Drinking Champagne in Epernay

After our two nights in Reims, the rest of Champagne awaited us. We were headed to what might be the most champagne-soaked city of them all, Épernay, with its famous Avenue de Champagne. Épernay, the heart of the Champagne region, offers elegant experiences at every turn. Here, you can stroll from one champagne house to another, enjoy the world’s best bubbles, and be impressed by both history and architecture. But first, I wanted to stop in Hautvillers.

Historic Hautevillers

Hautvillers is a charming little village at the center of champagne’s origins. It was home to Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk from the 17th century who, according to legend, was the man behind the method that transformed ordinary wine into champagne. Although he might not have “invented” the bubbles, his contributions were crucial in perfecting the techniques used today. Interestingly, bubbles in wine were first mentioned in Limoux, in southern France, not far from where we have our holiday house.

The village is also known for its lesser-known champagne houses, where you can find surprisingly good and affordable bottles. A stroll through the cozy streets gives you the feeling of being in a timeless idyllic postcard, with vineyards stretching over the surrounding hills.

We took a lunch break at Jean-Philippe Bosser, where we enjoyed a simple yet delicious meal in a cozy courtyard under the sun. Cheese, sausages, fresh bread, and the house’s own bubbles made for a wonderful experience. They also have a small museum in their backyard.

We noticed a big difference between Hautvillers and Reims and Épernay. Hautvillers is more down-to-earth, casual, authentic, and full of flavor. However, it was quite busy, and finding a table for lunch wasn’t easy.

The story behind the bubbles

We were on a champagne-tasting tour, but I also love learning a bit while traveling. The reason to stop in Hautvillers was to visit the church of Saint-Sindulphe, where Dom Pérignon is buried. Incidentally, Dom Ruinart, the uncle of the founder of the Ruinart wine house we visited in Reims, is also buried there. The church is a popular stop for both history and wine enthusiasts.

Dom Pérignon was a pioneer who worked in the wine cellar of Hautvillers’ abbey. He perfected the art of blending different grapes to create balanced wines and helped develop the iconic technique of sealing bottles with cork and metal wire—a crucial part of champagne production. As we learned in Reims, both the cork and the thin glass were significant challenges for champagne producers. Although the myths about the “discovery” of champagne are exaggerated, Dom Pérignon remains a key figure in its development and history.

The Champagne house Moët & Chandon owns the Dom Pérignon brand, and a statue of the monk stands outside their massive “château,” one of the first sights as you start on Avenue de Champagne in Épernay.

Familiar and Unfamiliar Names

We decided to spend two nights in Épernay to fully experience the city. Our hotel, Boutique-Hôtel de Champagne, was within walking distance of Avenue de Champagne. Not very fancy, but clean and tidy, and perfectly suitable for our needs. We found a parking spot on the street right outside the hotel. As usual, we skipped the expensive hotel breakfast and opted for a coffee and croissant at a café. We prefer to save our appetite for lunch!

We started our afternoon champagne adventure at the first place we found. It was a small house with a few tables outside, where three different champagne producers had joined forces: Les 3 domaines P. Boivin, Vincent Testulat, Janisson-Baradon. They offered a tasting menu of three different glasses, so we dove right in! It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it. If we’re going to “do” Épernay, we might as well do it right!

Moët & Chandon

Next, we headed to the renowned Moët & Chandon, one of the most famous names in the region. They offer guided tours, but these fill up quickly and are quite expensive. Since we had already done two tours in Reims, we skipped it this time. However, we spent some time in their lovely shop. I was tempted to buy a scent kit to improve my ability to distinguish different aromas in wine, but at over 300 euros, I passed. That money was better spent on champagne! The shop was filled with exclusive bottles and unique souvenirs, which we managed to resist buying. It wasn’t too difficult, given the prices…

We continued up the street, determined to stop at every place. The offerings varied among the different houses. Some, like Pol Roger, aren’t open to tourists at all. Others go out of their way to make the visit a unique experience. One of the most beautiful champagne houses for tourists is Perrier-Jouët.

Perrier-Jouët

Perrier-Jouët has an incredibly cozy garden with plenty of seating and art that matches the beautiful Art Nouveau-style entrance. The same inspiration is found on some of the bottles and labels. The cozy garden and artistic details made this one of our favorite spots in Épernay. I wanted a souvenir, so we decided to buy champagne glasses with the beautiful flowers from the bottle labels, which now add a touch of joy every time we enjoy champagne at home.

We continued up the street, stopping here and there to enjoy a glass or two at both famous and lesser-known champagne houses. It felt incredibly luxurious to just walk around drinking champagne as sightseeing. We enjoyed the sun and nice weather, indulging like the decadent tourists we felt we were.

