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Overview

French Food & Wine Tours in Champagne

“I only drink Champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not.” – Coco Chanel

Champagne is the queen of bubblies, and one of the most recognizable wines in the world, and Champagne country is the perfect destination for a food and wine tour of France. There a many rules that govern whether a wine can be classified as Champagne, including the provenance of the grapes and the fermentation method used – and you’ll learn all of these details as part of your fabulous champagne tastings during your culinary vacation!

Lying just an hour and a half from Paris, Champagne is the perfect accompaniment to any trip to France. After exploring the glories of Paris neighborhoods or other regions, head to the rolling vineyards of Champagne and its quaint villages for a slice of French life. Champagne is part of the French administrative region called the “Grand Est,” and it is as abounding in history as it is in winemaking, with majestic French cities such as Reims, with its famous Gothic cathedral.

Your food and wine tour of Champagne will include accommodations in Reims, as well as numerous winery visits and tastings and cultural tours. You’ll round out your stay with a hands-on cooking class!

Please note that in the event a particular winery is not available on a particular day, similar wineries will be proposed.


Latest Review

I gave this trip 5 stars
Richard
Trip taken March 2010
My favorite wine tasting was the champagne tasting at the Moet et Chandon cellars in Epernay (Reims), France. Obviously the champagne was quite tasty but my interest in French history is what made the tasting special to me. The house started in the 18th century and served the French court of Louis XV. It also had a close connection to Napoleon (who had an account with the house and visited regularly. And if that is not enough they also produce Dom Perignon!

French Cooking & Wine Tasting Tour Highlights

Our fabulous wine tours in Champagne include multiple visits to Champagne houses and tastings. Highlights of this tour include:

  • Visits of Moët & Chandon, Taittinger, Avenue de Champagne, and Montagne de Reims vineyards
  • Stop at Dom Perignon’s Abbey
  • Semi-private tour of Reims, including the Cathedral and the Grandes Maisons de Champagne
  • Family wineries
  • One hands-on cooking class

In addition to our set Champagne wine tours, we can create customized wine tours in France including:

  • Hands-on cooking classes featuring regional French gastronomy
  • Champagne wine tours and wine tastings
  • Cultural excursions
  • Market visits and tastings

Because of its long history of dedicated and extraordinary wine production, our culinary vacations and wine tours of Champagne are some of our best options for serious wine lovers!

Itinerary

Champagne is just an hour from Paris, making it an easy and perfect addition to any culinary tour of France. Come and taste the award-winning wines on wine tasting tours, savor delicious French dishes and cheeses, and gorge yourself on French pastries. All while exploring one of the most picturesque regions in France.

A vineyard on aDay One

  • Arrive in Reims on your own and taxi to your 4*, centrally located hotel, home for your food and wine tour in Champagne, France.
  • Dinner on your own in one of the city’s many fabulous restaurants.
  • Overnight.

