schiller-wine: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

The last stop of the

Burgundy (and Champagne) Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: From Lyon to Paris - Wine, Food, Culture and History, France

before having lunch in Paris at La Coupole, Montparnasse, after which the tour ended,

was in Épernay, the capital of Champagne, at Maison Mercier, one of the famous Champagne Houses on l'Avenue de Champagne. We had a tour of the impressive cellars of Mercier and a tasting.

Mercier is the #1 selling brand of Champagne in the French market. Today the house is under the umbrella of the LVMH group, along with

Moët & Chandon
Dom Pérignon
Ruinart
Vve Clicquot
Krug
Mercier

One does not visit Mercier for sipping Champagne. It is the monument and craziness of its nonconformist founder that is interesting to experience. It was in 1858 that Eugène Mercier, a daring and visionary entrepreneur, broke with champagne tradition and created a "champagne for all occasions". To get people talking about his champagne, in 1870 he decided to build the largest wine cask in the world! With a monumental gage of over 20 tonnes, measuring 5 meters in height and able to hold up to 200,000 bottles, the cask was one of the major attractions of the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a competition won by the Eiffel Tower. In 1871 Eugène Mercier began the construction of his cellars in Epernay. It took six years to build the 18 kilometers of impressive underground tunnels that are home to the Mercier heritage. Once the immense cellars were open, Eugène Mercier, who always had an eye for creating significant events, had visitors tour the tunnels in carriages pulled by four horses. The tour was even taken by the President of France, Sadi Carnot, when he visited Mercier in 1891.

Picture: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

Mercier

Mercier Saga

Mercier: Our family saga began during the reign of Napoleon III, in the Second Empire, a period of thriving economic prosperity. When he was only 20 years old my great-grandfather Eugène Mercier established his own House and revolutionized the world of champagne. He took up an incredible challenge: make the wine of the era’s elites into a champagne accessible to everyone without ever sacrificing quality. A brilliant innovator and communication visionary, Eugène Mercier always knew how to surprise and amaze the public… He launched numerous and original communication operations during the course of the 19th century: a filmed commercial with the Lumière brothers, the creation of unusual promotional items and grand wine tastings of Mercier champagnes at Universal Expositions.

Picture: Picture: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

The Odysses of the Mercier Champagne

At the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris Eugène Mercier created an original and attention-getting floating bar in an anchored hot air balloon. Attached to the foundation of the Vincennes Castle, the balloon took visitors to an altitude of 300 meters where they had the pleasure of a stunning panoramic view of Paris while enjoying a flute of Mercier. But destiny curiously intervened to transform the beautiful ascent into an unexpected adventure… The wind made off with the balloon and carried it to Epernay and well beyond, continuing its wild race all the way to Belgium. Yet all’s well that ends well, and the accidental travelers returned safe and sound.

Mercier in Epernay

Mercier is in Epernay, in the heart of France’s Champagne country, but the house has always had strong ties to Paris. In 1871, as soon as the cellars were built, a direct railway line transported the wine to the City of Light. And the connection went both ways, as Mercier’s reputation meant that it was always welcoming champagne lovers to the rolling hills of its vineyards. In 1904 a Paris-to-Epernay auto race was established, with the spectacular finish line located on the Avenue de Champagne, right in front of Mercier’s doorstep.

The Cellars

In 1871 Eugène Mercier began the construction of his cellars in Epernay. It took six years to build the 18 kilometers of impressive underground tunnels that are home to the Mercier heritage. Once the immense cellars were open, Eugène Mercier, who always had an eye for creating significant events, had visitors tour the tunnels in carriages pulled by four horses. The tour was even taken by the President of France, Sadi Carnot, when he called at Mercier in 1891.

Designed and decorated to impress, to this day the Mercier cellars are among the most often toured cellars in Champagne and receive over 100,000 visitors every year. One of the most remarkable objects to be seen on the Mercier tour is the “giant wine cask,” which bears witness to another of the founder’s flashes of genius. Eugène Mercier arranged the building of the world’s biggest wine barrel, which was designed for assemblage. His genius for communications inspired him to surmount every obstacle to have his exceptional cask displayed at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. The Mercier cask even won second prize at the Exposition—first prize went to the Eiffel Tower!

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

3 Questions to Christophe Bonnefond, Chef de Cave, Mercier

Can you tell us a little about the immediate reactions of visitors when they first see the Mercier cellars?

« Visitors are surprised by the grandeur and the unique decor of our cellars. They’re not expecting to discover such a magnificent heritage and they realize how important our brand has been throughout the years. At the same time, they appreciate the amazing contrast between our traditional heritage and the originality of touring the cellars in a little train. »

Can you describe the atmosphere of the cellars and tell us if it impacts your everyday work?

« The atmosphere of the cellars is rich with our century-old history and they show a love of grandeur that was uniquely Eugène Mercier’s. When you are in the cellars you want to perpetuate the legend of Mercier Champagne and that’s what I focus on every day, continuing the “fresh, fruity, intense, spontaneous” Mercier style. »

How are these cellars different from the cellars of France’s other major houses?

« The Mercier cellars were the first to be constructed according to a rational plan based on an architectural drawing and designed to be open to the public. The high, arched ceilings, the sculpted decor and the theatricality create such atmosphere in these cellars that are, above all and to this day, the place where our wines mature, an organized, functional production space just as it was in the beginning for Eugène Mercier. »

Mercier Champagne Portfolio

Brut: An assemblage of Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay with a pale yellow color.

Brut Réserve: The bouquet is redolent of candied citrus, dried apricots and raisins.

Brut Rosé: A shimmering, salmon colour, with the vivacious aroma of red fruits and a palate as sweet as it is refreshing.

Blanc de Noir: The floral and fruity aromas of rose and lychee complete the green freshness of leafstalks and red currants.

Demi-Sec: An assemblage of Pinot Noir and Meunier, MERCIER DEMI-SEC is of a splendid antique gold color.

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Mercier in Épernay- Bourgogne (and Champagne) Tour by ombiasy WineTours 2018, France

Lunch at La Coupole, Montparnasse, Paris

Following the visit of Mercier in Epernay we drove for ab out an hour to Paris for our final meal, at the iconic La Coupole, Montparnasse, after which the tour ended.

La Coupole is a historic Montparnasse café / restaurant (and an official French historic monument), which opened in 1927. This huge restaurant is a temple of Art Déco. It still symbolizes the “roaring twenties”. In was and still is to some lesser extent one of the hotspots of the intellectuals of Paris and abroad. Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemmingway, Picasso, Man Ray, Camus, James Joyce, Josephine Baker, Henri Miller, Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin and countless others were regulars at La Coupole.