Join/
is one of the world’s most iconic wine regions and also incredibly accessible, at only 30 minutes by train from Charles de Gaulle and 45 minutes from Paris Gare de l’Est. The region makes a great getaway throughout the year (with the exception of January and February, when houses close for vacation), but summer, spring and fall are all ideal times to visit when the vines are in full bloom.
While many may picture it as a pretentious and ostentatious wine region, Champagne is quite the opposite. The area is also vastly different from wine regions elsewhere in the world (including elsewhere in France). In Champagne, it’s less about the vineyards and the grapes, and more about the blend and what's going on in the caves. Many producers actually buy grapes directly from farmers rather than growing their own. This is for a variety of reasons, but primarily because of the strict regulations put into place by Le Comité Interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (CIVC); the committee controls who can own what and who can produce where in the region. All of this is to say, that in many cases, when you show up to a Champagne house, you are typically visiting only a house and production facility versus a sprawling, stunning vineyard. Additionally, the region—as France’s unfortified northeastern borderlands—resulted in widespread destruction during the wars of the 20th century. Due to this, while lovely historic pockets do exist, much of the architecture is mid-20th century and not the grand, Loire Valley-style châteaux that may form the basis for one’s image of the region.
With 318 villages, the region is vast, so it's best to carefully plot your touring and visits to Champagne houses to limit car time and assess what can realistically be covered. Appointments are essential at the region’s houses, especially during peak summer months and harvest season, and reservations must be made well in advance, particularly for private tours. This is not a region where you can simply show up at a tasting room.
An exception to this is Veuve Clicquot, which is one of the only houses in the region with a drop-in tasting room (tours here must still be arranged in advance). Many houses are also not open to the public, as they only welcome visits from those in the industry without exception (Perrier-Jouët follows these strict rules); there are also houses that accept limited visits per year, such as Billecart-Salmon, Krug, and Dom Perignon. Indagare can help with arranging tours at these difficult to get into houses.
Related: Indagare Matchmaker: French Wine Regions
In Champagne, you can, of course, spend your time visiting the large brand-name houses that offer more formal, commercial experiences. Moët & Chandon and Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Taittinger and Pommery (to name a few) all offer scripted tours taking you through extremely impressive caves that go on for miles beneath the surface. While visiting the large houses is interesting, what makes Champagne special is paying a visit to the region’s smaller producers. At the smaller houses, the experience is incredibly intimate. Here, you are often meeting with a member of a very small team, sometimes meeting members of the family who have owned the house you are standing in for centuries, and with that, comes an enormous amount of pride and genuine passion. At the smaller houses you will learn how each house’s Champagne style differs, as well as every detail about the production process; you are actually able to watch and observe this process firsthand, depending on what is going on at the house during your visit.
There are countless small- to medium-sized producers in Champagne. Below is a list of a few of our favorite houses, alongside recommendations for which of the larger houses to visit. It’s essential to visit at least one house in Reims where you can see the UNESCO designated crayères, which are the famous cellars built into old chalk quarries, creating mesmerizing galleries filled with millions of bottles of Champagne. Beyond a visit at one or two of the large houses, we recommend focusing attention on the smaller producers.
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. At many of them, Indagare members receive special amenities.
Get In Touch