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“Champagne is all about diversity,” says Roland-Billecart, who recommends visiting three producers: a large one that’ll have a state-of-the-art visitor’s center; a super small producer, which will show you a distinct set of principles and philosophies from owners who run the show; and somewhere in between, like Champagne Billecart-Salmon, which he calls a “grown-up grower,” since you can see working winemaking facilities, vineyards, and cellars.
As for the large producer, the world’s oldest champagne house, Ruinart, offers everything from visits to its chalk cathedrals, which house both bottles and works of contemporary art, to tours of the historic maison and art-filled gardens surrounding the new visitor’s center, the Nicolas Ruinart Pavilion, where the latest artist-in-residence, Tadashi Kawamata, constructed his signature wooden tree houses and bird nests. In Épernay, Moët & Chandon leads vineyard visits followed by tastings of vintage champagnes, as well as cellar tours where you can watch a demonstration of à la volée disgorgement, a traditional technique done by hand.
For a crash course on the region, its terroir, and what’s causing the bubbles in your glass, start at Pressoria, an interactive, sensory-focused journey that takes place in Pommery’s former pressing center that also ends with a tasting. For a deeper dive into Champagne, Burgundy-based boutique travel planning company Hautes Côtes organizes curated, terroir-oriented trips with tastings at collector-worthy domaines and grower champagnes (where bottles are produced by the same family growing the grapes), plus private local chef-led meals and château dinners.
In early summer, Hautes Côtes also premiered a first of its kind for Champagne: Pop et Hip Hop, an annual event with live hip-hop performances and champagne tastings led by growers and some of the region’s greats, like Champagne Krug, Armand de Brignac, Champagne Etienne Calsac, and Champagne Elise Bougy—held on the grounds of 11th-century abbey Prieuré de Binson.
