3 Best Reims Champagne Tours: Wine Traveler’s Guide

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If you do not feel like reading all the details, here is the TL;DR version of who runs the best Champagne tours! 

Isabelle, the founder of Aÿ-Champagne Experience, was our expert guide for a fantastic day of Champagne tasting. We enjoyed 3.5 hours of exceptional Champagne tasting with two independent wine producers: Joseph Desruets and Jean Milan.

In addition, we tried three local Champagne spirits at Goyard Distillers.

We also had the opportunity to visit the historic Saint-Sindulphe Church, the burial site of the famous “spiritual father of Champagne,” Dom Pierre Pérignon.

Don’t miss my full review of our tour with Aÿ Champagne Experience if you want to know more! 

Biking through world-class vineyards sipping on Champagne is just as romantic as it sounds. This is a fantastic way to discover the process of making Champagne.

Our first time biking and sipping wine was in Burgundy. We are hooked and hope to do more of these experiences in the future!

We did not have the opportunity to do this specific tour, but because of our fantastic Burgundy bike tour I wanted to include this tour as an option.

A La Franchise Champagne-Bourgogne clearly delivers an exceptional experience, which is evident from their stellar reviews.

They offer convenient pickup from Reims or Epernay. You’ll E-bike to the town of Hautvillers and visit the church where Dom Pérignon is buried.

Then you get to cycle the scenic Marne Canal until you reach Le Clos Corbier for your Champagne tasting. The total distance is around 19 miles.

We passed by the Marne Canal one evening on our way to dinner at Chez Max, and it’s beautiful!

After the wine tasting, then it’s time for a relaxed lunch of French homemade regional specialties.   

I strongly recommend staying in the Champagne region and sipping your way through several glorious days of French wine country. We did it this way and loved it.

But if you are short on time, joining a reputable Champagne tour from Paris will at least give you a taste of what it’s all about.

The highly-rated wine tour company, My Winedays, makes visiting the Champagne region from Paris a breeze.

They offer pickup from your hotel in Paris and chauffeur you to Champagne for a day of multiple (8 to be exact!) tastings from both large and smaller wine producers. Lunch (with, of course, more Champagne) is also included.

Visiting the smaller Champagne producers is best done with an organized tour as described above. However, if you are looking to visit one of the big Champagne houses in Reims, it is easy to do it on your own.

On our French wine country retreat, we dedicated one day with Aÿ Champagne Experience, as previously mentioned, and another day to exploring Ruinart independently.

There are several big Champagne houses to choose from including Pommery, Taittinger, and Veuve Clicquot. The House of Ruinart though is known for providing one of the BEST Champagne tours for its guests.

Ruinart is credited as the first established Champagne house in 1729. One of the unique features of the tour is a visit to the ancient chalk cellars, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. These 40-meter deep cellars are still used to this day to store all those beautiful bottles of Champagne.

During our 2-hour tour, we witnessed the bottling process and a really cool art show. Ruinart is known for its close ties with contemporary art and continues to commission artists to convey their perspective on its heritage.

Of course, they save the best for last. At the end of our cellar tour, we enjoyed a tasting of two signature cuvées from their uniquely shaped bottles.

Book in advance! Reservations go quickly.

After our Ruinart Champagne tour, we kept the fun going with a visit to one of the coolest wine shops I have ever been to, Club Trésors de Champagne. This wine club started in 1971 and consists of 24 of the best wine estates in Champagne.

This wine shop is particularly known for its Spécial Club wines. These prestigious wines are produced by one of the Club Members and selected by independent wine experts for their high quality.

The staff was so friendly and walked us through an exceptional Champagne tasting of six different producers. We enjoyed the Champagne so much that we ordered a case to be shipped back home.

We love Champagne. Hearing that bottle pop and sipping on those tiny little bubbles just makes me happy. If you are traveling to France, do not miss a trip to learn more about this truly special wine. I hope sharing who runs the best Champagne tours gets you well on your way to planning your next trip to France.

À votre santé!

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