Moet and Chandon visited on a wine tour of Champagne

Day Two

  • Meet at 9:15 AM at a central meeting location and depart for your a tour and tasting at Taittinger, one of the last Grandes Maisons de Champagne to be independent and owned by the grandson of the founder, Pierre Taittinger. Taittinger’s style is characterized by a high proportion of Chardonnay, synonymous with finesse and elegance in the Champagne region. Taittinger vineyards cover 288 hectares and include some of the appellation’s finest. This Grande Maison’s treasure is not only the millions of bottles in the cellars but the remains of the old Benedictine abbey of St Nicaise dating back to the 13th century, and the old chalk quarries dating from the 4th century, which are listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The tour is followed by a tasting of one glass of Brut Réserve. (You have the option of paying for additional tastings at the end of the tour.)
  • Next, drive through the streets of Reims to see the other famous champagne houses and glimpse its monuments: la place Royale, the city hall, place du Forum and above all the Cathedral (which you will visit on day 3).
  • Then head through Hautvillers and the Marne Valley on a journey through the vineyards to encounter the legacy of a prestigious figure of the area: Dom Pérignon who finalized the process of making Champagne. He contributed greatly to the fame of Champagne and is now buried in the church of the former Benedictine Abbey of Hautvillers.
  • Arrive in Epernay and enjoy lunch on your own. (Or, if you’d like to add an optional gourmet lunch for 90 Euros per person please inquire.)
  • Your wine tour in Champagne continues after lunch with sightseeing of Avenue de Champagne in Epernay: Epernay is internationally known as the “Capital of Champagne”. Epernay’s stunning main street appears like an exhibition of opulent mansions housing the most illustrious Maisons de Champagne: Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouet, Mercier, etc. Not to mention the 110km of tunnels under the pavement!
  • Enjoy a guided tour and tasting at world famous Grande Maison de Champagne Moët & Chandon* (Visit includes: Imperial tour with 2 glasses of Champagne) . Founded in 1743 by Claude Möet it became within 40 years the first international brand in the world. Its history is linked to some famous figures such as The Marquise de Pompadour and Napoleon 1st, and many historical events, such as King Edwards VII’s coronation, the Cannes Film Festival, the 120th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, etc. The Tour ends with a glass of Moet Impérial.
  • Drop-off around 5:30 PM at a central location in Reims.
  • Dinner on your own and overnight.
  • (Please note: Visits are subject to availability: Taittinger could be replaced by Mumm or Pommery. Moet & Chandon could be replaced by Mercier, Feuillatte or De Castellane.)

The facade of the cathedral of Reims, visited on a culinary tour of Champagne country

Day Three

  • Breakfast at the hotel. Meet at a central meeting location in Reims at 9:30 am.
  • Start your day with sightseeing of Reims, known as the city of coronation. Guided tour and tasting at world famous Grande Maison de Champagne Vranken Pommery (Visit included with 2 glasses of Champagne). Pommery proposes a tour of its cellars and Gallo-Roman crayères (chalk pits). Discover the magnificent Elizabethan style buildings in the depth of the cellars, at 30 metres below the ground. You will experience every aspect of the wine-making process and discover the contemporary art exhibition, Experience Pommery. At the end of your visit, you will be able to taste a glass of the house’s emblematic cuvée, Pommery Brut Royal and a glass of Millesime 2008.
  • Guided tour of the Cathedral of Reims, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The 13th-century Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral is one of Europe’s most important Gothic structures. You will be captivated by the unique stained glasses and the exceptionally rich statuary – over 2,300 statues, among which the famous “Smiling Angel.” It is here that King Clovis was baptized around AD 498, giving birth to the Kingdom of the Franks and starting a long-lasting tradition: all of the Kings of France, except two, were crowned here!
  • Next, leave the city and drive through the Grand Cru vineyards on the Mountain of Reims, where the Scenic Route of Champagne winds its way between fields of barley, vinyards, forests and picturesque villages such as Verzy, Verzenay and Mailly. Realm of the Pinot Noir varietal, the Mountain of Reims is known for its special “terroir” that gives Champagne much of its power and character. You will take a tranquil, picturesque pause in such a vineyard to take it all in with our own five senses.
  • In the heart of the Champagne’s Vineyards, you will be welcomed at a beautiful Champagne Grower’s Family Estate. More that 4000 family winemakers contribute to the prestige of Champagne, keeping the Tradition alive from generation to generation with a common goal: the true expression of Champagne. First you will experience a refined meal with authentic French ingredients which will be paired with different glasses of Champagne (Brut non vintage, Blanc de Noirs, Rosé). This Family of Growers is a Champagne Expert in assembling Pinot Noir with Chardonnay and Meunier grapes from Grand Cru and Premier Cru vines in the Mountain of Reims.
  • After Lunch you’ll stroll to the production site to see how Champagne is made: the press, the winery’s vats and barrels, the chalk cellar, the labelling machine. The lovely afternoon will finish with another tasting of 2 glasses of different Champagne wines from the same Family Grower, and a glass of their Ratafia (a sweet liquor made with Champagne brandy mixed with grape juice and aged in barrel). After heartfelt thank-yous and goodbyes, transfer back to the city of Reims.
  • Return to Reims around 5:30 pm and drop off at the central meeting location. Evening and dinner at leisure.
  • Overnight.

