Tasty Side to Life offers private driver pickup for its Champagne tour. The driver takes the scenic route so you can enjoy the gorgeous landscape. (Image source: usatoday.com)
Champagne has its own universal language. No matter where you are in the world, popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly kicks off the party. Sports champions are sprayed with Champagne; births and marriages are celebrated with toasts; and ships are launched with bottles smashed against their hulls. The effervescent wine is so legendary, even its origins are shrouded in myth. When the monk Dom Pérignon discovered the méthode champenoise in the 17th century, he is said to have shouted, "Come quickly, brother, I'm drinking the stars!" Whether fact or fable, the resulting beverage has inspired odes, raps, and many a marriage proposal.
Champagne is exclusively produced according to appellation rules in a small pocket of northeast France. Just an hour from Paris by high-speed train, Reims is a great jumping off point for discovering the region. Here, the big Champagne houses like Pommery and Veuve-Clicquot offer guided tours of their cellars: cavernous underground tunnels called crayères where millions of aging Champagne bottles represent a pretty penny. These prestigious maisons have luxurious tasting rooms where flutes of fizzing Champagne are sipped by a couture-clad crowd. But for those yearning to get close to the grape vines -- stomp around in the grass, pluck a grape straight from the vines, and talk face-to-face with a vigneron (winemaker) -- here are some top picks for guided wine tours. Santé!
Tasty Side to Life Tours, Luxury Small Producer Champagne Tour
Food blogger and American expat Sydney Krueger launched Tasty Side of Life Tours in November 2010 to provide an intimate, off-the-path experience in Champagne country. Her mission is to introduce guests to the smaller, independent producers, while also treating them to the region's celebrated gastronomy. A luxury day tour doesn't just focus on the bubbly, but also visits farms and cultural sites (like the majestic Reims cathedral, where all the kings of France were crowned). The tour may stop at Le Gallais, a magnificent walled domain that was the first Champagne producer to eliminate pesticide use; Dider Ducos, whose 10-, 30-, and 60-year old vines were planted by the family's three generations; and Vincent Bliard, the region's oldest organic producer. You can even participate in a tasting and blending workshop at Champagne Cordon.
Local guides-cum-translators have completed hundreds of hours of research, and impart tasting techniques and buying tips. Between glasses, you stop for lunch at the Michelin-starred La Briqueterie, a hotel-restaurant nestled on seven acres of meticulously landscaped gardens. One of the youngest chefs working in Champagne today, Michael Nizzero serves up farm-to-table cuisine like the foie Gras terrine scented with apricot and lavender compote. As each tour is customized, other lunch options (like a picnic overlooking the vines) are available. (Note that the lunch is not included in the tour price.)
The two-person tours cost 399 euros (about $534 US) per person for a half-day tour, and 465 euros (about $622 US) per person for a full-day, with a pick-up in Reims. For a pick-up by private luxury car in Paris, the price is 499 euros (about $668) per person for the full-day tour. Larger parties receive discounts, and multi-day tours are possible. tastysidetolifetours.com
Tour of Aÿ's Vineyards by Electric Car
Eco-conscious travelers can go green on a Champagne-infused jaunt through the countryside. James Richard-Fliniaux, a wine-grower in the historic, Champagne-producing village of Aÿ, has an electric jeep for touristic excursions. These pretty vineyards are classified as Grand Cru, and many of the prestigious Champagne houses source grapes from them. Lasting two hours, the eco-visit traverses all 7.5 miles of Aÿ vineyards. Along the way, you have the chance to hop off the car and step into the vines while Richard-Fliniaux explains the Champagne-making process — from the planting of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier grapes to the dual fermentation required to create the carbonation. Bien sûr (of course), a tasting of Richard-Fliniaux's wines is included in the outing.
With 24 hours' notice, a gourmet picnic can be prepared. Think salad topped with salmon, chicken, or Italian ham; seasoned escargot; a regional specialty called pâté en croûte; molten chocolate cake or a fruit basket — all washed down with Richard-Fliniaux's DEDICACE cuvée of Grand Cru d'Aÿ, made with 80% Pinot noir and 20% Chardonnay.
For the "picnic" excursion, the maximum is three people, priced at 65 euros (about $87 US) per person. The "dégustation" tour is priced at 35 euros (about $47 US) per person, with a maximum of six people, and includes a Champagne tasting. ay-eco-visite.com
The Wine Trail of Mutigny
Near the "Champagne Capital" of Épernay, the hamlet of Mutigny has developed a 1.4 mile wine trail that threads through the heart of the vineyards. Along the way, signs are posted to explain the Champagne production process, and English-speaking guides provide additional insights. With a spectacular location overlooking the Marne Valley, the village itself has just 230 inhabitants, many of whom are winemakers. The stroll is capped off with a Champagne tasting.
The Mutigny events hall — decorated with chandeliers and tables made from oak wine barrels — is a festive setting for lunch or aperitifs. Various menus showcase local recipes and products: home-made terrines, coq au vin, Chaource cheese, and the famous rose biscuits that are best dunked in a flute of Champagne. It's also possible to book a "B&B"-style stay at the home of a local winemaker.
Eight euros (about $11 US) per person, the tour can be tailored to individual requests. Picnic baskets with sandwiches, salad, dessert, and a bottle of water cost 23 euros (about $31 US). sentierduvigneron.com
Mobilboard's Troyes Agency, Segway Tours in the Côte des Bars Vineyards
In the Côte des Bars in southern Champagne country, Mobilboard offers an original way to get close to the vines: by Segway. There are three different loops available, just under four miles each, departing from Les Riceys, Essoyes, or Celles sur Ource. The old village of Essoyes is particularly appealing because of its historic connection to Impressionist artist Auguste Renoir, who had a house and workshop there, and is buried in the cemetery.
Departing from the village's Éspace Renoir, a museum-like space which celebrates the artist's life and work, the two-hour guided tour climbs to the top of the Plateau de Blu, one of the highest points in the area. Drink in the beautiful panoramas while nibbling on a picnic and tasting Charles Collin Champagnes. (Wines from other producers are available on request.)
The Cadoles aux Riceys tour also deserves a shout-out. "Cadole" is the name given to the igloo-like structure, made of stones, built by wine-growers to take shelter from the elements in centuries past. From Les Riceys, this loop, a favorite of mountain-bikers, winds through a magnificent paysage. The company also offers two-hour tours of Épernay and the Côte des Blancs. 52 euros (about $70 US) per person, with a six-person maximum, picnic extra, mobilboard.com
Wine tours are must-do activities for Herve Sedky who loves both traveling and wines. For more travel tales, visit this blog.
