3 Days In Champagne
Given the popularity of drinking champagne, the region of champagne is not on the travel radar for many. Many that do come here are day trippers from Paris, but you need more than a day. We had an incredible time here at the start of October.
Where we stayed?
Looking through Instagram we luckily stubbled upon this hidden gem, Château de Juvigny. We paid around 450€ for 3 nights in the cottage. There are other slightly cheaper rooms if you stay in the main house.
The cottage is next to the main house. It had cooking utilities, a living room with a fireplace and a private backyard. For our last night, we sat in the living room in the main house next to the fire, opened a bottle of champagne and played scrabble.
The house has a fascinating history and it has remained in the same family for 6 generations. We admired the large old restored painting in the dining room, were told about its history and the ancestor in the painting.
There are some beautiful walks around the Chateau. In front of the property, there is a small lake with an abundance of birdlife. The front yard and facade is more modern than the back. We loved the back yard and facade as well with a beautiful variety of flowers, a little moat with ducks and a romantic facade. To get to the backyard we walked through a beautiful hunters room. The back garden has a long central lawn with dense forests on either side. There is a circular walking track around the forest however when we were here there were hunters trying to find a wild boar.
Every morning we had a traditional French breakfast in the beautiful dining room. All the guests sat around the big table.
It is located in a tiny village and there’s not much to do around the area. However it only takes around 30-40 minutes to get to Reims and Epernay.
Where to eat?
The only thing we didn’t like about our time in this region were the food options especially at dinner time. There weren’t many restaurants and the good ones were fully booked well in advance. A lot of restaurants are closed on Sundays and Mondays as well.
Luckily we booked a dinner at L'Epicerie Au Bon Manger in Reims. It is also a beautiful store with a carefully selected range of wine and food, coming from small sustainable producers.
At some champagne houses you can eat but the portions are small, expensive and not many options except from cured meats, cheese and bread.
You can’t go wrong with bakeries. We went to a few and were never disappointed.
We visited some nice grocery stores so a good option is to book a stay with cooking facilities and cook for yourself.
Epernay
Epernay has the most champagne houses along one long street called Avenue des Champagne. Some also have their production facilities and cellars here as well such as Moët et Chandon. We visited many house to taste champagne and buy bottles to take back to Germany for special occasions. Champagne tastings start at 20-30€ and include 2-3 glasses. When possible, we shared a tasting so we could visit more houses. We visited the following houses:
Champagne Michel Gonet - Villa Signolle
Small producer with a beautiful classic mansion. We were the only people there so we had a lovely tasting and a look around the beautiful rooms.
Champagne Perrier-Jouet Boutique
Perrier Jouet is well known around the world. Their house was artistic. In the front courtyard you could sit down and have a drink. Inside and outside they have art made with glass. Their round bar and shop exhibits and sells beautiful bottles with floral designs.
The most beautiful grounds we visited. It is located further away from the other houses but you can park your car there. They also have a hotel that you can stay at that looks like something straight out of a fairy tale. On either side of the grand entrance are two small beautiful buildings covered in vines. We had a champagne tasting in one of these houses.
A large classic mansion. When we visited, a beautiful vintage car was on display in the front yard. The shop and bar is in a small separate building with a blue interior to match their branding. The champagne was expensive but it was very good and we drank it from amazing glasses.
Museum of Champagne, Wine & Regional Archaeology
This Chateau was built in 1857. Previously is was the private mansion, production facility and cellars to the former director of Perrier-Jouët, Charles Perrier. Now it exhibits a wealth of cultural heritage from the region including:
The formation of the countryside and the chalky subsoil
Traces left behind by humans
Creation and history of wine
Patrons and explorers of the 18th and 19th centuries
Saint Martin Gate
In the centre of Epernay, we came across this beautiful doorway. It is the oldest monument in the town and it’s all that remains of the 16th century church of Notre dame.
Reims
Reims is the largest city in Champagne. It is home to some of the largest and most well known champagne brands including Taittinger, G.H.Mumm, Pommery, Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart.
From Paris is it easy to get to Reims. There is a direct train that takes 46 minutes and costs around 20€ one way.
Veuve Clicquot
Tours are very popular so we booked it well in advance. There are 2 tour options:
1 hour, 30€. Tasting of the iconic cuvée, Yellow Label Brut.
Click here to book.
1 hour 30 minutes, 55€. More in depth tour with a blind tasting of the Yellow Label Brut and a special vintage cuvée.
Click here to book.
We went on the first cheaper tour. It took us from their showrooms, across the road to a luscious garden. A magnificent door led us down stairs to the dark underground chalk pits (cellar). We were astonished at the size and some rooms had large chimneys. The tour guide explained the history of Veuve, showed us how to correctly open a bottle of champagne and showed us the differences when champagne is put in a variety of glasses. The tour finished with a tasting of 2 different champagnes (brut and rose) accompanied with ham and cheese or a vegetarian option.
Next to the gate entrance there is a Veuve branded food truck and bar with outdoor dining.
Champagne Ruinart
This is one of the most popular and tours are fully booked months in advance. Unfortunately we didn’t get a tour but we visited the store to buy a bottle. The grounds and architecture are stunning.
The tour costs 70€, lasts for 2 hours and includes a commented tasting of two cuvées.
Click here to book a tour.
Lehmann Glass Reims
Every glass of champagne we had, we noticed it came from Lehmann. Lehman has a showroom in Reims so we visited to get specialty champagne glasses. The staff were so friendly, very knowledgeable and we learnt a lot about glass making. One of the main differences with drinking from a champagne glass is that the bubbles are directed into the centre of the glass.
Reims Cathedral
This Roman Catholic Cathedral with High Gothic architecture was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and has undergone many restorations since then. It was dedicated to Virgin Mary and was the traditional location for the coronation of the Kings of France.
Hautvillers
Hautvillers is the home of Dom Pérignon, the spiritual father of Champagne. He was also the procurator at the church, Abbaye d‘Hautvillers. He is buried here and we visited his tomb. Nearby, there is also a large statue of him.
Located on a hilltop surrounded by vine-covered hills. It is a charming village with family run champagne houses offering tastings. The winding streets are lined with traditional houses, stores selling wine and food and forged iron shop signs.
We visited a family run champagne house called Fedyk, a relatively new champagne producer and significantly cheaper. The house has one of the best views over the vineyards and also has a hotel and pool.
We had lunch at Au36 and didn’t need to book. We had 4 different champagnes to taste between us which cost us 26€. We also ate a traditional grilled vegetable dish called Ratatouille for 18€. They also had a shop with a selection of wine and champagne from the region. Another option for food is Chez Poulain, a bakery with delicious pastries.
We walked out of town towards Tribaut Champagne and found the most wonderful landscape of rolling hills and vineyards. Driving out of town we took a different route and followed these vineyards. It was a magical drive.
Vintage Car Tour
For our last day we booked a private vintage car tour with a company called ‘My Vintage Tour Company’. They have a variety of vintage cars. We met in Epernay and hopped in the Renault Van from the 1980‘s. This van used to be used to transport grapes.
As we drove out of Reims along the Avenue des Champagne, our guide briefly explained the history and production. We drove through the smaller town of Äy where there are more producers such as Bollinger. It‘s located next to vineyards so we drove up through the vineyards to a spectacular view point.
We drove 30 minutes to the Chardonnay producing region called Côte des Blancs. In Oger, we stopped at Champagne Jean Milan for a tour of their processing facilities and cellar. This small producer still processes the grapes the old traditional way with the addition of stainless steel tanks. They only produce Chardonnay Champagne so trying their different varieties at the tasting was interesting.
