I want to be straight with you: the tour is really just someone driving a tram around the caves for…read more20 minutes while you listen to an audio recording in your native language. One Yelp reviewer described the experience as a child's ride at Disney World, and I have to agree. Having said that though, I think this type of tour is exactly what I was looking for. I have been on "English" wine tasting tours where I only understood about half of what the tour guide was saying, which defies the whole purpose of hiring an English-speaking guide. I don't mind listening to timed audio recordings where the English has actually been vetted. The champagne tasting at the end is nice too, as the staff does not rush you to finish. Mercier brands itself as an affordable champagne, so the tour experience is what you would expect from the no-frills brand as well.

It doesn't matter if you've never heard of this champagne. Apparently 80% of it's bottles stay in…read moreFrance so not unlikely you haven't. COME VISIT THIS HOUSE. This tour was amazing. I mean I'd give it 7 stars ******* if I could, it was that awesome. If you're a wine snob maybe it's not for you. I read one review where they said it was like "the Disneyland of champagne houses" but this is the point and Mercier doesn't pretend that it's not. From the moment you walk in and see the red and the pop art you know you're in a different kind of place and I was digging it hard. The information about the history was completely and utterly fascinating. It was interesting to see how one person's vision can influence popular culture. Granted, the tour is about champagne but it also isn't. It's more about Mr. Mercier and the history of the brand, so if you want a champagne history tour it may not suit you too well.

Champagne G.H. Martel & Co. was one of the few Champagne houses in the winter, but quite happy we…read morebooked it! After hitting a large house beforehand, having a more personable experience was just what we needed! Upon arrival, it reminded me of what I am accustomed to in CA wine country, small, but quite personable as mentioned above. Greeted by the wonderful staff and sat at a table with a sample tasting flight. We were walked through the entire flight and given insights into the wine making process, which was great. All of the bubbles were spectacular, and they gave bonus pours as well with their high-end wines, so a super plus in my books. Price point, very affordable with it being a much smaller winery versus the other large ones in the area. Finding it as well was quite simple as it was located just slightly out of downtown Reims, so walkable is easily done! While not the largest, they left maybe the best impression on my visit!

Bel endroit à visiter Une visite des caves avec 3 coupes…read morede champagne à déguster coûte 22€ ou plus selon votre choix. Belle visite des caves avec beaucoup de renseignements donnés par notre guide Jade qui connaît bien le champagne et ces étapes pour le faire. Endroit sans prétention mais très agréable. Je vous le recommande.

A great bar/ wine shop with friendly, helpful staff. We came in upon opening and were seated…read morepromptly, they helped us pick wines and recommended what small bites we might like. The champagne was very good, they had a wide selection. As for food, we got a trio of dips (pesto, carrot/peanut butter and a radish/goat cheese), that I wasn't a huge fan of. The pesto was best, but the other two were under seasoned (they do give salt on the platter for you to use) and nothing special in my opinion. We also got an order of their glazed pork and potatoes. Both were very good, the pork (I forgot the cut) was tender and flavorful but a little fatty. The potatoes came with an aioli and both were good. It's a fun place to just come and relax!

Oh my, sometimes you just get lucky. Thanks to previous yelpers we set off to find Aux 3 P'tits…read moreBouchons and we are so glad that we did. After a day of being rained upon we were drenched/saturated/waterlogged and highly resistant to going very far afield. Yet thankfully, down the street and round the corner we found a beacon of loveliness. There was just room for two more...it's a tiny place...and we sat down, grateful for a warm welcome. The wine bottles decorating the shelves are also the wine list, prices marked on each bottle for take out, add 8€ for drink in. A simple, effective way to Puck your fancy. We were cold and damp and our friendly waitress suggested 4 bottles, ranging in price and potency. Our choice was spot on- warm, fruity and capable of creating a mellow feeling. We also sampled the excellent 'simple' board of charcuterie, cheeses, fruit, nuts, olives and pickles. What a feast this was. Every mouthful a different taste combination and every one delicious. To top a great evening we were offered suggestions of places to visit tomorrow...all good although we might just wend our way back to Aux 3 P'tits Bouchons. A fabulous find.

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!

Day two of our journey through Champaign country. We stopped at TAITTINGER for tasting. Blown…read moreaway...the tour of the facility, excellent, the gift shop...yes, promised myself would not buy anything...but did. The presenter was nothing less than fantastic...explaining in detail the various Champaigns and the process. We were merged with another group to increase the numbers but were not loss in the crowd. When visiting France, Paris in particular take the time to visit..saunte...

A must visit when close to Paris, it is not a far drive or a train ride to Reims. It is advised to…read moremake reservations before you arrive and the tour is wonderful. The caves are vast and the history, and the craftsmanship of the riddling ismind-boggling,. It is nothing like you'll see in Napa Valley or in the western world. The caves here hold millions of bottles. The history of the family, the champagne house architecture and of course the champagne makes this a fun and cultural experience. Now, shipping back to the U.S. is allowed, just be prepared to pay $$$$.

I wanted to pick up some local champagne to take with me on my train ride across France, and I…read morestumbled into Nicolas Reims. What a charming little wine shop! This turned out to be a truly fantastic wine merchant and one of our favorite stops in Reims! Established in 1976, this shop specializes in a wide selection of French and foreign wines, spirits, an impressive range of chilled champagnes. If they don't have something you'll like here, then you obviously didn't need it! The staff were incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful. They graciously put up with our terrible attempts at speaking French, and (no surprise) they spoke perfect English. Once we at least made the effort in French, they seemed genuinely happy to switch, which really added to the experience. It's amazing how that works in Europe. The selection here is excellent. There's a large variety of white and rosé wines, champagnes, and beers, many of them already chilled and ready to enjoy. I had made a couple of picks in my basket, but I asked the staff their thoughts. The friendly man nodded with approval at two of my bottles but made a "kind suggestion" about replacing the third with something different. Of course I took his advice! I really liked that they sold champagne and wine in different size formats. I was able to get a couple of splits that made it easy to try new champagnes without committing to the cost and space limitations of a larger, regular sized bottle. The shop itself is clean, professional, and well organized, and the service is quick and knowledgeable without ever feeling rushed or snobby. You can tell they know their products and genuinely enjoy helping customers find what they're looking for. We weren't given an upsell pitch or anything like that, and the customer service was really, really great. We were especially touched that they packaged our champagne in beautiful Christmas gift wrapping without us even asking. Maybe something got lost in translation or maybe they're just that thoughtful, but either way, it was a lovely surprise and looked great. It was also early December, so I'm guessing most people were gift shopping at that time and maybe they just automatically wrap things assuming they are gifts. All around, Nicolas Reims is a great wine shop and an easy recommendation if you're looking for something to drink or to take home as a souvenir. I'd definitely come back here.