A visit to Moët and Chandon in Épernay France.
If you’re planning a trip to France, then I suggest adding a road trip through the Champagne Region to you’re itinerary. First of all the drive through the Champagne route is just so picturesque.
We literally had to stop every few miles to take in all the scenery, grapevines as far as the eyes can see!
We also planned a visit to Moet and Chandon in Epernay France, and had an amazing time learning about the process of Champagne making.
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How to get to Epernay France
Our road trip to the Champagne Region takes us to Epernay, France. Epernay is located in the Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne Region of northern France.
It is less than a couple of hours away from Paris, and is known as the champagne capital of the world.
You can easily take the train from Paris to Epernay and make a stop at the Gare d’Epernay. But I suggest you take a road trip though the region, it’s absolutely beautiful!
Epernay is home to some of the worlds famous champagne cellars, including Moët and Chandon, located in the famed Avenue des Champagne. It is one of the top producers of champagne in the region.
Where to get tickets to the Moet and Chandon Tour
We decided on this Champagne road trip last minute, and we were lucky to get tickets, as the tours are on specific time slots. You can reserve tickets online and I highly recommend you do, as tickets can be sold out for the day!
We chose the Imperial Moment tickets which includes a tour of the Moet and Chandon cellars, and a glass of both the Moet Imperial and Rosé Imperial champagnes.
The Imperial Moment tickets cost 32 euros for adults, kids 10-17 costs 10 euros, and children 10 and under are free.
Moet and Chandon Tour in Epernay France
Located in the heart of champagne country, Moët and Chandon’s extensive estate covers 2800 acres of vineyards.
Moët and Chandon is a French fine winery established in 1743 by Claude Moët, he began shipping his wine to Paris, and soon the wineries clientele’s included nobles and aristocrats, which also included King Louis XV.
Our Moet and Chandon tour started with a short film about the companies history, which was very interesting. The wine cellars of Moët & Chandon are located under the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay.
Dug from the white chalk stone of the Champagne region, the tunnels spread across several levels under the city and provide the coolness and humidity necessary for the slow maturing of the famous bubbles.
It was really cold in there, but we were given blankets. Our little one thought it was cool, she felt like she was on an adventure searching for treasure!
These tunnels were 28 km long and dates back to the foundation of the company in 1743. The tunnels were lined with bottles, some of which have been aging for years. It was amazing enough to be in these tunnels and witness the making of this famous bubbly.
I learned so much from the Moet and Chandon tour and have a newfound appreciation for champagne. For one, it can only be called champagne if the grapes are grown in this region of France.
The grapes have to be harvested within two weeks in September and must be picked by hand and gently pressed to make sure the color of the skin doesn’t leak into the juice.
Then they are fermented twice in the bottle to create their famous bubbles! I never really understood why Champagne was so expensive, but the tour really explained the whole process!
The story of Dom Perignon Champagne
Dom Pérignon is a vintage champagne, and is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover the champagne method for making sparkling wine.
Since it’s a vintage, it is only made in the best years, and all grapes used to make the wine are harvested in the same year.
All vintages need at least 12 years aging to nurture it’s signature flavor, and that’s why it costs so much! Don’t know if I would purchase it, but do appreciate the care that goes into making a bottle.
All in all, we had a great time on the tour, and learned so much about the art of champagne making and it’s history. The best part of the tour was of course the free champagne samples, which included some of their vintage bottles.
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