Champagne From Paris: Which House

Four grand houses, one small grower on every tour, and the Reims-versus-Épernay question

Every Champagne day we run has the same bones. A 45-minute TGV from Gare de l’Est to Reims, a guide at the tourist kiosk outside the station, a tour and tasting at one of the grand houses, a drive down the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, the village of Hautvillers where Dom Pérignon is buried, and a second tasting at a family grower. What changes is the grand house, the number of tastings, whether lunch is included, and the days of the week.

The four tours

Tour	Grand house	Tastings	Lunch	Runs	Price
Veuve Clicquot Day Tour	Veuve Clicquot, Reims	9	Included, at the family vineyard	Daily, mid-March to late autumn	$435 plus rail
Moët & Chandon Tour	Moët & Chandon, Épernay	7	Included	Friday to Sunday, year-round	$395 plus rail
Mumm Champagne Tour	G.H. Mumm, Reims	6	Included	Monday to Saturday, closed Dec 25 to Feb 10	$345 plus rail
Épernay Champagne Day Tour	Pommery, Reims	Two at Pommery plus the grower	Not included	Daily, March to late November	$315 plus rail

Veuve Clicquot

The house most Americans ask for by name. The cellar tour walks the chalk galleries under Reims, and the tasting is the yellow label plus the vintage. The day adds Reims Cathedral, where French kings were crowned, and finishes with lunch and a blind tasting at Le Clos Corbier, a family vineyard. Nine tastings in all. It is the most complete of the four and the most expensive. Veuve Clicquot books out early in summer, so reserve three weeks ahead. When the house has no slot on your date we offer a substitute house and you approve it before we charge.

Moët & Chandon

Moët is in Épernay, 30 minutes south of Reims, on the avenue where the big houses keep their headquarters. The cellar tour covers a section of 28 kilometers of galleries and ends with two champagnes. The tour runs Friday to Sunday, which makes it the weekend Champagne day, and it is the one to book if Dom Pérignon is the name you know. Seven tastings, lunch included, back in Paris around 8:00 p.m.

Mumm

Mumm is in Reims itself, a short drive from the station. The Cordon Rouge is the tasting. The tour runs Monday to Saturday most of the year and is the least expensive of the three with lunch. Six tastings. Choose it for a weekday when Veuve Clicquot is full, or when the price matters more than the label.

Pommery, on the Épernay day

The Épernay day starts at Pommery, whose cellars are cut into Roman-era chalk pits, and tastes two champagnes there before Hautvillers, the Avenue de Champagne, and the afternoon at a family grower. Lunch is on your own in Épernay, which drops the price to $315. Choose it if you want the cheapest day, a later start on lunch, or a house with fewer visitors than the big three.

The small grower

Every tour includes a stop at a family producer, usually in a village between Reims and Épernay. This is the half people remember. The grand house shows you a brand; the grower shows you a press, a cellar under the house, and a family that has made champagne on the same land for generations. If you want to buy, buy here. The prices are lower than in Paris and the wines do not exist outside the region.

Reims or Épernay

Reims is the city, with the cathedral and the biggest houses, 45 minutes from Paris by TGV. Épernay is a town of about 23,000 with the Avenue de Champagne and Moët. Every tour meets in Reims and drives to Épernay and Hautvillers, so you see both. The only decision the town forces is Moët versus the Reims houses, and that comes down to the day of the week.

Private

The private Veuve Clicquot day costs $2,160 for two with 1st class rail, lunch, and seven tastings, then $505 per extra person. The private champagne van picks up at your Paris hotel, visits one grand house and one grower, and costs $2,775 for up to six. See small group or private for the arithmetic, and Burgundy, Bordeaux, or Champagne if you have not settled on a region.

Questions

Which Champagne tour is best?

Veuve Clicquot for the fullest day and the best-known cellar. Moët if your dates fall on a weekend. Mumm for a weekday at a lower price. The Épernay day if you want the cheapest option and lunch on your own.

How long is the train from Paris to Reims?

About 45 minutes by TGV from Gare de l’Est. Your guide meets you at the tourist kiosk outside Reims station.

Can I visit two grand houses in one day?

On a private tour, yes. The shared tours pair one grand house with a family grower, which most people find the better contrast.

Do the tours run in winter?

Moët runs year-round on weekends. Mumm runs year-round except December 25 to February 10. Veuve Clicquot and the Épernay day run from March into November.

Can I ship champagne home?

Growers and houses will ship to the United States. Your guide can help arrange it, or carry a bottle or two back on the train.

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