Hi All,

Next week I will be visiting the champagne region and though I am not a champagne expert, I do want to get a better understanding of it.

Besides doing some tasting tours, I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations on small winehouses in the area of reims/epernay, where you can directly buy from the source and have great value for money?

Lets say my budget is 25Euros for a bottle.

Shhhh but sneaking in some sparkling wine, selection for the week.

2018 Billecart-Salmon "250th Anniversary Cuvée" Brut

2018 Pieter Ferreira "Birdsong" Cap Classique Brut Rosé

Hambledon "Classic Cuvée" Brut (English)

2019 Benanti "Noblesse" Metodo Classico Brut (Carricante)

Chartogne-Taillet "Cuvée Sainte Anne" Extra Brut

2019 Henskens Rankin Tasmania Traditional Method Brut Rosé

Christophe Mignon "ADN de Meunier" Brut Nature Rosé de Saignée

2010 Schloss Gobelsburg "Langenlois" Sekt Große Reserve Extra Brut

Pierre Paillard "Les Terres Roses" Bouzy Grand Cru Rosé

Chartogne-Taillet "Cuvée Sainte Anne" Extra Brut (I think I grabbed the wrong bottle didn't expect 2 of these?)

Pierre Paillard "Les Parcelles" Bouzy Grand Cru

Ca' del Bosco "Cuvée Prestige 48ª Edizione" Franciacorta

2018 Paul Bara "Spécial Club" Rosé - Bouzy Grand Cru

Chavost "Blanc d'Assemblage" Brut Nature

2021 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Sekt Brut

Billecart-Salmon "Brut Réserve" Magnum

Hi everyone,

Next week I'm having dinner at some friends' place, and I'd like to bring a gift. That gift will be... Champagne!

My budget goes up to €300. One specific thing: I know they love the "big names" in Champagne. I'm fully aware there are fantastic grower Champagnes at this price point, but I know a well-known house will make them happier. Here's the shortlist I have so far:

• Cristal 2014 or 2015.
• Bollinger R.D. 2007
• Dom Pérignon 2015 (maybe 2017?)
• Krug Grande Cuvée 170ème Édition (I wasn't a big fan of the 171, 172, or 173)

Ideally, the Champagne should be ready to drink today, since my friends will most likely open the bottle right away.

What you guys would pick? :D

Thanks!

My husband and I will be in Reims at the end of the September.

I was hoping to bicycle to a fewer further out wineries, but I'm not sure where to find the routes or which one would be best.

Any suggestions? I do speak French (well maybe B1/B2 level).

I’ve been to epernay on a day trip before (Moet cellars and walked the Avenue).

I’m headed to Reims solo for a Sunday - Tuesday in early October and need recs on what houses to visit. I plan to visit Veuve For the brand story and have heard Tattinger/Ruinart offer Great tours. I see that Sunday is tricky so wondering what I’ll do that day or if any good champagne bars I can go in to maybe learn/have tasting workshop. Any recos?

I would like a private English speaking driver for day 2 to drive out to more growers and prioritize unique experiences. Would also love places that can ship to US but I plan to bring a semi empty luggage. I’ll either leave Reims Tuesday evening for Bordeaux or stay another day depending on how I feel. Thank you for your help!

2016 Pol Roger is on sale for $125 CAD locally. I like the NV, is the 2016 much better? Price difference is about $40

As well as being fans of 007 we're both lovers of Bollinger and Edwin Starr, Agent Double 0 soul

Hi!

My husband and I want to splurge soon on a bottle of bubbly. We’re no newbies, but haven’t tried the ‘final bosses’ yet. We’re doubting between the classics, either Krug (173) or Dom Perignon 2017. I know that the 2017 is a bit different than the “normal” Dom, that’s why we’re not sure yet.

I know we can’t really go wrong with either, but any advice would be very helpful! 🍾

We are going to explore the champagne region in August. We are staying in Reims, will explore around there and also want to spend a day in Epernay visiting a few wineries. Do we need a driver for the day? And any driver recommendations? Any other advice would be appreciated.

Toujours un bonheur de déguster ce champagne en bonne compagnie au coucher du soleil

I still have a bottle of Roederer Cristal 2006… Should I drink it? Or should I sell it?

STAY AWAY FROM GLS (General logistics systems US Santa Fe Springs CA)! 

Go use retailers who DO NOT USE GLS!

GLS needs to hire:

1. Drivers who can read & follow the GLS RED STICKERS WITH DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS!
2. Drivers who do not forge signatures!

GLS idiots delivered liquor WITHOUT THE REQUIRED SIGNATURES FROM US!! 

The driver put the boxes at the side garage door IN THE FULL SUN & TEMPS WERE OVER 85 DEGREES!!! The side garage door and garage doors have signs "DO NOT LEAVE PACKAGES HERE". The first box stayed outside for over nine hours in the sun and heat so that bottle was ruined.

I called GLS. GLS said THAT THEY GOT A SIGNATURE FROM US!! We have multiple Ring cameras. I downloaded the video showing that the IDIOT never went to the door with the sign "Leave Packages Here", which also has a Ring Doorbell. Ring Doorbell has no video at the time of delivery. Only side & garage Ring cameras of house show driver at front and then side door of garage.

