re interested in winery visits, but can thst be narrowed down more? Are there any houses that have gotten their attention in the past? Are they more into small houses or Grand Marques? How many visits per day do they want?
I feel that sussing it out a bit more will lead to a vastly better trip than 30 posts throwing in a myriad of suggestions
Keith, they have been mostly into Grand Marques but are interested in expanding their horizons. So a mix.
Taittinger and Salon top the list of their favorites. I doubt a visit to Salon is even possible but that would be a dream for them.
I’m guessing 2 or 3 visits a day would suit them, with plenty of time for a leisurely lunch and some walking around/workout time. It would help to know what’s realistic given typical visit durations and travel times.
That’s a shame. I’ve heard of more service issues at Les Crayeres than L’Assiette and have experienced this, but it is horrible that you left feeling that way. You should have let someone know as I think they would have appreciated the feedback. I tend to eat the most at Le Jardin Brasserie (you can request Le Parc main restaurant wine list) or Les Avises which are both more laid back and my style.
Vilmart and Margaine are two that quickly come to my mind that would work great for palates that want to dive into the small house game. Pouillon could be great to taste a range of styles, though some may lean oxidative.
Pierre Paillard and Adrien Renoir are also two that come to mind that would likely (hopefully) fit their palates.
I’d definitely recommend JM-Seleque near Epernay as well. I love what they do and they make fantastic wines.
Any of those should provide fantastic experiences for your friends🥂
Marybeth has a true food allergy, and we can’t help but wonder if that played into how we were treated. I’d let them know in advance, and it wasn’t a long list of restrictions, just shellfish. Despite that, the service felt off, and she still ended up getting sick, likely from cross contamination.
At least there was a small upside, we got an early look at the Krug 2008 Champagne the day it was released. I may have even posted the first TN on CellarTracker.
Some moments disappoint, but life is still fantastic if you roll with it. Or, to quote a philosopher emperor, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
I don’t think that a food allergy request should have been an issue. If anything, I would expect a restaurant like L’Assiette to go above and beyond with this type of request and I have seen this multiple times. I’ve never had to complain at L’Assiette about anything, but I have had friends complain about similar subpar service at Les Crayeres Parc restaurant and management handled it as well as they could have IMO. My hope would have been that L’Assiette would have done the same.
