Follow this Épernay in Champagne guide for a glorious visit at any time of the year. The small town is considered the capital of champagne rather than its big sister Reims.

Épernay is a charming small town, 28 kms (17 miles) south of Reims. It’s in the Marne department of Champagne-Ardenne and is the heart of a wine-growing region covering 35,000 hectares of wines. It’s easy to get to and makes a perfect short break. I went in December for Les Habits de Lumière weekend. It was cold, sparkling and beautiful.

Major Attractions in Épernay Guide

You’ll find the websites of each attraction at the end of the article.

Avenue de Champagne

Épernay life revolves around the Avenue de Champagne that runs through the middle of the town.

This wide long boulevard is lined with the names of the great and the good: Moët et Chandon (founded in 1743), Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, Mercier, de Castellane and other champagne houses less well known to foreign visitors like de Venoge and Boizel. You’re walking over 110 kilometres of underground cellars, where the champagne is kept at a constant 9-12°C degrees.

The elegant châteaux were once both home and cellar to the original owners. Grand and gracious, their façades look out onto courtyards protected by cast-iron railings and gates while the lucky inhabitants kept their gardens at the back.

It’s used for every big occasion in Epernay. In December it’s at the heart of the Habits de Lumière festival; in January it saw the cars driving from Reims at the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally to Monaco.

Moët et Chandon Guided Tour

Moët et Chandon is arguably the best known name. A guided visit to Moët et Chandon starts in the former drawing rooms. Then with an English-speaking guide you descend into the brick-lined cellars underneath. Dimly lit, the cellars engender a feeling of reverence, bordering on awe. Not surprising really; you’re looking at millions of euros worth of bubbly made according to age-old methods. The dusty bottles are stacked in racks with deliberately bewildering numbers and letters at the top of each stack. Only the cellar master and his assistants know what they mean. And this is just the showcase. Most of the houses, particularly Moët et Chandon, have far larger production sites outside Épernay.

It makes you appreciate the glasses you savour upstairs even more.

Château Perrier Houses a Top Museum

I hadn’t expected the Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology Museum to be so surprising. No bubbly served here for a start. But such considerations aside, it gives you a wonderful snapshot of the region’s prehistory and more recent history in a delightfully easy way.

The museum is full of the kinds of models I love. Strange skeletons for those who are into osteology; pots and shards for the archaeologists. I spent time with the Romans. Did you know that Roman roads often had three tracks? One elevated for those Roman armies to march from city to city, and one each side for the horses and carts of the plebs.

The champagne production section is just as interesting with oddities, and quirky information on the process itself. Again the section is full of models and pictures to keep your interest and there’s a sniffing table where you can try to identify different scents.

The only one I got right was walnuts (see below!)

You can also go down to the cellars but we were off to try another glass of bubbly.

Birds’ Eye View from a Helium Balloon

The Épernay helium balloon is tethered just outside the Avenue de Champagne. Ascend slowly up to 150 metres high for a view of the surrounding vineyards and villages. And, naturally, it’s done with a glass of champagne. It only takes off in good weather, so check before you go.

Markets in Épernay

If you like markets (and who doesn’t?), visit the covered Saint-Thibault market which has a good selection of stalls; open Wednesday and Saturday 8am-noon. On Tuesday and Saturday there’s a fabric and textile market in rue de la Poste. On Wednesday there’s a general market on la place Fada N’Gourma; Sunday morning try the food market on Auban-Moët Square.

There’s a flea market on the third Sunday of each month in Saint-Thibault.

Return to the ’70s

Vintage cars and vans are something of a universal passion in France. In fact, so popular are they that companies have sprung up all over giving tours in the sedate old ladies. My vintage tour company took us in a 70’s minibus out of Épernay and up and down small gravel tracks to a vineyard with a panoramic view. The back of the van was set up like a bar and a bottle of champagne produced. ‘Who wants to try this?’ asked the driver-guide, waving a sharp small sword. Up stepped one of our party to do the honours of beheading the bottle.

It’s actually quite easy (or at least looks quite easy). The bottle and the top with the cork have to be cold. You line up the bottle so the join of the two parts of the bottle is facing upwards. Take the sabre in your hand; hold out the bottle and hit the end of the cork firmly. Et voilà! The cork flies off and into the vines to be retrieved as a souvenir.

I’m not sure if this is a ‘Don’t try this at home trick’. I haven’t summoned up the courage or bought a bottle of cheap champagne yet to try the trick. But I will.

Pressoria – A Sensory Visit

Pressoria, just outside Épernay in Aÿ-Champagne, bills itself as ‘A Sensory Journey to the Heart of Champagne’. Which is a pretty bold claim. But Pressoria delivers and in such a way that you can take the family as well.

