What a lovely and special place. Built on the cellars of eighth century monks, they produce two of…read morethe finest champagne I've tasted . The non dosage is so exceptional that it is the most interesting of recent memory. Their digs are a new renovation and interior and their hospitality, the highest.

Having made a list of independent champagne producers before we left we were touring around the…read morevillages between Reims and Epernay. The criteria included - was it open on a Tuesday, did you need to do a tour or just go and taste and buy if you liked it, did it seem welcoming We drove here from Dizy and took the back roads not the main road...wow what views; and there is some high class Spa up there in the hills, 600+€ pn, ouch Fagot's was a great little place - open, yes; welcoming, yes; tour only if you wanted to, yes...and a little more Well we started the tasting and as I was driving I just had a sip, literally (boo hoo)...my partner tried 4 and I was allowed to taste the 2 she thought I'd like; I liked 1 but not the other...so they went and brought out another bottle from a cupboard, a "Reserve" at 1€ more..."then you might like this"...oh did I just...so that was a yes then; a case from 3 different bottles And we bought some decent stoppers and a sleeve...oh, what a good choice and no snootiness as with some of the fancy places; just nice people promoting and selling their produce...no brainer Will update when I finally get a chance to drink the stuff properly back in England, hopefully with some decent summer sun!

A wonderful small vineyard just outside of Epernay. Such attention to old School detail in creating…read morethis fabulous champagne line by hand by the family. We loved our stop. And the tasting is in a three store wire bottle with amazing vineyard views.

Had a great time at the tasting room of Collard Picard yesterday! Our hostess was very…read moreknowledgeable on the champagnes we tasted, and it was a relatively quiet Wednesday afternoon our party of six seemed to have the room to ourselves! We opted for the prestige tasting, my favorite was the second champagne, the blanc to blanc and their rose was very interesting to my palette since I haven't been exposed to many first cuvée roses before!

Beautiful setting. Beautiful champagne. It's one of our favorites. We sat at the bar and ordered…read morethe pesto sandwich and Caesar salad. The young man who took our order forgot to put it in, so we had to wait a bit longer for food, but once it came, it was delicious. One of the best lunches we had while in Épernay.

Awesome place! We had a few bites to eat with our glasses of champagne. Staff seemed very…read moreknowledgeable of the champagne they had available.

Hautvillers is a small town just outside Epernay that is famous for being the home of Dom Pérignon…read more This was the only tasting room open to the public and it's quite lovely. This is a small family owned vineyard that welcomes you to come taste their champagne. The tasting room over looks a vineyard and makes for nice pictures to capture the moment. When you want a tasting you get a choice of 3 champagnes for 15 euros. If you buy 6 or more bottles the tasting is free. They will ship worldwide.

This is a family owned champagne house and we met the sons of the family. We visited during…read moreharvest, which is a crazy time of year, so everyone was running around, and then the Tasting Room got really busy, so more running around, but they still took the time to explain their champagnes and deliver a couple of flights of tastings. The difference here was that they actually brought out flights, where most other places we went to would serve one tasting at a time. The advantage of a flight is that they could deliver your entire tasting at once, but the disadvantage is that the last few you taste will be warmer, so may not showcase the champagne as well. Also, we noticed that the champagne was not as bubbly, but we're told that it's because of the glass and they were waiting for a new shipment of glasses. Didn't get to test this theory out, but will do some further research. The Tasting Room itself looks brand new. It's very modern with amazing views of the vineyards. This place is worth a visit just for the views! The champagnes are good and priced reasonably. We saw people buy cases and cases of the stuff, and we picked up a few bottles for ourselves and for gifts.

Le Marché de Noël de Reims is technically the third largest Christmas market in France, but it…read morecertainly doesn't feel like it. With around 150 chalets, it's bustling but doesn't seem to be overcrowded or overrun. Maybe it's because there's a huge plot of land devoted to housing it, but the market manages to keep a cozy, small town charm that never feels overwhelming or chaotic. Small but lively is the perfect way to describe this Christmas market. The best thing here? The local bubbles! There are champagne tents everywhere, which feels extremely on-brand for Reims, considering all of the first class champagne houses nearby. If you love wine or bubbles, this is absolutely your market. I sampled myself silly. You get the best of all worlds here. There are fun rides, amazing food, wine and champagne, crafts, decorations, and plenty of festive energy without the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds you get in the bigger cities this time of year. And this being France, it goes without saying the food was genuinely excellent. Reims doesn't serve just "market food," but higher end French cheeses and delicacies like crepes and escargot. It was way too easy to graze and sip my way through all the foodie stalls. Most booths accepted credit cards too, but it's always a good idea to bring plenty of local cash just in case. What I loved most about this market is that it felt very local. It was mostly French speakers, lots of locals, and it hasn't been overrun by tourists yet, which made it feel authentic and relaxed. Security was very visible and well-organized, with a thorough bag search at the entrance (made me feel completely safe and secure). The market's convenient location means it's an easy walk (no longer than 10 minutes even if you walk very slowly) from both the train station and the city center, so getting there is a breeze. The crafts also felt more unique than what you usually see at massive city markets. I picked up the cutest custom print of myself and my cats overlooking the Eiffel Tower for less than 20 bucks. It's such a fun, personal souvenir and something I'd never find at a cookie-cutter market that sells massed produced junk made in China. Even better, dogs are welcome on a leash at this market, which meant plenty of adorable French pups to pet while wandering around. If you're looking for a festive, champagne-filled Christmas market that feels charming, local, and effortlessly fun, the Reims Christmas Market is a total winner.

Reims advertises its Marche de Noel as one of the largest in France. This year, they had more than…read more145 chalets, plus a kids area with rides and a space to meet Pere Noel himself. Getting here is easy - just 45 minutes on the TGV from central Paris. Once you arrive at the station, you can choose a pleasant walk through town or grab one of the free shuttle buses that go to the market. At the market, expect plenty of gift options - lots of jewelry, scarves and toys for kids. Every other chalet (it seems) sells tasty vin chaud for €2-3 plus several champagne houses have booths. A coupe of VCP for a mere €7? Don't mind if I do! You can even buy the famous Reims biscuits here. My only wish was more and varied food options - there weren't many food stalls at all. Still - a beautiful market in the shadow of an incredible Gothic cathedral with plenty of champagne and hot wine? Two thumbs up!

We had dinner here in July 2015 and it had a Michelin star at the time. The star has since been…read moreremoved. We were staying nearby for a friend's wedding and she recommended this place. I had Amex concierge make reservations for me just before I got on the transatlantic flight. There were no issues getting a table - I definitely saw empty tables. There is a car park behind the restaurant, I think it is locked at some point. We got the tasting menu - it was our first nice meal in France. Portion sizes were generous, we left stuffed. I can't remember everything we ate but 3 things stood out. We liked dessert the least. - The seaweed butter that comes with the bread. We still talk about it 2 years later. - The lobster risotto was perfection. - Lots of seafood.

With a Michelin star at the door bell you know you cannot go wrong. It has been awhile since my…read morelast time to such "luxury" class of restaurant but it is always a pleasure to enjoy one, of course for your wallet will be less pleasant. The menus are great to have a broad overview and I raccomend to take once of those, even with the small two course meal plus dessert you will be filled up and happy. The chef of course came out to say hello to everybody and the his dishes are really good, I loved the balance he was able to give to each individual component of our dinner either if it was meat or fish.