GLS DRIVER COMMITTED FRAUD for liquor packages, that have GLS RED STICKERS THAT STATE:

1. SIGNATURE REQUIRED FROM ADULT 21 or OLDER! 
2. NO DRIVER OR SHIPPER RELEASE ALLOWED! 

GLS DRIVERS DISREGARD THEIR OWN GLS INSTRUCTIONS SO ZERO COMPLIANCE!!!

DO NOT USE GLS US!

Look and READ the Yelp, Google, and BBB reviews with over 90% 1 star consumer complaints many with pictures of all the damaged boxes and products like ours.

Hi everyone! This account originally started to document another passion of my best friend and mine—historical sewing. Together we recreated an 18th-century robe de cour, traveled to France to attend the Fêtes Galantes at the Palace of Versailles, and afterward my partner and I spent a few wonderful days exploring Reims, where we completely fell in love with Champagne.

Since then, we’ve enjoyed learning about different houses, vintages, and production styles, and we’re even considering taking a Champagne-focused sommelier course to deepen our knowledge.

Some of our favorite houses so far are Pol Roger, Pommery, and Vranken. We also love Veuve Clicquot Vintage and Veuve Clicquot Extra Old Extra Brut. There’s still so much to learn, and that’s what makes this hobby so exciting.

Pictured is a bottle of Château de Bligny Grande Réserve Brut that we’re enjoying while watching the World Cup, accompanied by our very opinionated tasting companion, Sir Harry Winston Churchill. 🐱🥂

I’m looking forward to learning from everyone here! I’d love recommendations for favorite grower Champagnes, lesser-known houses, books, or educational resources that helped you along your own Champagne journey.
Cheers! 🍾🥂

Right - and this is unfair I know. I am looking to buy maybe 15-24 bottle of entry level champagne when we are in Reims this comming week.

I will also buy a bit more expensive worthy wines, but what is the cheast availeble bottle in champagne region which have the label Champagne.

Hey Champagne lovers,

A few weeks ago I posted here asking for Android testers. Thank you to everyone who joined, it made it through Google's review and is now properly live on the Play Store.

Quick recap for anyone who missed the first post: Parcelles maps every vineyard parcel in Champagne (8,000+), with terroir details per parcel, vintage-by-vintage weather and consensus ratings back to 1950, a season tracker that follows each village from budburst to harvest, and producer profiles I've been writing and checking one estate at a time. There's also a tasting passport if you want to keep track of what you've had.

It picked up proper iPad support since the last post too, and there's a small web version if you'd rather look before installing anything.

Links:

• Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.parcelles
• iPhone/iPad: https://apps.apple.com/app/parcelles/id6759829262
• Web: https://map.parcelles.app

You can also follow the app Instagram, where I will post interesting data extracts from time to time :) https://www.instagram.com/parcelles.champagne/

Thanks again to this sub specifically, a few of you found bugs I'd genuinely never have caught on my own.

Santé,
Roman 🍾

---

Note: I am not affiliated with any house or the CIVC. It's a personal project, which somewhat got out of hand.

Je vais être dur, mais voir des bouteilles à 500€ avec des cierges magiques dans des seaux à glace, ça me dégoûte du produit. On a transformé un vin de terroir complexe en un simple "marqueur social" pour frimer.

Résultat : quand tu dis que tu aimes le champagne dans une soirée "normale", on te prend direct pour un snob ou un frimeur, alors que tu veux juste parler de sol calcaire et de fermentation. Pour moi, le marketing des grandes maisons a fini par nuire à la noblesse du vin lui-même.

Est-ce que le champagne peut redevenir un "vin comme les autres" ou c'est mort, il restera bloqué dans son image paillettes/luxe pour toujours ?

We just had the best time visiting several small houses in Champagne. I absolutely love the attached three houses and would love to encourage you to seek them out. Anthrocyane is very new. They’re not a family house so they submitted about one hundred name ideas for the powers that be to choose from and Anthrocyane was approved. They are huge art supporters and we went there on a day they had a market filled with cheese, meat, ceramics, wood working, art, etc. They also have a gite you can stay at. We have been big fans of Philippe Martin for years now. The daughter inherited her father’s estate and has been modernizing, creating her own brand, going for organic and there is also a bed and breakfast to stay. Right by the Marne, great for walking and a 5 minute drive to visit Epernay. Paul deThune is makes gorgeous wine and is currently in between distributors in the US. If you see any go on sale in the future buy as much as you can. This will be a one time thing and does not reflect the quality at all. The tasting room is a bit out of the way but the product is top notch and hands on. Sophie is an incredibly hard worker and it shows. Just a friendly tip for traveling with wine… You can bring back as much wine as your checked bags can hold. We brought 41 bottles back this time. Customs in the USA didn’t blink. If they do blink the tariff is $1-$2 per bottle.

Happy belated 4th of July from Tokyo. Here‘s to another 250 years 🍾

Krug 168: still amazingly young, fresh and yet layered and deep. Can go on for decades

Giulio 2008: good depth, long, great, but lack the zing from the other champagnes

Comtes 2006: for me WOTN, I love aged bdb and this is no exception. Bakery, pastry galore, amazing depth and acidity despite not being a top vintage

Winston 2006: nice zig, tertiary showing nicely, still great but not the winner tonight