There are rooms showing you the growth of the vines and the changing seasons in the vineyards; there’s a room for sniffing scents to try to identify them (I managed walnuts but not much else); there are rocks to touch to give you an idea of the subsoil.

You can blend your own champagne and you end in a room surrounded by a screen with images of bubbles and music – all very artistic which everyone loved (except for me).

And of course there’s a tasting at the end.

What to See outside Épernay

It’s all about Champagne

Champagne is associated with the venerable Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon. This jovial figure (well his statue looks jovial) was the cellar master at the monastery in Hautvillers. He didn’t invent champagne, but in the 1670s was a key figure in the development of the wine.

Today Moët et Chandon produces Dom Pérignon, a sought after vintage champagne. This stipulates that all the grapes used are harvested in the same year; it’s only produced in good years and it is usually released after 8 to 10 years.

Hautvillers

The pretty village of Hautvillers is 6 kms north of Épernay. Small enough to wander around, it’s a good idea to book an English-speaking guide at the tourist office. It may be known today for one thing – champagne production – but once Hautvillers was a thriving little centre full of different shops. Wrought-iron signs hanging from the walls depicting the profession of the owner, vital to a population that couldn’t read or write.  

There’s a good view over the UNESCO World Heritage site vineyards that surround the village from the lower road. Keep walking to a cobbled, steep alley leading up to the Monastery and Abbey. You can only see the monastery from the outside, but you can go into the church where Dom Pierre Pérignon  is buried.  

And a visit to Don Pierre Pérignon’s statue is a must. People come from all over the world to look at this and pay their own particular respects. There’s always a bottle of champagne by his feet and the glass he’s holding is usually full.

More Villages around Épernay

Épernay is located in the vineyards of the three surrounding areas: Montagne de Reims, Côte de Blancs and Vallée de la Marne and there are plenty of villages and vineyards to visit. Check out the Route du champagne at the local tourist office or go online here. The different routes are easy to follow and you can stop and taste at anywhere which has the Acceuil (Welcome) sign outside. Try the smaller vineyards for some real revelations (and less expensive bottles).

Where to Stay

Jean Moët 4-star hotel is right beside the Avenue de Champagne. Rooms are different sized, ranging from the smaller attic rooms to larger rooms; bathrooms are spacious and there’s a view from most rooms of the splendid Épernay Town Hall. From €145 in the low season and €175 in the high season.

We ate at the restaurant but didn’t stay at the top 5-star Royal Champagne Hotel. 47 beautiful huge rooms look out over the vineyards below. Needless to stay this is expensive, from around €560 per night in low season for the cheapest suite to around €900 in the high season. But this is Champagne and this is a superb hotel so if you have the means, go for it! It’s owned by an American couple from Boston who fell in love with France years ago on cycling trips. So it’s something of a labour of love for them.

The Best Western Le Relais du Vigneron is in Vertus, 16 km south of Épernay. Bollinger, Duval-Leroy, Moët & Chandon, Piper-Heidsieck, Roederer, and Taittinger all have vineyards near the village which is one of the highest rated Premier Cru villages of Champagne. It’s a delightful hotel which has been totally renovated. It now has large modern rooms in different buildings in the middle of the village. Good-sized bathrooms, bar and restaurant and friendly and welcoming English-speaking staff. Some rooms have small kitchenettes if you want to cater for yourself.

Where to Eat

Épernay has a lot of good restaurants. Locals drink champagne throughout the meal, so ask for advice if you’re not sure what to order.

La Table Kobus. Centrally located, this was one of the best restaurants I have been to for some time. It’s a pleasant room with a brasserie vibe and excellent waiters with style. The menu is kept to 3 or 4 choices, ranging from truffled foie gras terrine with Reims ham and artichoke chutney on the starters to fish including scallops and cod. Meat dishes include black angus beef, Iberique pork and roast veal. Menus from €27 to €53.

Le P’tit Champenois is part of the Hotel Jean Moët. There’s an entrance from the hotel into the charming restaurant which is heavy on beef or try the chicken supreme. 2-course menu is €27; 3 courses €32.

Le Domaine de Vincine. In central Épernay this small family-run restaurant is bright and cheerful. The small menu changes every 3 weeks and offers simple dishes using local and regional  ingredients. It’s best for lunch.

Le Bellevue Restaurant in the Royal Champagne Hotel. The restaurant is lavish with crystal chandeliers and luxury furniture and a view over the surrounding vineyards. Dishes are sophisticated; wine list is superb. There’s a lunch time menu at €45; otherwise starters hover around €25 and main dishes from €33 to €75 (for lobster).