Great as daytime drinking may be, it sort of stops itself. We went for dinner in an old bank building at Brasserie de la Banque. No luxury but the food was decent. I have to admit I went for water with the meal.

A visit to the museum

Day two started with rain so we headed into the local museum dedicated to both Champagne and local archaeology; Musée du vin de Champagne et d’Archéologie régionale. More deep diving into the history of Champagne and a great addon to what we had learned in Reims earlier.

The museum is located in an historic building. An ok place to spend a couple of hours to get out of the rain.

A Taste of Luxury at Leclerc Briant and de Venoge

The sun came out, so while waiting for lunchtime, we strolled up to Champagne de Venoge. Known for its elegant atmosphere and delightful champagnes, it has a cozy outdoor area where you can enjoy a glass (or more) in peaceful surroundings. They offered “tasting packages” with four glasses. Some places have quite small tasting glasses, making it easy to choose four, but here they were quite generous. Four glasses each seemed a bit too much, but we just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the surroundings and champagne. We weren’t in a hurry! You can also join a guided tour here and have a bite to eat at the bar.

Most champagne houses produce both white and rosé champagnes, with the rosé tending to be slightly less dry, as far as I recall. We always made sure to choose different ones so we could taste as many as possible. We probably should have taken notes to find our favorites, but everything was so good! It’s obvious that that this kind of tour is useless for finding a favorite. We tasted way too much!

Time for food

Eventually, it was time for lunch. There aren’t many restaurants along Avenue de Champagne; in fact, only Perrier-Jouët and Leclerc Briant offered food. We chose the latter and their restaurant Le 25 Bis. We got a table inside and enjoyed a delicious meal of cheese, sausages, pâté, and, of course, champagne. The restaurant, located in a historic house, has a cozy atmosphere. The food was simple but very good. Perfect for enhancing the flavors of the champagne. It was also nice to have something to eat with the drinks for a change. Le 25 Bis is also a hotel, and I would love to stay in one of their suites!

We continued our stroll, stopping at more champagne houses we hadn’t visited yet, like Boizel. They also offer guided tours but were fully booked that day. We tried to get a tour there while it rained before deciding on the museum.

Venture away from the Main Street

Eventually, we moved away from Avenue de Champagne to some of the parallel streets, where more champagne houses are located. We found an open door at Champagne Jacquinot & Fils. As soon as you leave Avenue de Champagne, things become a bit less glamorous and more down-to-earth. A wine barrels served as our tasting table. But the champagne was no less delightful.

We realized we hadn’t had a drink at Moët & Chandon, only browsed the shop, so we headed to perhaps the most exclusive house and were escorted to the garden at the back of the building. There, we received excellent service and as much information as we wanted from our knowledgeable server.

As we sat down at the next place, I asked Lars if he had paid. He hadn’t. Neither had I! We had walked away from the bill at Moët & Chandon! I rushed back and found our server, who was incredibly relieved to see me. She was probably quite worried and upset that we had just walked away. But it was perhaps just a sign that we had had enough to drink that day too!

Tips if you plan to visit Champagne

We managed to spend a day and a half just walking up and down Avenue de Champagne, visiting the museum, and otherwise just drinking champagne and eating a bit. Not the worst way to spend a weekend in May. And you don’t have to drink four glasses at every place either. It’s possible to take it a bit easier than we did.

Dinner that evening was at a lovely restaurant with delicious food just a few minutes from the hotel. Restaurant Boyer Épernay was worth the visit. Surprisingly, there aren’t many good restaurants in Épernay.

Épernay impressed us with the number of champagne houses and the extravagance of some, contrasted with the simplicity of others. It’s easy and accessible to just walk in and order a glass (or more) of champagne. If you have to choose just one of the cities, I think I would choose Épernay, but it is a bit more limited in terms of things to do besides champagne and available restaurants.

Tips

• Plan ahead. Even without guided tours, it’s a good idea to check opening hours and reserve tables for lunch.
• Explore the lesser-known champagne houses. Here, you often find hidden gems and more intimate experiences, as well as different price points. We saw this in Hautvillers.
• Take your time. There’s a lot to see (and drink), and it’s silly to rush.

We spent two nights in Reims and two nights in Épernay, which was just right. I felt we explored both places well, in addition to our stop in Hautvillers. But it was just enough to make me want to return to this fantastic region. Next time, I’d love to spend a night in little Hautvillers so we can drink our way from house to house there too. Another popular activity in Champagne is taking a bike tour through the vineyards. We could do that as well. Some of the major champagne houses are located outside these cities, such as Bollinger in the small town of Ay, a short bike ride from Épernay or Hautvillers.