World’s Oldest Champagne House
There are plenty of Champagne houses to visit in and around Reims, France. The first one we visited was the world’s oldest.
Created by Nicolas Ruinart in 1729, he leaned of tales passed to him from his Uncle Thierry, a Benedictine monk. Those tales include stories about experiments Dom Perignon had done.
This wine with bubbles soon became successful in much of Europe.
More cellars were needed. Since the city of Reims sat on top of Gallo-Roman chalk quarries, these presented the perfect solution. Claude Ruinart purchased eight kilometers of this maze of chalk chambers, some up to 38 meters deep (almost 125 feet deep). Runiart still uses them today.
Through the years, they have had issues. During WWI, fighting around Reims destroyed some of the buildings. He moved his offices underground into the caves, until they were flooded. He ended up running the business from a raft. Talk about creative.
Then, during WWII the Germans discovered these cellars and pretty much emptied them.
Today, Runiart is part of a larger group. You still won’t find their distinctive bottle in the supermarket, however.
We took a tour. The limestone chambers, caves, and tasting did not disappoint. What we learned…
- Runiart uses chardonnay grapes
- Their style is elegant and full of mouth taste
- All their Champagne is made in stainless steel
- Inert nitrogen gas is used throughout the wine making process to protect against oxidation
- Long aging in their crayeres (chalk quarries) brings many layers to the taste
- You can purchase vintage Champagne made with grapes from a single year’s harvest, that year is displayed on the bottle
- You can also purchase non-vintage Champagne or NV, with is made with a blend of grapes from multiple harvests
Would I recommend this tour and tasting? Absolutely.
It was educational, beyond just how Champagne is made.
The caves were almost unbelievable. The age, the manner in which they were naturally formed, and their use today are all pretty amazing. All I can say is, you have to see them to believe them.
Tastings were educational as well. And tasty…
If You Go: Runiart is located at 4 rue des Crayeres, Reims, France. You can book your tour online at runiart.com.