Wine Tastings Tours and Cooking Vacations In Champagne, France

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.

Day 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.

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.)

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.

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!