La Cave à Champagne is a pretty restaurant. In the centre of Épernay, it has an impressive Champagne list (as you’d expect). Expect good, rustic regional dishes which are not for the faint-hearted and are good value. There’s a menu at €25.

Le Théatre Restaurant is one of the town’s oldest brasseries, housed in a classical building with a delightful décor. Again the chef concentrates on traditional local dishes. Menus €27 to €50.

Château d’Étoges. This impressive château is just outside Épernay. It’s a hotel and spa and offers good value breaks. There are 2 restaurants, a casual bistro and the more serious Orangerie. Menus from €58 to €78.

When to visit

Épernay is an all-year round destination. Undoubtedly it is at its best from Spring to late Autumn, but it has a very special event in December which I urge you to try to attend. Les Habits de Lumière takes place over the second weekend. I went last year; it was enormous fun.

This year Les Habits de Lumière in Épernay runs from Dec 8-10, 2023.

Practical Information

Épernay Tourist Information
Moët et Chandon Tour
Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology Museum
Épernay Helium Balloon Ride
Pressoria

More to see and do in Champagne

Champagne Houses to visit in Reims
Voltaire, his lover and the Château de Cirey in Champagne

The post Épernay in Champagne Guide appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Updated February 2020

Reims is a beautiful and historic city, but many visitors come here for one thing: tasting the bubbly at one of the world’s major Champagne houses in Reims.

So how do you go about visiting the Champagne houses? Many people are daunted by the idea, imagining it to be an elite, rather stuffy thing to do.

In fact, it’s huge fun, educational and very easy to arrange.

Which Champagne house to choose?

With 155 miles of cellars in Reims alone in wonderful and historic Gallo-Roman cellars there are plenty of houses to consider.

To organize a visit to one of the top Champagne houses in Reims, do a bit of research in advance. The process of producing the Champagne is the same whichever cellar you visit; what is different are the surroundings and of course…the amber nectar you taste at the end!

There’s a list of the major Champagne houses at the end of this article, but let me take you on a visit to Champagne Pommery, one of the grandest, and largest, of the houses.

Pommery does produce Champagne here in Reims from the 25 hectares of vines it owns.

A short history of Pommery

Founded by Narcisse Greno in 1836, the company merged in 1856 with Louis Alexandre Pommery. Like so many Champagne houses, it was a woman, Louise Pommery, the widow of Louis who shook up the business.

When the Pommery chef de caves, Victor Lambert, developed a brut Champagne in 1874, Louise decided to produce it in quantities enough to satisfy the English taste, which preferred a lighter, dryer taste.

Louise Pommery ran the business incredibly successfully, built the buildings you see today and linked the 120 Gallo-roman cellars with 11 miles of passages. Her daughter, Louise along with her husband, Prince Guy de Polignac, took over equally effectively.

Pommery passed through various companies, included Danone who sold it to the LVMH group in 1991. In 2002, LVMH sold it to Vranken though they kept the 741 acres of vineyards which included sites in seven grand crus villages.

Visit the Pommery cellars

Various buildings make up the complex and while they’re impressive, my initial reaction at seeing them was one of surprise. There’s something Disney-like about the brightly colored buildings which embrace three architectural styles: neoclassical, medieval Gothic and high Victorian.

The main hall is dominated by a huge 75,000 litre Grand Foudre Pommery cask made by Emile Gallé in 1903. Take a closer look; the carving on the front symbolizes friendship between France and America.

The woman seen from the back in a vineyard is France, offering a glass of Pommery Champagne to America. She sits astride a sphinx with the head of a Native American. On the top tier another female figure sits beside the Statue of Liberty. Below is the city of Reims. The barrel was last used in 1973.

When your tour gets called, you walk down into the cellars via a narrow stairway of 116 steps carved into the rock.

120 quarries store between 23 and 25 million bottles, but don’t worry…you don’t see all of them. In the different vast rock chambers you’re told how Champagne is produced, how it’s riddled, and see the old wooden barrels which are no longer used to produce the bubbly.

Today commercial considerations have taken over the whole wine-producing industry and steel vats are used. But don’t get too nostalgic; it’s generally led to more good wine at cheaper prices.

What is astonishing at Pommery is both the annual changing art shows down here, and the images carved into the rock, dating from 1878. Walking through this vast underground semi-dark art gallery furnished with millions of euros of Champagne is a pretty surreal experience.

The Tasting

Back in the real world, it’s time for the Champagne tasting and this depends on what price you’ve paid. At Vranken-Pommery it’s 25€ or 30€. If you can afford it, take the more expensive tour; you’ll get to taste the best.

You can take a 90-minute tour to incorporate a visit to a lovely turn-of-the-century villa. Villa Demoiselle was built by Louis Sorel in 1904. It’s part Art Nouveau and part Art Deco and has been beautifully restored.

