Mercier Saga

Our family saga began during the reign of Napoleon III, in the Second Empire, a period of thriving economic prosperity. When he was only 20 years old my great-grandfather Eugène Mercier established his own House and revolutionized the world of champagne. He took up an incredible challenge: make the wine of the era’s elites into a champagne accessible to everyone without ever sacrificing quality. A brilliant innovator and communication visionary, Eugène Mercier always knew how to surprise and amaze the public… He launched numerous and original communication operations during the course of the 19th century: a filmed commercial with the Lumière brothers, the creation of unusual promotional items and grand wine tastings of Mercier champagnes at Universal Expositions.
 

Emmanuel Mercier, 
Mercier ambassador and great-grand son of the founder

THE ODYSSEY OF MERCIER CHAMPAGNE

At the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris Eugène Mercier created an original and attention-getting floating bar in an anchored hot air balloon. Attached to the foundation of the Vincennes Castle, the balloon took visitors to an altitude of 300 meters where they had the pleasure of a stunning panoramic view of Paris while enjoying a flute of Mercier. But destiny curiously intervened to transform the beautiful ascent into an unexpected adventure… The wind made off with the balloon and carried it to Epernay and well beyond, continuing its wild race all the way to Belgium. Yet all’s well that ends well, and the accidental travelers returned safe and sound.

M as in Mercier

Mercier is in Epernay, in the heart of France’s Champagne country, but the house has always had strong ties to Paris. In 1871, as soon as the cellars were built, a direct railway line transported the wine to the City of Light. And the connection went both ways, as Mercier’s reputation meant that it was always welcoming champagne lovers to the rolling hills of its vineyards. In 1904 a Paris-to-Epernay auto race was established, with the spectacular finish line located on the Avenue de Champagne, right in front of Mercier’s doorstep.

THE CELLARS

In 1871 Eugène Mercier began the construction of his cellars in Epernay. It took six years to build the 18 kilometers of impressive underground tunnels that are home to the Mercier heritage. Once the immense cellars were open, Eugène Mercier, who always had an eye for creating significant events, had visitors tour the tunnels in carriages pulled by four horses. The tour was even taken by the President of France, Sadi Carnot, when he called at Mercier in 1891. Designed and decorated to impress, to this day the Mercier cellars are among the most often toured cellars in Champagne and receive over 100,000 visitors every year. One of the most remarkable objects to be seen on the Mercier tour is the “giant wine cask,” which bears witness to another of the founder’s flashes of genius. Eugène Mercier arranged the building of the world’s biggest wine barrel, which was designed for assemblage. His genius for communications inspired him to surmount every obstacle to have his exceptional cask displayed at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. The Mercier cask even won second prize at the Exposition—first prize went to the Eiffel Tower!

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