Champagne, a drink of romance and excitement, was an accidental invention. Today, everyone associates popping champagne bottles with success and celebration. It’s also interesting to know that all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine can be considered as champagne.
The French take great pride in their Champagne. Wine connoisseurs will also claim that the bubbly brew can only be labelled as champagne if its origin is from the region of Champagne, France.
It must be made from the Pinot Meunier, Pinot noir, and Chardonnay grapes grown in this region. They are typically more expensive than sparkling wines due to its time and labour-intensive process and limited supply. Other types of fizzy wines that are not produced in this region are preferably called sparkling wines or champagne-style in Europe.
For lovers of this bubbly goodness, it is without a doubt that the best place to drink champagne is in Champagne! So grab your true love, pack your ardour and prepare for some tasting tours.
A trip to the home of the most prestigious wine in the world will delight both the devout champagne enthusiasts and the romantics.
- 1 A Romantic Day Trip from Paris to Champagne
- 2 A Legendary Winemaker: Dom Pérignon
- 3 Visit the Cradle of Champagne – Hautvillers
- 4 Walk Hand-in-hand through a Vineyard
- 5 Visit the Underground Cellars of Moët & Chandon
- 6 Catch the Sunset At the Vineyards
- 7 Marvel at Notre Dame de Reims
- 8 Enjoy Excellent French Cuisine
A Romantic Day Trip from Paris to Champagne
Located in the northeast of France, Champagne is a historic winemaking province endowed with an oceanic climate and chalky limestone soil which are ideal conditions for growing the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay grapes for making quality Champagne.
Just an hour train ride from Paris, beautiful cathedrals, champagne cellars, rolling hills of vineyards and vistas — a charming wine kingdom awaits…
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The easiest way to Champagne from Paris is to take the high-speed TGV train. The region’s two major centres are Reims and Épernay and the train stops in Reims (45 minutes away) or Épernay (75 minutes). Trains run back and forth all day and tickets can be purchased at the station before boarding or in advance online.
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All five regions of Champagne produce sparkling wine, but the towns of Reims and Épernay are the popular ones to visit. A note of caution: Reims and Épernay are not that close together!
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A Legendary Winemaker: Dom Pérignon
‘Come quickly, I’m tasting the stars!’ exclaimed Dom Pérignon, a 17th-century French Benedictine monk when he first sipped the effervescent elixir we now know as champagne. And here’s a lesser-known fact, champagne was once considered as a result of careless winemaking back then. Dom Pérignon simply couldn’t get rid of the bubbles which were a major problem for winemakers of the time. Fortunately, the flavour of the tongue-tingling wine got the royals hooked and champagne became the Drink of Kings.
Whether or not the star-sipping anecdote is true, Dom Pérignon is remembered in legend as the “Father of Champagne”. Today, Dom Pérignon Champagne is the world’s beloved vintage champagne brand and a taste of luxury. When drinking a glass of bubbly, it is apropos to tasting the stars.
Visit the Cradle of Champagne – Hautvillers
Step back in time some 300 years with a visit to the Benedictine Abbey in Hautvillers.
Dom Pérignon lived in Hautvillers in the Champagne region of France from 1638 to 1715. It’s one of the most lovely villages, just north of the popular Épernay. Among other monastic duties in the Abbey of Saint Pierre, he dedicated his time to making some of the earliest champagne.
Tour the abbey and see where Pérignon worked, learn about the dangers of exploding wine bottles caused by the bubbles and how the search to stop this phenomenon inspired many of Perignon’s innovations.
Plus, the next time someone asks you if Prosecco is the same as Champagne, you can school them with your bougie knowledge.
Walk Hand-in-hand through a Vineyard
The notion of wandering around the sunny french vineyards without a care in the world is quite romantic. It’s undeniable that the landscapes from which wine is born are akin to nature’s work of art.
Let’s be honest: You could spend hours posing for a photoshoot amongst the vines and having your mind blown by the process that goes into making your favourite bottle of bubbles. A day spent at the vineyard will genuinely give you a new perspective of your favourite drink.
Visit the Underground Cellars of Moët & Chandon
There are a ton of Champagne Houses in the region, so it’s worthwhile to list out the ones you’d love to visit. Épernay is home to the glamourous Moët & Chandon founded in 1743, who also owns Dom Pérignon and Mercier. The Moët and Chandon House is located on the Champagne Avenue a la L’Avenue de Champagne, that is close to the city end of Épernay. Reservations for the tour can be booked online here.
Exploring the labyrinth of cellars feels like travelling through time, there are vintage bottles from the early 1970s to 2000s. It is also one of the largest underground cellars in the region spanning 28km. One more thing to note, the temperature in the underground cellars hover around 10 to 12 degree Celsius, so choose your attire wisely.
Catch the Sunset At the Vineyards
Still can’t get enough of the vineyards? How about a tour around the champagne vineyards at sunset and stroll through the vineyards with a glass of bubbly in hand?
Marvel at Notre Dame de Reims
Beyond the endless vineyards and caves of champagne, there are numerous attractions throughout the region that make great stops while touring around Champagne.
Ask the people of Reims, they’ll point you to Notre Dame de Reims, known in English as Reims Cathedral which also includes the former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims.
Considered by many to be the most perfect Gothic church in the world. It was almost completely destroyed in the battles of World War I, but remained miraculously almost unscathed in World War II, and has since been completely restored.
It is the most spectacular man-made marvel in Reims, where most of the kings of France have been crowned.
Enjoy Excellent French Cuisine
Make time for a decadent lunch at RACINE, a two MICHELIN stars restaurant before heading back to Paris. Reservations are highly recommended. This open-kitchen concept restaurant is just a stone’s throw away from the cathedral.
