Gourmet products local specialties and wines Côte des blancs

The Marneese's favourite chocolate maker... is Emmanuel Briet. After having worked with great Parisian pastry chefs, Emmanuel Briet opened his chocolate factory in Epernay. A showcase shop from which you can see the chef officer in his workshop in the back shop, where he elaborates his creations from 17 cocoa crus and carefully selected ingredients, from Sicilian pistachios to Piedmont hazelnuts, Valencia almonds, Lebanese orange blossom and products from Madame Izrael for her chocolates with 5 peppers and spices.

This microbrewery from Sparnacus offers a beautiful range of artisanal beers on lees, neither filtered nor pasteurized. At the top of the list is the permanent range with six creations brewed in Épernay, the classic blonde and amber beers, the refreshing white ginger, the hoppy IPA, the Porter smoked with beech wood and the American Tripel inspired by abbey beers. Add to that seasonal creations such as the Amoureuse mango-passion or the Avanie, sour raspberry and lime, and many others that are sure to be tasted in the taproom: wines, champagnes, rillettes, boards to share and other artisanal local products.

We sit down around the table to get to know this family business and its vineyard, which is 100% located in Sézanne, i.e. 13 hectares. In the range, let's mention "La cuvée fût de chêne" (oak barrel vintage) with a dominant pinot noir (70%), associated with 30% of chardonnay, a champagne which benefits from four years of ageing (3 years of which 1 year in oak barrel), ideal as an aperitif or with a fricassee of scallops with butter... The visit is free for individuals but it is by appointment only so remember to call before coming to the domain.

The Lefèvre family vineyard is located in Oger on the western slopes of Épernay. Didier Lefèvre offers a beautiful range of wines for tasting, starting with his Brut BDB Grand Cru Millésime. An elegant blend of the best white Chardonnay grapes that gives this wine a fruity and very fine taste particularly appreciated with appetizers. The Brut Tradition is a wine of delicate suppleness. With its refined pink hue, the Brut Rosé (84% Chardonnay and 16% Pinot Noir) is a wine with charming curves. We love it!

Discover the world's largest champagne cellars, with 28 km of galleries carved out of the white chalk! The masterly guided tour takes you on a journey through the history of this house, founded in 1743 by Claude Moët, which today cultivates almost 800 ha of vineyards run by 250 winegrowers. Moët Impérial, Rosé Impérial, Grand Vintage white and rosé, Ice Impérial white and rosé in summer - here's a brief overview of the house's wide range of crus, which express all the nuances of the Champagne terroir, to be tasted at the end of the tour.

It was the Viscount de Castellane who created the red emblem that has adorned the labels of this champagne from the outset: the cross of Saint-André. To discover the treasures hidden in the cellars, you'll have to climb down the 237 steps of the nine levels of this listed monument. The estate is also home to the Musée de la Tradition Champenoise, where scenes depict the various stages in the making of Champagne wine. The Millésimé, with its lovely yellow highlights, is a particular favorite. This elegant wine, with its notes of vine peach, will delight true connoisseurs.

This wine shop offers a wide selection of champagnes, wines and spirits. Customers can make their purchases in-store. The site also offers a delivery and returns service, as well as information on payment and terms and conditions of sale. Wine and spirits lovers are sure to find what they're looking for at Inter Caves in Épernay.

Michel Rocourt runs a 6-hectare Chardonnay vineyard exclusively in the Mesnil-sur-Oger and Vertus areas. A tour of the winery provides a wealth of information on traditional winemaking techniques, the contemporary cellar, the stainless steel vats and the pneumatic press. Visitors then have the chance to taste wines from the range. Special mention should be made of the "Grand Vintage", a beautifully mature wine. Don't hesitate to visit during the harvest, a magical time to get a behind-the-scenes look at the winemaking process!

The vineyards are spread over two terroirs: the Côte des Blancs, classified as a Grand Cru, and the Sézannais hillsides. Respectful of the environment, the vineyard uses integrated viticulture. It is with pleasure and passion that the Pertois family will show you around their facilities, including the property's cellars with their thousands of bottles of a unique cru. In fact, Maison Pertois is the only one to vinify the Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc du Mesnil.

The Cave des Lombards is the perfect place if you are looking for a good bottle. Cédric Morizot, the owner of the place, has made a selection of champagnes and there are of course some references from the vineyards of the Sezannais hillsides. The other champagne products are not left out with the beer of Valmy, the champagne cider, the ratafia, the fine, without forgetting the old marc. The store also has a large selection of wines from other regions of France. A small delicatessen section completes the whole.

