Sampling wines in the Champagne region
Summary
Driving through the rolling countryside or wandering through the Champagne-mad streets of Reims and Epernay, stopping at cellars ranging from small family run wineries to some of the largest and famous in the world, all whilst sampling and learning about how the crème de la crème of drinks is made. Spending a few days in the Champagne region is a world-class experience and one that should be right at the top of the priority list when visiting France
highlights
#1 Heading into the deep and vast cellars of the likes of GH Mumm and Tattinger
#2 Learning how the Champagne is made, and the subtle differences between the different makers
#3 Driving through the beautiful Champagne countryside, with its low rolling valleys and UNESCO World Heritage listing
#4 Checking out the Notre Dame Cathedral of Reims
#5 Wandering through the pretty, and Champagne-mad, towns of Reims and Epernay
Travel Tips
- Driving routes – I’ve added the photo for the 3 different route options. Honestly, whilst there are of course differences in the wines and the views, all are wonderful
- Which wineries – we visited a few and found the quality to be superb wherever we went, which is a reflection of the standards expected of the region. The only key tip I’d give is to try and a see a variety – at least one of the big houses (we loved Tattinger) and one of the smaller ones (we loved those around the small village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger)
- Staying in Reims / Epernay or outside of the towns – both are wonderful. If staying in Reims / Epernay, you have the benefit of what are very attractive city centres with sites such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and many of the world’s most famous wineries (Tattinger, GH Mumm, Veuve Clicquot in Reims; Moet & Chandon in Epernay). If staying in the surrounding countryside, you have the ambiance of rolling hills and peaceful days. If had to choose, I would suggest the surrounding countryside as they give you those lovely peaceful evenings with the easy day options of heading into Reims and Epernay
- Reims or Epernay – visit both as they are only 30mins from each other. I would lean towards Epernay as my preference is for quieter spaces rather than a city, which is what Reims is. But, we also stayed in Reims and had a great time
- Should you drive? – yes
Experiences nearby
The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences
Wine and other tasting experiences around the World
Score Detail
Background - how many times have you asked someone what a travel experience was like and the response was "amazing" or "awesome"? That response is nice to know, but it makes it hard to differentiate that experience compared to others. That is exactly what these scores are trying to do - differentiate the experience by giving a score out of 10 based on 6 categories and then giving an overall experience score
This overall experience score is calculated by: take the highest of the "Culture" or "Nature" score (1-10) + "Fun factor" (1-10) + "Avoiding the crowds" (1-10) + highest of the "Unique" or "World Famous score" (1-10). Then convert into a score out of 100
Extra detail - the logic being that I find all of the 6 individual scores important, but I don't want to mark an experience down just because it doesn't cover both "Culture" and "Nature", or because it isn't both "World Famous" and "Unique". Take the examples of Safari in The Serengeti and walking through Rome - they both appeal at opposite ends of the nature / culture spectrum, and you can have a fantastic time without needing to appeal to both sides. So, their overall scores aren't penalized for their lack of one or the other, and I've done the same for "World Famous" vs "Unique". But . . . I do think that the "Fun factor" of an experience is important, irrelevant of other factors, and so is "Avoiding the Crowds" (or where there are crowds that add to the experience). So, both of these scores are standalone