The Champagne House with its headquarters in Épernay (Département Marne) was founded in 1858 by Eugène Mercier (1838-1904). For the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, he had a huge barrel built with a capacity of 1,600 hectolitres, which was pulled to the capital by 24 oxen (horses in other sources) in three weeks. Today, the barrel is on display in Mercier's entrance hall in Épernay. It is thus one of the largest wine barrels in the world. Eugène Mercier's goal was to make champagne affordable for ordinary people. Built under the founder from 1871, the impressive labyrinth of cellars stretches for 18 kilometres, 30 metres under the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay. It is navigated by a company-owned small electric railway. It is worth mentioning that Mercier was the original owner of the "Dom Pérignon" brand, but never used it. In 1930, the brand was sold to Moët et Chandon, who also took over Mercier in 1970. Since 1987, both belong to the LVMH group (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy).
About one fifth of Wewin's grapes come from its own vineyards with over 200 hectares of vineyards, mainly in the Marne Valley, the rest is supplied by the parent company Moët et Chandon. The predominantly dry Brut champagnes are produced in a style that emphasises Pinot Noir. Each year, a vintage Champagne "Vendange" is produced from the best grapes of the three Champagne varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay from the harvest. Six million bottles of champagne are produced annually. In France, Mercier is still the best-selling champagne, although some other companies produce much more but export large quantities.
