Cycle The Wine Route of Champagne

Only 30 mins from Charles de Gaulle airport, you will arrive at Champagne Ardenne TGV station. In option, we can organise a transfer to Reims city centre. Wander in the Capital of Champagne, enjoy a tasting in one of the most prestigious house of Champagne and visit the Cathedral where were organised all the coronations of the French Kings.

From Reims and its prestigious Champagne houses, ride to the massif of Saint-Thierry and enjoy a beautiful viewpoint from Trigny, a flower-filled village with medieval ramparts. Continue through forest and vineyards. Immerge yourself in the origin of this divine nectar and stop for wonderful views or alternatively for a tasting.

Ride to the Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park, a natural gem dotted with charming wine-making villages. Follow the prestigious touristic route of Champagne, passing by the wine villages. Stop at the Verzenay lighthouse, which watches over a swathe of vineyards. You will end on the new cycling path, along the river, before reaching Epernay.

This town is entirely surrounded by vines. Walk down the Avenue de Champagne, with its magnificent mansion facades and opulent middle-class homes occupied by famous Champagne Houses, and you can see why Epernay competes for the title of ‘Capital of Champagne’. Here, are miles of underground galleries and millions of bottles of preciously kept champagne away from light and heat… In Epernay, cellar visits to the largest champagne houses are among the highlights of the tour… And they sparkle with stories and expertise.

Today, you will learn about ‘Blanc de Noirs’ champagne which is made using only black grapes (Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier). Two grape varieties with darker skin and white flesh.

Follow the cycling routes bordered with vineyards, offering magnificent landscapes over the undulating Marne Valley, until Dom Perignon’s village: Hautvillers ! It is here that the legend of Champagne was born, thanks to the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, who was said to have accidentally invented effervescent wine at the end of the 17th century. He’s buried in the abbey of Hautvillers, leaving his name to a vintage produced by a famous Champagne House.

Continue through quaint wine villages like Fleury la Riviere or Oeuilly.

The taste of day will be ‘Blanc de Blancs’ Champagne using chardonnay only, a white grape. The Cote des Blancs and its chalky soil is a promised land for the elegant chardonnay.

Ride along some of the classified Grand Cru villages and pedal on the slopes producing Chardonnay grapes. Discover wine villages nested between the vineyard and the lush forest: Avize, Cramant, Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Leave Epernay