Any recommendations/comments about which tour(s) to take. I will have a car so getting to tours away from these cities is doable.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, USA
320 posts
Bob: Of course there are many choices. I have taken the Moet & Chandon tour on two separate trips. It was wonderful both times. The tour is informative. The history is staggering and the caves are like something out of a fairy tale (the bubbly is awfully tasty as well). We did it once on our honeymoon and years later we took the tour with the kids. Moet & Chandon is on the main drag in Epernay that is lined with imposing Champagne houses. We were moving quickly through that region and did not have time for a tour of a small boutique producer. That is on the agenda for our 2014 trip. Have fun.
Posted by
OP
Rosemount, MN, USA
76 posts
Some of the tours offer "vintage" champagne tastings at a cost. I assume this is a glass from an expensive bottle of champagne ? So what exactly is meant by vintage ?
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
Most champagne is a blend from multiple harvests. If a particular harvest is exceptional, they will make a vintage champagne using grapes from a single harvest. Vintage champagne is considered superior.
Posted by
Monein, Pyrenees, France
425 posts
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that if they stick a bottle of champagne up on a shelf in the garage for a few years it will become "vintage". It just becomes old. Most champagne is drunk "young". If it's your first time in Epernay, take the earlier advice of the Moet-Chandon house. You WILL enjoy it.