Champagne Taittinger

Useful Information

Location:	Reims. Cellar entrance located at 9, Place Saint-Nicaise. Coach entrance at Rue d'Ay.
Open:	mid-MAR to mid-NOV daily 9:30-13, 14-17:30. mid-NOV to mid-MAR Mon-Fri 9:30-13, 14-17:30. Last tour 1 h before closing time. [2007]
Fee:
Classification:	Cellar
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=1 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Champagne Taittinger Cellar Tour, 9, Place Saint-Nicaise, 51100 Reims, Tel: +33-326-858433, Fax: +33-326-858405.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

4th century	first parts of the cellar created as chalk mines.
13th century	enlarged by the Saint Nicaise Abbey monks.
1931	Taittinger founded.

Description

The famous champagne producer Taittinger is located at the heart of the Champagne, in the middle of the city Reims. Around the city 288 ha of vineyard, including some of the best crus of the area are worked by the company. Millions of bottles of champagne are aged in the underground cellars, cut into the soft Cretaceous chalk below the city. A part of this cellar is open to the public.

The oldest parts of the cellar were Gallo-Roman chalk mines, worked during the 4th century to provide building materials for the growing city above. According to legend they were dug by slaves who carved strange figures into the chalk. During the 13th century the cellars were enlagred by monks of the Saint Nicaise Abbey. The produced and traded Champagne wines, and needed the cellars for storage. The abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution, but the cellars survived.

The cellars are open to the public, located at the Place Saint-Nicaise, which is named after the destroyed abbey. A model of the Basilica and Abbey of Saint Nicaise is on display in the visitor center.

The Taittinger winery is a rather young company, founded in 1931 by Pierre Taittinger. However, the family had some background in the distribution and export of champagne before. In 1932 he aquired the Château de la Marquetterie near Epernay, including the surrounding vineyards. He was an innovator and visionary, so he decided to use Chardonnay as the dominant grape for the brand.