Nestlé Purina
Brand shoot
2026 · France
Production service for the brand's shoot in France.
Filming in Champagne
Under an hour from Paris by train: Reims, Épernay, the hillsides and more than 100 km of cellars and chalk pits. Almost everything worth filming here is private, the landscape is a World Heritage site, and an alcohol commercial aired in France follows rules of its own. Here is how a Champagne shoot works.
01
In Champagne, the owner is the permit
The ruleFrench filming permits follow ownership, and in Champagne almost everything you want on screen is owned by someone in particular. The cellars and chalk pits belong to the champagne houses. The vines belong to growers and houses, plot by plot. The towns own their streets, the Département its roads, and the great monuments of Reims have their own operators. There is no single Champagne permit; there is a list of owners.
Since 2015 the landscape has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list as the "Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars": the historic hillsides from Cumières to Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, the Saint-Nicaise hill in Reims and the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay. It does not change who signs your location contract, but it does make the sites protected and watched, and it raises the bar on what a production may install there.
We are a production service company working across France from Paris and Cannes. Reims is under an hour from Paris by high-speed train: most Champagne days run as day trips with the Paris crew, without hotels. Élie negotiates with the houses and files the towns; Zacharie runs the unit. For the general rule, see shooting permits in France.
02
Who issues what in Champagne
Indicative, confirmed per projectLocationAuthorityLead time
Cellars, chalk pits, housesReims and ÉpernayThe champagne house, by private contract, including the terms of commercial use and branding on screenNegotiated
VineyardsHillsides, villagesThe owner of each plot, and the commune for access roads and village streets2 to 4 weeks
Town streetsReims, Épernay, villagesThe town hall. Partner towns in the Grand Est film commission network each name a single filming contact2 to 4 weeks
Departmental roadsThe wine routes between villagesThe Département3 to 5 weeks
MonumentsReims cathedral and the city's heritage sitesEach site's operator4 to 10 weeks
DroneOver the hillsidesDGAC and the prefecture, always separate. The vineyard owner still agrees take-off and landing3 to 6 weeks
A champagne commercial aired in France is a legal question
French law (the Loi Évin, now in the Public Health Code) restricts advertising for alcoholic drinks: it sets a limited list of media where alcohol advertising is allowed, regulates what the advertising may show and say, and requires a health warning. If your film will be broadcast or published in France, those rules shape the script, not just the end card: lifestyle imagery that is ordinary in a London or New York spot can be a problem in a French one. If the film is for other markets only, it follows their rules. Tell us the media plan at the bid, and get French advertising counsel on the script early.
03
The Champagne calendar
Seasonal notesSpringVines bud and the hillsides turn green. Good light, quiet houses, easy permits.
SummerFull vines, long days, the best months for landscape and drone work.
HarvestUsually from late August into September, with dates set each year. Houses, growers and presses are at full stretch: cellar days are hard to book, roads are busy with tractors and pickers, and every house prioritises the grapes over a film crew.
October to winterBare vines and fog. Cellars are the same all year round, which makes winter the easiest season for interiors.
The trap. A house that says yes to a documentary may price or refuse a commercial, and do not expect one house's cellar to host another drinks brand. Clear the use, the brand visibility and any product placement in the location contract before the recce, not after the edit.
04
What shoots in Champagne
And how we run it01Luxury and drinks commercialsCellars, chalk, hillsides and house façades for drinks, luxury and travel brands. Usage and branding are cleared house by house.Brands
02TV documentary and food seriesThe houses, the growers, the harvest, the wars fought over this ground. Access to people is the work.Access
04Car and roadDepartmental roads through vines are some of the simplest roads in France to close for a car spot, outside harvest.Roads
For châteaux and vineyards elsewhere, see Bordeaux and the Atlantic coast and the Loire Valley. For Alsace, on the other side of the Grand Est region, see Strasbourg and Alsace.
05
Selected work
Verified creditsFreia
Chocolate campaign
2026 · France
Production service in France for the Norwegian chocolate brand.
Myprotein
Brand content
2026 · France
Production service for the brand's content shoot in France.
Primark
Primark Contemporary, Fall collection
2026 · France
Production service for the Fall collection campaign.
Do you need a permit to film in Champagne?
For public space, yes: the town hall for streets, the Département for roads outside towns, and each monument's operator for heritage sites. But most of what productions want, the cellars, chalk pits and vineyards, is private, and is cleared by contract with the champagne house or the grower rather than by permit.
Can we film inside champagne cellars in Reims and Épernay?
Yes, with the agreement of the house that owns them. Each house sets its own terms, and commercial use, brand visibility and product placement are negotiated in the location contract. Some houses accept documentaries more readily than commercials. We approach the houses directly in French.
When is the best time to film in Champagne?
Spring and summer for vineyards and landscapes; any time of year for cellars. Avoid the harvest, usually from late August into September with dates set each year, unless it is your subject: houses, growers and roads are at full stretch.
Are there rules for alcohol advertising shot in France?
If the film will be broadcast or published in France, yes. The Loi Évin restricts alcohol advertising to a limited list of media, regulates its content and requires a health warning. Films made in France for other markets follow the rules of those markets. Plan the media plan and legal review before the script is locked.
How far is Champagne from Paris?
Reims is under an hour from Paris by high-speed train, and Épernay a short drive further. Most Champagne shoots run as day trips with our Paris crew, which keeps hotels and per diems out of the budget.
Shooting in Champagne?
Send your dates, the houses, cellars or hillsides you want and what the film will advertise. We check access and the rules that apply.
Or email [email protected]. We reply within 3 hours.