Photo by Deleece Cook ()
For many, champagne has become the go-to drink for milestones in your life. Got a job promotion? Celebrate with a glass of bubbly. Giving a speech for a wedding? Toast with the finest sparkling wine. However, if you find yourself in the Champagne region of France, you won’t need a special occasion to clink your glasses as you sip on this refreshing bubbly at these five champagne tours.
1. Veuve Clicquot — Reims
The well-known champagne with the vibrant yellow-orange label doesn’t just boast as being delicious but is also known as being one of the largest champagne houses in the world. At their Champagne house, happy adults will be wine connoisseurs when participating in a public tour located in the cellar. There are several types of cellar tours ranging from visiting the flowers and fruits in the garden to uncovering the process of making cuvées— tanks of wine.
2. Billecart Salmon – Mareuil-sur-Ay
If you roamed the more expensive aisle in the grocery stores back in the States, you may be familiar with this brand as the U.S. is Billecart Salmon’s largest market. Lovers of French-country style can lose themselves in this smaller, yet gorgeous, champagne house with its quintessential French-country flair. A site to also see is the chalk cellar where only an expert winemaker can give the green light of when the bottles are ready to leave the cellar. If you’d like to visit this house, be sure to fill out the form online prior to going due to the high number of requests.
3. Nicolas Feuillatte – Chouilly
Unlike Billecart Salmon, the owners of Nicolas Feuillatte have a different vision in mind: to produce champagne in a modernized way. Tucked in the Côte des Blancs Vineyards, this brand creates its wines in a contemporary setting where the buildings are vast with glass walls from top to bottom dominating the façade. An array of varieties of this fine bubbly range from The Essential Collection to The Unexpected Collection. Be sure to visit the vineyard as a wide range of lush-green vines can be seen for miles away!
4. Moët & Chandon — Epernay
One can’t talk about France’s champagne house and not discuss this signature bubbly. From movies to hip-hop songs, Moët & Chandon has made a name for itself. In the prestigious cellar in Epernay, there are three tours to partake in, so you can see for yourself how this signature champagne is made and also see if the name lives up to the hype. If you’d like a private tour, be sure to contact them directly via email visites@moet.fr.
5. J. de Telmont — Damery
Boasting as the friendliest champagne house, J. de Telmont feels as if you’ve stepped into someone’s upscale home with four generations of family history greeting and delighting guests. For the true champagne lovers, immerse yourself in their stunning vineyard, which is open in September during harvest season. Aside from the breathtaking vineyard, four wine tours are available ranging from tasting wines before they enter the cuvée to a champagne and cheese pairing.
Whether you’re on a romantic getaway or want to know more about the creation of this bubbly, these champagne houses will leave you clinking your flutes for more!
