Sommelier’s Quick Guide to Visiting Champagne.
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Here's some helpful travel tips and references for your little getaway to the Champagne Regions.
Also see our article on Paris
Champagne AOC, France.
With over 300 cuvees and 80 houses represented in Australia, there's no better time to visit the Champagne Region in France.
Blanc de Blanc refers to 100 % Chardonnay. Blanc de Noir are champagnes made with only red grapes such as Pinot Noir, Meunier. Challenge yourself by picking up a new bottle of Champagne that you have not tried before and learn about their story.
Getting to Champagne Region from Paris.
It takes about 1h 20mins on the French TGV to get from Paris to Reims or Epernay. Get a rental car from the station and you can drive to the other villages. One way tickets starts from 20 EUR.
Day tours from Paris.
If you prefer a fuzz free day tour instead, here's some highly recommend tours with a private car pickup from your hotel in Paris. A typical 11-hour day trip from Paris to Champagne would range from 200-550 EUR on a private tour.
Sommeliers recommendation. (205EUR)
Romain Becker- Personal Wine Tour Guide
Travel tip 1.
You may explore each village and try different champagnes if they put a sign outside their cellar door. Normally there's a tasting fee of 25-35euros. Highly recommend to try smaller houses & producers as they don't have the marketing budget to make it overseas. However smaller houses may not be available for cellar tastings as they are busy in the vines.
Our favorite Champagne houses to visit.
Here's some of the popular Champagne cellars that's open to the general public.
REIMS
Ruinart La Cave des Crayeres.
Taitinger Residence.
Veuve Cliquot.
Jacquart.
EPERNAY
Moet and Chandon.
Pol Roger.
AY
Ayala.
Bollinger.
BLANCS-COTEAUX
Duval Leroy.
COTE DES BAR
Fleury.
CRAMANT
Bruno Oyance
Small grower artisan champagne maker. We met Bruno years back and always revisit him. He personally takes you the whole process. Call ahead to make sure he's free.
Travel tip 2.
Challenge yourself by picking up a new bottle of Champagne that you have not tried before and learn about their story.
Restaurant to Visit.
L'Oeil de Boeuf Epernay L’Oeil de Boeuf restaurant is located in Epernay, at the heart of Champagne with Laurence and his team https://maps.app.goo.gl/i1zZ7y9o7jthRoDX8
.
Travel tip 3.
Most restaurants shut after 3pm and open again for dinner so manage your meals.
Champagne Bars in Paris.
Dont fret if you dont have the time to venture to Champagne Region,
here's some of our favourite places to find Champagne right in Paris.
Le Dokhan's. Known as Paris's first dedicated champagne bar, it boasts over 240 varieties in a romantic, candlelit setting with a Louis Vuitton elevator. Map
Dilettantes. A specialized cellar in Saint-Germain-des-Prés focusing on small, independent grower champagnes. Map
Canard et Champagne. Paris’ best kept secret for champagne lovers. Here, you will find duck and champagne, with more than 60 different kinds of champagne, primarily from growers and smaller maisons, at reasonable prices. Map
Les Caves Legrand. With a history dating back to 1880's, this is a place that you go for wines thats has been curated for its terroir, sense of place. A cellar, a bar, a restaurant located inside Galeria Vivienne. Map
Want to know more?
This free course by Comité Champagne MOOC tells you everything you need to know. https://www.champagne-mooc.com/Map
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