Philippe Simon is the fourth generation of winegrowers to run the estate. Here the specificity is the elaboration of an authentic blanc de blancs champagne, with a research of the taste and the aromas of the grape. This research is expressed through five beautiful vintages: Rosé, Extra Brut, Prestige, Brut Brut and Premières Saveurs. The house gives tours of its traditional cellars, the press, the vats and explains the know-how. If you wish to extend your stay, the gîte "Les chambres des Valentines", in Cramant, is at your disposal!

Mercier offers one of the finest tours of champagne cellars. You'll travel part of the 18 km of cellars in a small train, and then climb back up in a panoramic elevator. After the audio tour, it's time for a tasting! Depending on the package you choose, you'll discover several cuvées: Mercier Brut, Brut Rosé, Blanc de Noirs and Réserve, not forgetting the 2002, 2006 and 2010 vintages. An experience between tradition and modernity for families with young children. It's never too early to experience the magic of Champagne!

Here's an amazing house! Marie-Hélène Waris, supported by her 3 children, is a biodynamic winegrower in Avize. The rest of the time, she works as a ceramic painter. At her place, the soil resonates and the juice whispers. Her wines are full of strength, character and originality. Love at first sight for the Racine de Trois cuvée, with its magnetic packaging. The house also offers visitors Le Nid des Anges, a cocoon gîte that will take good care of its guests.

Since 1996, the ^7th generation of Callot has been at the helm, with the youngest of his four sons, Thierry, now managing the family business. The company is still committed to traditional winemaking in its Grand Cru terroir. It produces a range of wines divided between Grands Crus and Premiers Crus. The "Clos Jacquin" cuvée, a locality in Avize, is aged for a year on lees in wooden vats. The company also produces a 100% Avize vintage champagne called Les Avats, a fine, high-quality wine from a south-facing vineyard planted in 1951.

The estate comprises around 40 hectares of vines on six prestigious terroirs. Pressing and vinification are carried out in Avize, in keeping with the Champagne traditions inherited from the family. Here you can see the 3 riddling systems. Each year, the company produces around 300,000 bottles. Michel Gonet Brut Réserve is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay from Vindey, where vines were already famous in Roman times, and from Montgueux, a chalky hillock excellent for Chardonnay. Not to be missed!

Corbon champagnes are 4 magnificent vintages: the Brut d'Autrefois, a champagne for exceptional moments; the Chardonnay 2006, a vintage Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru champagne to be served with refined dishes; Absolument Brut, the house cuvée, not dosed, to be served as an aperitif; and the Prestige cuvée, a blended champagne that allows for all kinds of combinations: fish, cheese, charcuterie... From the classic visit to the oenological escapade for novices and initiates, Agnès Corbon adapts to the visitor with a lot of pedagogy.

Christian, Yveline and Anthony share with us their job as owner-harvesters. They explain that Chardonnay reigns supreme on the Côte des Blancs and that part of the vineyard is located in the Marne Valley, where the two other Champagne grape varieties are planted. This house practices the reasoned culture, limiting the treatments for a better quality of the grapes. After blending, the wine is then aged in oak barrels resting on their lees and stirred regularly.

Olivier and Stéphanie Waris are the fourth generation of winegrowers to have settled in Avize, a village classified as a Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs. Since 1997, they have been at the helm of their Champagne house, Champagne Waris-Hubert, which produces wines of character. These passionate growers and handlers love to share their knowledge, and offer you a tour of their house and a tasting in their cellar.Crus de caractère: Armorial, Ercanbald. Premiers Crus: Succulente, Estence. Grands Crus: Albescent, Lilyale, Blanche, Eminence.

Established for three generations on terroirs classified as Grands Crus, it is a remarkable estate that offers a champagne of character. For several years, biodynamic farming has been used, as well as animal traction, for old vines. What characterizes the De Sousa champagnes, the brilliant results on the traditional vintages as well as on the particular vintages, in particular this rosé of bleeding associated with the rosé of assembly, or the cuvée 3A (for Avize, Aÿ, Ambonnay). Finally, the Umami cuvée, from the most beautiful terroirs classified as Grand Cru.

Richard and Véronique Petit cultivate with love 2 magnificent terroirs classified as Grands Crus and make their own wines with patience and high standards. The range is now composed of 3 great vintages: Nuit Blanche, Ambrosie and Nymphea. At the tasting, we had a weakness for the first one. Grand Cru de la Côte des Blancs born in 2009, this champagne is a 100% chardonnay with a nice nose. A pure, fine and clean wine that enlivens the palate of the amateurs and is discovered on refined iodized dishes such as a tartar with two salmon... wild of course!