Activities in Champagne
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Moët & Chandon
This prestigious maison offers frequent one-hour tours that are among the region's most impressive. At the shop you can pick up a jeroboam (3L bottle) of super-premium Dom Pérignon millésime (vintage Champagne) of 1998 for just €2100.
reviewed
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Musé de la Vigne et du Vin
This is so outstanding that it’s worth planning your day around a tour – on most days, one begins at 10am. Assembled by a family that has been making Champagne since 1872, this extraordinary collection of century-old Champagne-making equipment includes objects so aesthetically ravishing that you’ll want to reach out and touch them. Among the highlights is a massive 16-tonne oak-beam grape press from 1630. Reservations can be made by phone or through their website; tours are not necessarily in English.
reviewed
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Taittinger
The headquarters of Taittinger is an excellent place to come for a clear, straightforward presentation on how Champagne is actually made – there's no claptrap about 'the Champagne mystique' here. Parts of the cellars occupy 4th-century Roman stone quarries; other bits were excavated by 13th-century Benedictine monks. No need to reserve. Situated 1.5km southeast of Reims centre; take the Citadine 1 or 2 bus to the St-Niçaise or Salines stops.
reviewed
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Mercier
France's most popular brand has thrived on unabashed self-promotion since it was founded in 1847 by Eugène Mercier, a trailblazer in the field of eye-catching publicity stunts and the virtual creator of the cellar tour. Everything here is flashy, including the 160,000L barrel that took two decades to build (for the Universal Exposition of 1889), the lift that transports you 30m underground and the laser-guided touring train.
reviewed
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Mumm
Mumm (pronounced 'moom'), the only maison in central Reims, was founded in 1827 and is now the world's third-largest producer (almost eight million bottles a year). Engaging and edifying one-hour tours take you through cellars filled with 25 million bottles of fine bubbly. Tours that include tutored tastings of special vintages cost €15 to €20. Wheelchair accessible. Phone ahead if possible.
reviewed
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Albert Levasseur
You’re assured a warm – and English-speaking – welcome and a fascinating cellar tour at Albert Levasseur, run by a friendly Franco-Irish couple, which turns grapes grown on 4.2 hectares into 35,000 to 40,000 bottles of Champagne each year. Try to phone or email ahead if possible – but if not just drop by and knock. Situated in the hamlet of Cuchery (population 390), 20km northwest of Épernay on D24.
reviewed
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De Castellane
The 45-minute tours, in French and English, take in an informative bubbly museum dedicated to elucidating the méthode champenoise and its diverse technologies. The reward for climbing the 237 steps up the 66m-high tower (built 1905) is a fine panoramic view.
reviewed
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Champagne Domi Moreau
This company runs three-hour minibus tours, in French and English, of nearby vineyards. Pick-up is across the street from the tourist office. They also organise two-hour vineyard tours by bicycle (€10) from Nancy. Call ahead for reservations.
reviewed
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Cathedral Tower
Feeling as strong as Goliath? (Look for his worn figure up on the west facade, held in place with metal straps.) Then consider climbing 250 steps up the cathedral tower on a one-hour tour. Book at the Palais du Tau.
reviewed
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G.H. Mumm Champagne House Cellar Tour
75 minutes (Departs Reims, France)
by Viator
Located in the heart of the champagne region, the House of Mumm, which was established in 1827, welcomes visitors for a tour of the cellars where some 25 millio…Not LP reviewed
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Champagne Houses
Several maisons offer informative and engaging cellar tours, followed by a dégustation (tasting) and a visit to the factory-outlet shop.
reviewed