Pouring champagne on a wine tour of Champagne country

Day Four

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Enjoy a private cooking class this morning at a local cooking atelier. Your instructor is a chef and pastry chef who worked in major hotels and restaurants in England and Canada before returning to his hometown of Reims. In 2016 he opened his culinary workshop and started teaching his guests and new friends about French gastronomy and oenology during hands-on, friendly cooking classes. Learn about seasonal products, chef’s techniques, and local wines during your class and the lunch that follows.
  • After lunch, visit the boutique of the Maison Fossier, a biscuit-maker since 1756. The Maison Fossier has preserved centuries of tradition, including the Biscuit Rose de Reims, one of the city’s most famous products. Enjoy a tasting of the biscuits.
  • Finally, one last champagne tasting at a local champagne bar to end your France wine tour before you head to the Reims station. Au revoir!

Champagne Foodie Trip Details

Included in Your 3-Day Champagne Tour

Accommodations

3 nights in a 4* hotel in Reims

Food & Beverages

  • Daily breakfast
  • 2 lunches
  • Winery visits and wine tastings

Classes & Instructors

Your hands-on cooking class will be at a cooking atelier run by a chef with years of experience working as both a chef and a pastry chef. Enjoy a relaxed but informative hands-on class preparing an authentic and seasonal French meal.

Excursions

  • Semi-private wine tours in France as per itinerary, including the Moët & Chandon, Taittinger, Avenue de Champagne, and Montagne de Reims vineyards
  • Stop in Hautvillers and Dom Perignon’s Abbey
  • Semi-private tour (max 8 people) of Reims including the Cathedral and the Grandes Maisons de Champagne (entrance fees and tastings included)
  • Tour day 4 with visit of the Maison Fossier & biscuit tasting

Transfer Details

Transfers are not included, as your hotel is an easy taxi ride from the Reims train station. Alternately, private transfers can be arranged on request.

Accommodation Information

The 4* La Paix hotel is situated in the heart of Reims, a stone’s throw from the Cathedral and the shops. It combines French cultural heritage with modern design in a fluid and light atmosphere. It also has a restaurant, bar, and indoor swimming pool.

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Champagne Wine Tour Pricing & Dates

Visit France on Champagne tours and discover what makes this sparkling wine so famous throughout the world.



Sample Champagne Tour Pricing:

3-Night Food & Wine Tour Pricing

US$2350 per person based on double occupancy

  • Add US$380 for single occupancy (use of a double room by 1 person)

Pricing based on specific dates requests: please inquire!

30% deposit due to confirm booking.
Balance payment due 60 days prior to tour start date. Questions? Please contact us!

Please inquire for 5* upgrades or for discounted pricing for groups of 4 or more.


Champagne Wine Tour Dates

Our wine tours Champagne France are generally available any dates you choose for a minimum of 2 people. Please note tours cannot happen on Sundays, depending on your arrival date, the order of activities for your wine tour in France may be modified.

2023
Available year round. Please inquire for dates.

Reviews

I gave this trip 5 stars
Richard
Trip taken March 2010
My favorite wine tasting was the champagne tasting at the Moet et Chandon cellars in Epernay (Reims), France. Obviously the champagne was quite tasty but my interest in French history is what made the tasting special to me. The house started in the 18th century and served the French court of Louis XV. It also had a close connection to Napoleon (who had an account with the house and visited regularly. And if that is not enough they also produce Dom Perignon!

We Can Help Plan The Best Champagne Tours in France!

Grapes growing on the vine in France.

Whether you need help with your flights, additional nights or tours in France, transportation, or more, we are always here to help you plan the best Champagne tour.

We might not be able to pack for you, but there are many things we can help with to make your France wine tours in Champagne that much better.

Contact us for more information, or you can indicate your interest during check out and we will follow up with you directly! Contact Us
 

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