Visiting Reims

[sjw_11]

Hey folks
Will be visiting Reims in a couple of weeks, just for a long weekend out of Paris. Anyone have any tips for 1) wine stores in Reims and 2) whether any of the big name producers in the town itself are worth visiting (we won't bother to hire a car this trip)?

I will post some notes here afterwards for others to reference.

[Ian S]

Sorry no, we drove into Reims just for an evening meal (very good, but in a pedestrianised street that would have meant it was pretty sh*t if in the UK, but France is often that much better). Worth trawling Wine Pages forum as there have been a few threads on it in the past.

[mychurch]

I was there 2 years ago. We had 1 day in Eperny and 1 in Reims. Great stuff.

In Reims just go to the Dom. On the right hand side is Cave de Sacres, who specialise in small producers. I have had all sort of interesting stuff from them, they speak English and I believe they will deliver to Auz, although the costs may mean that its pointless. Just around the corner on the square is another shop where you can get the big names, if thats your thing. You can also sit out and have a glass/bottle of bubbles

The Gluepot is the only place i know to eat. It looks like a sports bar, it has tv's on the wall, the food is average, but the list is brilliant. Its the sort of list that real wine lovers value - no top name burgs or Bdx, but plenty of houses that only we value. A friend was there last weekend and was drinking a Champange made from Pinot Blanc, Petit Mislair and Arbane (called Les Revenants) and Domaine du Collier La Charpentrie Saumur Rouge. When I was there with him we had a 100% Pinot Gris Champange, a Boudignon Anjou Blanc (under $50!) and a bottle of Trevallon.

We never bothered visiting any producers. We drove around and managed to take pictures of some of he famous vineyeards.

In Eperney we visited a few shop/wine bars, that had tasting selections. Great way to spend an evening.

[tj2]

Have just come back from Champagne and had a ball, spent 3 days in Reims as a base for touring vineyards and producers. It's a lovely small city although has a fairly quiet feel to it. The Cathedral is a must if you like that kind of stuff

For producers in town Louis Roederer, Krug and Charles Heidsieck are well worth visiting if you have the capacity to secure an appointment but this might be difficult if it is a weekend visit. Apparently Pommery have an art installation down in their crayeres which is worth a look but I did not go there

Here's some advice I received from a friend in the know before I left and although I didn't go to all these places - have noted the ones I did with a * - it might help with your research

RESTAURANTS IN REIMS

• Au Bon manger
• Racine
• Le Jardin (much cheaper than Les Crayeres!) - *Le Jardin des Crayeres - we had lunch here - food was fabulous a beautiful refined bistro
• the bar at Les Crayeres- just so you can see the place! They have the world's most expensive club sandwiches and a champagne list to die for.... your credit card will also die at the sight, but there are some reasonably priced gems there.
• Le Bocal
• Café du Palais - for the décor! Not so much the food!
Avoid the touristy restaurants on rue d'erlon drouet leading up to the fountain. . L'Apostrophe is ok, and pretty much the only decent place open on a Monday night. Forget Brasserie Excelsior... used to be the very agreeable Brasserie Flo but new ownership has not done well with either décor or food.

BARS IN REIMS

• Boutique Tresors * This is a wine store which is owned by all the producers of the Special Club Champagnes and you can also have tastings and a drink here - so a good grower Champagne experience in Reims
• Le wine Bar.... opens at 6.00pm Go early.
• Le Coq Rouge.... book.
• Le Coude Sur La Table *This is a natural wine bar
• a new place beside Le coude sur la table , which should be ready by October. I'm going to check it out. Good owner.

Enjoy your visit!

[sjw_11]

Thanks for the tips guys, didn't have time to follow all the advice but it was helpful. Here are some notes from my two days in Reims which was effectively a "mini honeymoon" as I got married last week.

Dinner at Le Millenaire

I did try and book Racine but it was full up (we only confirmed the trip with late notice) so we went to Le Millenaire instead, which also has 1 Michelin star. We opted for the €57 which was fantastic value and gave us a lot of food. Stand out dishes were the smoked salmon, mushroom veloute, and the chocolate mousse dessert. The wine list here is interesting- good for Champagne of course but also for Bordeaux with keen pricing. I noticed they offer quite a few slightly older wines but from less stellar vintages e.g. 2011, 2002, which for drinking right away and offering decent value seems not a bad way to go. We had a very nice bottle of Ch Haut Batailley 2011 (€90). Some might find the touch of green disappointing but I enjoyed it.

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Lunch at Cafe de la Paix
This was picked based on location and good Trip Advisor reviews (I know, I know) but it really was an excellent bistro. Delicious oysters, good value and a tremendous and well priced list of mainstream bubbles. The 2007 Billecart went down very nicely. We also learned a new drink- the Tomate (which is pernod mixed with grenadine).

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Assorted wines and Champagnes
Good tip on the Cave de Sacres which had a very interesting range, although the service was a little on the brusque side (I guess they get a lot of tourists through and so aren't overly friendly at first pass).

• 2015 Dauvergne Ranvier Margaux Grand Vin - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (11/4/2019)
  Medium red. Lightish red fruits, pale plum and bramble. Pleasant but relatively simple. (87 pts.)
• 2010 Janisson Baradon & Fils Champagne Toulette - France, Champagne (11/2/2019)
  Blanc de blanc from a single grand cru vineyard. Mid yellow. Lively bead. Complex nose with distinct aldehydic characters, citrus, brioche. Rich and mouth filling this has excellent depth of flavor. I don’t necessarily feel like it will benefit from from further aging and for me I would drink in the next couple of years. The winery’s website suggests drinking with mushroom risotto and I wouldn’t disagree, or just with some canapés or snacks. (93 pts.)
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• 2015 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Le Petit - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/2/2019)
  60/40 Cab/Merlot. Dark red colour. Dense nose of purple fruit, with blackberry, a touch of liqueur, graphite, pencil shavings and a touch of cedar. Dense and well structured. Firm, mouth filling tannins. Lots of stuffing, certainly a ripe, modern style. The quality is clear. I’d like to have another look at this in 2-3 years and then see. (90 pts.)
• NV Gosset Champagne Brut Grande Réserve - France, Champagne (11/2/2019)
  Purchased to get two free glasses because our Airbnb in Reims didn’t have any. Excellent value. Good depth of flavour. Punchy and fresh acidity. Citrus fruit profile. Fresh. Good aperitif style. (89 pts.)
• NV Champagne Redon Champagne L'R du Temps - France, Champagne (11/1/2019)
  This is composed of 67% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot Noir and 15% Trepail Rouge (which since their vineyards are only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is presumably also Pinot). From Premier cru classed vineyards in the Trepail sub region. Extra brut.
  
  Salmon pink hues in the glass with a small persistant bead. Fresh strawberry and red berry characters dominate. Broad and relatively intense in the mouth. Not particularly profound but pretty good. Good value at €28. (89 pts.)
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[sjw_11]

Top of my list of things you don't expect to see in a cathedral ... a hash tag
Apparently it commemorates the the 300th anniversary of the death of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Patron Saint of Teachers... word up to the Catholic church for trying to be totz down wit the kids. #yolo

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And why do the forbid dogs with tiny cowboys??

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