Feeling like a privileged guest in a particularly beautiful private home, you can taste the special Demoiselle and Diamant champagnes.

Tips:
Take warm clothes; it’s 10 degrees C down there.
Get there 15 minutes before your tour.

More Champagne Houses

Many of the top Champagne houses run tours of their extensive cellars. Many of them ask you to book in advance, but you can always try just turning up, particularly off season when they will probably be able to accommodate you.

Charles de Cazanove
Founded in 1811 Charles de Cazanove supplied many of the crowned heads of Europe:  Prince Metternich of Austria, Third Republic French presidents and Edward VII in 1902 before the entente cordiale was signed. He had it imported with his own personal label. The brand supports Reims theatre and the Reims jazz festival.

Lanson
Lanson was founded in 1760 and remains family owned. It is being refurbished and will re-open in April 2020.

G.H. Martel & Co
The tour of Martel takes in its historic cellars, its Champagne eco museum and 18^th century buildings.

G. H. Mumm
Maison Mumm was founded by Georges Hermann Mumm in 1827. Today they are one of the biggest producers of champagne and supply the British royal family. It’s owned by Pernod Ricard and prides itself on innovation. How about its latest: Grand Cordon Mumm Stellar is designed for space travel, and the ultimate tourists.   

Ruinart
Ruinart is the oldest Maison de Champagne, founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart. His uncle, Dom Thierry Ruinart (1657-1709) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar and a good friend of Dom Pérignon (1638-1715) who, as you’ll see a little further down the page, did not invent Champagne.

Taittinger
Still family owned, Taittinger has 288 hectares of vineyards making it one of the large producers. It runs its vineyards using environmentally friendly techniques.

Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin
Philippe Clicquot came from a family of bankers and textile traders but broke free and established the Clicquot name in 1772. In 1805 his widow, aged just 27, took over. She made the first vintage in 1810 and in 1814 followed her late husband’s aim to ‘cross the borders’. She shipped 10,550 bottles to St Petersburg, defying the Napoleonic embargo.

The Origins of Champagne

It isn’t known who invented Champagne. Contrary to popular myth, it wasn’t Dom Pierre Pérignon (1638–1715), the famous monk and cellar master at the Benedictine abbey in Hautvillers. In fact originally he was asked to do the opposite and was set the task of preventing that second fermentation in the bottle which produces the bubbles as too many bottles were exploding in the process.

But he certainly was a great innovator of winemaking techniques, such as blending wines, introducing corks instead of wood and fastening those corks to bottles with hemp string soaked in oil, using thicker glass bottle imported from England and advancing the Champagne making process.

The first Dom Pérignon vintage was produced in 1921 by Champagne Mercier who then gave the line to Moët in 1927 for the wedding between the two families.

The original vintage wasn’t released for sale until 1936 when it sailed to New York on the liner Normandie.

Today Dom Pérignon is part of LVMH. It’s probably the most celebrated of champagnes as it is always a vintage champagne.

It’s not made in weak years and all the grapes (50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay) used in making the wine must be grown on Grand Cru areas (there are only 17 out of nearly 300 growing spaces so designated) and harvested in the same year. They must be aged for a minimum of 7 years and there can only be 6 vintages in 10 years.

So this is the one to choose for that special celebration as many have done before you.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer chose it for their wedding in 1981 for instance, though whether you think that is a good or a bad omen is up to you.

I’ve found a Dom Pérignon for 1959 quoted at $42,350, so a 1985 Dom Pérignon, valued at $385 a bottle, must be a bargain!  

Dom Perignon is now part of Moët et Chandon in Epernay

More on visiting the Champagne houses in Reims

If you plan some time sightseeing in Reims, and also visiting a champagne cellar or two, it’s worth considering the Reims City Pass.
Buy it online here.

1 day – 24 hours = 22€; 2 days 48 hours = 32€; 3 days, 72 hours = 42€. It will give you unlimited public transport, a free City Tour, free guided tours free entry to many of the buildings and discounts on other attractions and a glass of champagne at certain restaurants.

Champagne Tourist Office will give you more information on tours of Champagne country outside the main cities.
Champagne-Ardennes is part of the new Grand Est region, along with Alsace and Lorraine. So take the opportunity to explore all those other great wines.

Épernay

Nearby Épernay is a city entirely devoted to champagne making. It’s just 16 miles south of Reims. It’s at its best in December when for three days the town celebrates the Habits de Lumière festival. I went in 2022 and had a glorious visit for the weekend. Habits de Lumière Guide.

Guide to Épernay

Again there are many top Champagne houses to visit here. Check with the local tourist office.

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