A fatcork guide to visiting Champagne
Our first visit to Champagne tested our relationship to its limits. Thankfully, we passed, and now Abby and I can laugh about our rustic accommodations, the wrinkled paper maps and mud-covered, manual rental car. Still with all of its magical, rustic charm, visiting Champagne looks a bit different these days. Things like Airbnb, Google maps and car rental companies with all-automatic fleets have made the experience easier to navigate, and we have learned a few tricks of our own along the way.
Getting there:
Most people, the Maletises included, fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle airport just northeast of Paris. If we’re headed directly to Champagne, we either rent a car at the airport, and set off for the countryside, or we take the train to Épernay or Reims and rent a car right there at the station. To explore Champagne’s small villages, you really do need a car, and we try to avoid driving in or through Paris at all costs.
Alternatively, it is possible to hire a car service to take you around Champagne. Our growers recommend Groom Service based out of Épernay.
Pro tip: If you’re staying in Paris, Champagne can be done as a day trip. Take the train and plan on fitting in both a big house and one of our growers. Or, if you prefer, two of our growers.
Where to stay:
Reims and Épernay are great places to stay and perfect jumping off points if you plan on visiting smaller villages in different Champagne subregions. Both are bigger towns with plenty of options for food and things to do. While Reims boasts several of the big houses, Épernay is home to the famed (UNESCO) World Heritage site Avenue de Champagne.
We usually stay in Reims:
La Caserne Chanzy Hôtel & Spa
www.lacasernechanzy.com
13 Rue Chanzy
Reims
Continental Hotel
www.continental-hotel.fr
93 Place Drouet d'Erlon
Reims
Or if we want quaint experience right in the middle of the Côte de Blancs vineyards, we might stay in Avize:
Hotel les Avisés
www.selosse-lesavises.com
59 Rue de Cramant
Avize
All about Aube:
Aube is the southernmost subregion and the farthest drive from Reims and Épernay. While it’s a beautiful area with amazing Champagne, it might be hard to fit in if you only have a few days. If you’re staying longer or making a trip to Burgundy, then we definitely recommend checking it out.
Planning your visits:
Especially if this is your first trip to Champagne, we recommend visiting at least one big house in addition to the fatcork grower-producers on our list. The big houses are a sight to behold with sprawling grounds and elaborate cathedral-like caves, and experiencing their large-scale grandeur will give you valuable perspective when you visit the small, independent estates where many of our growers, literally, do it all. (Read more about the two here)
If you have a few days, we suggest exploring one subregion per day. Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Reims and, our favorite, Côte des Blancs are all within driving distance from Reims and Épernay.
It is reasonable to plan for two visits per day, and appointments are required for both the big houses and our growers. You can make appointments for big houses through their websites.
For growers, we suggest reaching out via email no more than three months in advance of your trip.* Compose your message in English with the date and time you’d like to request an appointment, and then use Google Translate to provide the French translation, as well. Then, it is always a good idea to confirm your scheduled appointment by phone or email a day or two before.
Please let the grower know that fatcork sent you!
DOWNLOAD OUR GUIDE FOR GROWER CONTACTS
*Fatcork Champagne club members: As a benefit to you, we will happily arrange visits for you. Contact us at info@fatcork.com or 206-257-1730 to take advantage of this special members-only perk.
Cheers!
Team fatcork