An Eater’s Guide to Visiting (and Drinking) Champagne

[Lindsey Tramuta]

The patio at the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa.

From tastings on a vintage bullet boat to farm-to-table feasts in an old train depot, here’s where to eat, drink, and relax in France’s most famous wine region

While France’s northeastern region of Champagne has always had its draws — picturesque villages, rolling hills, a labyrinthine network of underground chalk galleries, not to mention global name recognition — it’s only relatively recently that the iconic houses that forged its luxe reputation have taken a serious interest in tourism.

“Lots of the houses had little trains you could take [through the cellars] that were reminiscent of something you would have seen at Disney World,” remembers Christian Holthausen, a French-American strategic consultant in the wine & spirits industry, of his early career in Champagne in the 1990s. “There was always a gift shop with ice buckets and t-shirts for sale. If you were a tourist, you were never invited for lunch or dinner. You were just given a generic list of suggestions for dining options, straddling a line between ludicrously expensive and horribly grim.”

Over the years there have been winemakers looking to change this and establish more immersive experiences that would attract consumers as much as industry folks. In 2011, Anselme Selosse, the legendary winemaker who runs the Domaine Jacques Selosse with his wife Corinne, opened one of the first bistronomy-focused hotel-restaurants in the heart of the vines, Les Avisés (see the lodging and dining section below). Then there was the game-changing Terres et Vins de Champagne collective “made up of some of the best grower-producers in the region,” says Holthauses, who “wanted to democratize the experience of visiting producers in order to really understand the mechanics of the region,” and eventually launched the now popular Le Printemps des Champagne tasting event held each April.

But it wasn’t until Champagne’s hillsides, houses, and cellars earned UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2015 that Le Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne and the regional tourism board began seriously ramping up promotion of the region from an oenotourism perspective, launching events and flashy advertising campaigns to cement the Champagne region as a veritable must-go for both French and foreign travelers, and Champagne the drink as something to pair with more than a special occasion. (For a time, posters across France advertised fizzing flutes of Champagne alongside glazed donuts, hard-boiled eggs, and a half-eaten slice of quiche.)

A host of new experiences aim to attract younger travelers to Champagne.

So far the collective efforts seem to be working. International visits to the region have increased dramatically — Taittinger, for example, reported a 21 percent jump in foreign tourism traffic between 2015 and 2018 — and today, a visitor to Champagne can cycle through the region’s quaint villages, visit the vines by quad bike, soar over Epernay in a hot air balloon, and most importantly, eat in a host of excellent restaurants, ones that showcase how Champagne connects to daily life as a wine that complements food. Champagne may have been slow to embrace wine tourism but if these new experiences are any indication, there is a firm commitment to making up for lost time.

A final note: This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list by any means — there are some 360 Champagne houses (and 16,200 winemakers) in the appellation and some still don’t offer public visits at all, but this guide is a good place to start.

What to Know Before You Go ​

The grapes: The dominant trio of grape varietals to remember when it comes to champagne production: chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. Chardonnay represents approximately 70% of vineyards and (almost always) makes up 100% of Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, characterized by its exclusively white grape composition.

The subregions: The historic (and most talked about) heart of the region has been concentrated in the subregions between the towns of Reims and Épernay, namely the Montagne de Reims, Côte des Blancs, and the Vallée de la Marne. But you will also find beautiful champagnes produced in two other subregions: the Côte de Sézanne and the Côte des Bar in the department (an administrative subdivision, similar to a county or province) of Aube. Pinot Noir-dominant, the Côte des Bar, which is close to the medieval city of Troyes (and very close to Burgundy), is gaining attention for its experimental grower champagnes.

Blends vs. single-vineyard wines: While there are a growing number of single-vineyard or single-parcel champagnes produced today across the regions (including the Clos des Goisses from Philipponnat, below), the majority of Champagnes are blended wines. And in case you’re wondering if one approach is better than the other, or if small estates produce better quality Champagnes than large houses, the answer is: whatever you like.

But you’ll learn more about all that, as well as the process of making Champagne and the geological and environmental specificity that shapes the region’s unique terroir, during your visits to these forward-looking houses.

The “picnic” experience at Piot Sévillano

Champagne & Food Experiences ​

Piot-Sevillano ​

The versatility of Piot-Sevillano champagnes and a brand new tasting center for the independent house, with views overlooking the vines and the Marne valley, is what led Christine Scher-Sévillano and her husband to start offering gastronomic picnics in 2020. For 10 generations, winemaking has been the lifeblood of the Piot family, who owns 20 acres in the small village of Vincelles, west of Épernay. Since 2007, Christine and her husband have preserved that heritage while taking it further with low intervention viticulture (currently transitioning to organic), single-terroir Champagnes, and a new tasting and event space in a former school located in the village.

“We produce atypical, fruity, Champagnes that are either delicate or vinous. They’re perfectly adaptable to a range of dishes,” says Christine. Specifically, she says the house’s Fraicheur de Coteau Extra Brut cuvée pairs well with scallops, oysters, and sushi. Their Prestige cuvée, a Blanc de Noirs aged longer, is more powerful and therefore better complemented by heartier foods such as steak, truffle pastas, and cheese.

Three food-and-Champagne pairing options are offered in the new tasting center (from $56): land, sea, and cheese, themes that Christine developed with her friend and sommelier Frédéric Pagneux. The cheese pairing is perhaps the most original given how infrequently fromage-specific tasting menus are offered in conjunction with Champagne. Each of the three-course dishes, served in glass, reusable jars, are prepared by chef Christophe Tinot of the nearby restaurant and catering company Le P’tit Boursault and come with a glass of a different Piot-Sévillano cuvée — that you’ll certainly want to (and should) take home.

AR Lenoble​

In 2017, this fourth-generation family-run champagne house in Damery opened a professional tasting room and state-of-the-art kitchen, where Anne Malassagne and her brother Antoine oversee cooking workshops (by appointment only) meant to highlight the pairing potential for their champagnes. That might be roasted chicken with a glass of their Brut Intense or a slightly more involved dish using local ingredients, but either way, visitors leave with a better appreciation for the various Champagne styles and how they can complement almost anything you might want to eat. “In spite of what you might think, very few people actually drink Champagne with caviar or lobster,” says Malassgne, “but nearly everyone I know drinks Champagne with roasted chicken or with Comté cheese.”

Come spring, the house will once again run Champenois lunches in a cabin situated at the heart of its vines in Bisseuil. Prices available upon request.

Philipponnat​

The Philipponnat family, who traces its roots to the region as far back as the 16th century and has been operating as a...

Please login to view full content. Log in or register now.