Cindy G.
Yelp
Abbbbbsolutley NOT. I don't think I have been this angry about an experience in a very long time.
I took the Taittinger tour and tasting in Napa and it was leaps and bounds better than this.
From the beginning - We were staying in Paris for two days. I LOVE champagne (who doesn't right?) but no. When I say I love champagne I mean I collect champagne, I learn as much as I can about it, and it is a passion of mine. So when it came time for our two days in Paris I insisted we spend one of them in Reims and visit Taittinger - one of the oldest Champagne houses in the world. I was especially excited to visit because less than a month ago I visited the napa location.
My dream was to take my husband to see and experience the history of champagne, how it is made, and to get a taste of Taittinger. What we got was a snooty intern who was extremely new and was not only not able to answer questions, but most of her answers were wrong. If you don't know the answer to a question, you can say - "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer let me get back to you on that."
Many people on the tour were very knowledgeable on the subject of champagne and had visited other houses. She was boring, unclear, and contradictory. Not only was the history portion uninspiring, when she went over how champagne was made it was probably less than a minute or two and had I not known before I would have been completely dumbfounded. You do what, and then poof "its frozen and it pops out!"
I stood blood boiling in disbelief and many people on the tour talked amongst themselves. I seriously wanted to take over the tour and lead it myself. And yes, I realize I am coming off harsh - but this is an experience! We paid for the train, took time out of our day, and then paid the $25pp to experience this.
Yes, the caves were cool - that is where they get the extra star. I live in Bourbon country and have been on countless tours - this was BY FAR the worst alcohol tour I have ever been on. The vibe during the tour ruined our entire day after that and we decided just to hop on the train and book it back to Paris. It's extremely upsetting as Taittinger makes my favorite champagne (and still does). This was like wanting to meet Oprah, and then realizing she is not who you thought she was.
Super bummed.