A voyage through time and 2000 years of history
Maison Taittinger is now offering history and story lovers alike a brand new experience with the launch of a virtual tour of the Champagne House’s ancient cellars. Visitors plunge 18 metres underground with an English guide to discover the incredible story hiding behind the famous cellars of this family house and an exploration of its many relics of the past.
Located in the heart of the city of Reims, Champagne Taittinger and its famous cellars, containing magnificent Gallo-Roman chalk pits, have always been a true gateway to the History of Champagne.
The exceptional site, open all year round, welcomes over 80,000 visitors from around the world on guided tours and bespoke wine-tasting experiences.
In the fourth century, these chalk cathedrals were patiently dug out to extract blocks of chalk. 900 years later they would become the basement of Saint-Nicaise Abbey. They were then extended by a network of tunnels linking cellars, crypts and vaults used for storing the Champagne wines sold by the Benedictine monks. The Abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution, but its underground structures remained intact.
Comments Vitalie Taittinger, President of Champagne Taittinger: “As one of the few Champagne Houses owned and run by the family on the label, we are sharing this virtual tour to reveal the hidden history of our cellars with more enthusiasts of travel and bubbles than ever before. We feel this is particularly important while it remains so difficult to travel right now. We can share true treasures with this online tour, which takes budding historians on a journey that explores the wealth of heritage and history contained in our Taittinger cellars – and all this from the comfort of our e-visitors’ own homes.”
This brand-new experience comes in addition to the usual cellar tour proposed by Maison Taittinger, which focuses on the creation of its Champagnes.
“We wanted to create a virtual tour because it fits with our DNA,” continues Vitalie Taittinger. “We are delighted to be able to share this invaluable heritage, of which we are merely its humble guardians, with as many people as possible.”
Champagne Taittinger has ensured that the content is accessible to everyone, combining pedagogical and interactive approaches, to ensure e-users get the most out of the experience. A great deal of research has gone into the project, with the involvement of Mr. Jérôme Buttet, a historian specialising in the First World War, and digital agency SISSO, who have created several virtual tours for other establishments such as the Palace of Versailles, Élysée Palace, FRAC and more.
http://www.taittinger.com/visite-virtuelle
