In 2012, Belgian Maxime and Anna Ullens de Schooten (he 37, she 31) discovered a dilapidated estate in the village of Hermonville, near Reims, and immediately wanted to refurbish it – Maxime was a structural engineer. But when a soil expert on the estate discovered old vines that had survived war, fire and the grape aphid epidemic in the 1800s, the story took a very different turn. Maxime and Anna Ullens de Schooten focused on developing the vineyard and making their own champagne. He went to winegrowing school, she went on to study International Wine Trade. They received permission to open a new champagne house in 2016 and the first champagne Ullens from their Domaine de Marzilly came on the market in 2019. The following year, in 2020, Maxime Ullens de Schooten was named by gastronomy guide Gault Millau named winemaker of the year.
Champagne City
Anna Ullens de Schooten: ‘Reims, in the northeast of France, is the champagne city, especially for us of course. It has a rich champagne history, which is completely mixed with modern life here. In and near Reims are the large, old champagne houses, but just as well new, smaller ones. Many Parisians also come to the city, from Paris to Reims it is only 40 minutes by train. Yes, our own champagne Ullens is certainly served in the region, for example at Attis, a restaurant in the middle of the vineyards of Chenay.’
Restaurant Attis, 3 Place Boisseau, Chenay
A thousand champagnes
‘Our cuvées are also available next to the cathedral, at Caves des Sacres, which sells nothing but champagne, everything from the region, over a thousand different varieties. This special store has an incredible selection of both the large and the smaller houses from the area.’
Caves des Sacres7 Place du Cardinal Lucon
romance
‘The Cathédral Notre-Dame de Reims is the natural center of Reims, with that wonderful rosette window. But I would also like to mention the Basilique Saint-Remi, an impressive Romanesque church from the 11th century and the oldest church in Reims. It is such a rich, historic city. The basilica was so damaged in the First World War that the restoration took at least forty years.’
Saint-Remi basilicaRue Saint-Julien
Fire truck
‘Hotel Caserne Chanzy is so close to Notre-Dame that you have a beautiful pontifical view from some of the rooms. The hotel has a terrace at the foot of the cathedral, a champagne bar and a French restaurant called La Grande Georgette, named after a famous red fire engine from 1924, now on display in the Automobile Museum in Reims.’
La Caserne Chanzy Hotel & Spa and La Grande Georgette18 Rue Tronsson Ducoudray
Musee Automobile Reims-Champagne84 Avenue Georges Clemenceau
Brioche in the salon
‘Harold’s pink parasols and pink chair cushions immediately catch the eye. Restaurant Harold is located right downtown and is known for its special brunch menu for late Sunday mornings or early Sunday afternoons. It is also a tea room with fifty types of tea and delicious sweets such as waffles, brioche and lemon meringue pie on the menu.’
Restaurant Harold27 Rue de Vesle, Passage du Commerce
Steam kitchen and sculpture garden
‘At Vapeurs et gourmandises they present, in their own words, the cuisine French modernand à la vapor, all steamed dishes. The restaurant has a fresh, white interior and everything is very affordable. Vapeurs et gourmandises is located near the Charles Sarazin park, which is more of a backyard than a park, with statues and benches – a little oasis in the city.’
Vapeurs et gourmandises22 Place du Forum
Square Charles SarazinRue Plush
Good and very good wines
‘It’s not just champagne that counts, not just anyway. We know two fine wine bars in the center. Le Coq Rouge is a small, cozy bar with good and very good French wines and a tasty drink menu. And at Aux 3 p’tits bouchons, at the Boulingrinmarkt, organic and biodynamic wines are sold and served in the bar with a generous board of charcuterie.’
Le Coq Rouge, 67 Rue Chanzy
Aux 3 p’tits bouchons29 Rue Henri IV
Cheese, fish, oysters
‘We like to do our shopping on the covered, high Boulingrin market, at La Porte de Mars, the Roman gate from the 3rd century. For bread, eggs, vegetables, fruit, meat and cheese. On the market, please stop by Crémerie Viellard, the cheese stall with an excellent selection of cheese. My advice is to get to the market early, very early, otherwise the best is already gone. For fish we prefer to go a little further away, to poissonnerie Placet, a great fish shop with a great choice of fresh fish, shellfish and different types of oysters. Reservations are useful, the fish is sold quickly.’
Halles du Boulingrin50 Rue de Mars
Etching PlacetRue Alberto Santos Dumont
Goose Feet Park
‘Reims is also quite a green city and I think the Parc de la Patte d’Oie, literally the goose feet park, is surprisingly green and beautiful. That is an 18th-century landscape park, with waterfalls, fountains and a music dome.’
Parc de la Patte d’Oie73 Boulevard du General Leclerc
Vineyards and gnarled beech trees
†La Route touristique du Champagne is simply the wine tour for anyone visiting Reims. There are several routes, past villages, centuries-old buildings, spires and past the ubiquitous rolling, green, striped vineyards. One of the routes also passes through our village of Hermonville. The forest of Les Faux de Verzy, which is also on one of the routes, is worth a special mention, with its gnarled, erratic and strangely shaped beech trees, a mysterious forest.’
Les Faux de VerzyVerzy