Can anyone suggest a cheap place to buy champagne off the A5 or A26. We are going to be in a hurry so don’t have time to go hunting.

Most French supermarkets have a decent selection, look for a non brand “Recoltant” which means its a small independent producer. Or a “Crement” which is Champagne style wine but generally made elsewhere so cannot carry the name, about €6-8 a bottle. For drier Champagne style try an Alsace or slightly sweeter a Loire.

I can recommend Château de Bligny. Real interesting tour ending in a tasting, & you can then buy what you tried.

A bit pointless going to Champagne and not wanting to spend some time there, may as well go to any supermarket or online store. Spend a couple of days driving round sampling the smaller yards, much better stuff than the big names.

I will never forget the afternoon/night I spent drinking bottle after bottle of champagne at a farmers house. Some amazing stuff…

Guy Charbaut, in Mareuil Sur Ay

Cheers for the help. We will be passing through in a hurry, but I have convinced my teetotal boyfriend that we need to stop and stock up on Christmas presents 😀

Anyone got any more suggestions?