Visit the heart of the Champagne region in France and discover ‘grower champagne’ in Epernay 

If you’re a wine enthusiast, then it's quite likely you’ve either spent time in France’s Champagne region - or you plan to! Discovering this beautiful and famous wine region and participating in a champagne tour - at one of the world-famous champagne houses - is a top, global wine tourism experience.

We would recommend you do a well-known ‘champagne house’ tour - in fact you can read about our recommendations here! However we would also recommend you visit some ‘champagne growers’ to taste their champagnes and to get a fuller, authentic experience of the amazing Champagne region and its famous sparkling wines.

Read on for inspiration to spend a couple of days exploring beyond the ‘packaged champagne brand experience’ and discover the beautiful champagne country around Epernay.

Also see here to learn more about the Champagne region and champagne.

Epernay - the heart of ‘champagne country’

Reims may be the actual capital of the Champagne region, but Epernay is probably more well-known for its location at the heart of champagne country, surrounded by some of the region’s top vineyards and home to some of the most famous champagne houses. 

On the southern edge of the Natural Regional Parc de la Montagne de Reims, Epernay justifiably competes with Reims for the title ‘champagne capital’.

Champagne houses in Epernay

Walking down Epernay’s iconic ‘Avenue de Champagne’, you can’t fail to notice that this is home to some of the world’s most famous champagne brands and exporters.  The most famous Epernay champagne houses and the best champagne tours in Epernay include Moët & Chandon and Mercier.

To fully experience Champagne and Epernay we would recommend you visit one of the larger champagne houses, but also take time to visit a champagne owner/grower as we did - see later.

What is Grower Champagne?

90% of the Champagne vineyards today belong to more than 16,000 ‘champagne growers’.

Most of the grapes harvested by champagne growers are sold to the champagne houses who then make and market their wines. Some growers however make and market their own-label champagne. In this case, they are called ‘Récoltants Manipulants’. If you see ‘RM’ on the bottle label, this will confirm that the champagne is a grower's own-label champagne, made exclusively from their own grapes. 

These own-label champagnes can offer really excellent value for money compared to the top ‘brand’ champagnes. Also, visiting a champagne grower will offer a more personalised tour and you can expect to taste more champagne - it will also cost you a lot less! 

Our Epernay champagne tour

We decided to spend a night in the Epernay area, visit 2 recommended champagne growers and enjoy some lovely food and wine! 

We left home in England, drove through the tunnel into France and straight to the Champagne region (about 3.5 hours from Calais). We arrived in time for a short rest and leg stretch, before a champagne aperitif and dinner!

So here’s what we did:

Overnight stay and champagne tasting in Aÿ at Domaine Sacret

Domaine Sacret in the small town of Aÿ, just outside Epernay is not just the headquarters of champagne grower ‘Champagne Sacret’ it is the home of 4 excellent guest rooms, offering a bed and breakfast - or a ‘Chambre d’hôte’ service. Perfect for what we were looking for!

Aÿ in Champagne

The small town of Aÿ is located just 3 km northeast of Epernay. It is classified a ‘Grand Cru’ village and with Epernay and Reims is also classified as part of Champagne’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The famous champagne house of Bollinger is located here.

Champagne Sacret

Champagne Sacret was formed in 1920 by Raymond Sacret and his great-grandson, James, now heads up the business, managing 4 hectares of vineyards in AOC Champagne. This family-owned and run, independent wine grower produces about 16,000 bottles of its own-label champagne per year, including the Cuvée Brut, a 100% Chardonnay ‘Blanc de Blancs, and a ‘zero’ version with no added sugar, as well as a Brut Rosé.

Domaine Sacret

James, passionate about his wines and the region of Champagne, opened his chambre d’hôte, Domaine Sacret in Aÿ in 2014, to enable him to share this passion with others.

There are 4 double guest rooms, 2 standard and 2 superior. We stayed in a standard room and found it extremely comfortable.

A continental breakfast is included and there is a lovely lounge, which also offers an ‘honesty’ bar and a terrace - and there is off-street, secure parking. All guests are invited to the lounge at about 6-7pm for a ‘Champagne Sacret’ champagne tasting in a relaxed and informal environment. We tasted most of the champagnes and really enjoyed them.  The tasting was really enjoyable and informative and it also enabled us to get to know some of the other guests, which was lovely.

Where to eat close to Domaine Sacret - Chez Max, Epernay

We were recommended 2 restaurants by our hosts at Domaine Sacret. One was in Aÿ itself, within walking distance, but was unfortunately closed that evening, however other guests spoke very highly of it -  ‘Rotisserie & Cave Henry 1V’. 

We therefore followed the alternative recommendation, a wonderful restaurant called Chez Max, just 5 minutes away from Domaine Sacret by taxi, in the neighbouring village of Magenta, on the outskirts of . We enjoyed very traditional, local French food, excellent wines and wonderful service and hospitality. We selected menus of the day and we weren’t disappointed - we would highly recommend!

Visit and champagne tasting at ‘Banette’

After a great night’s stay at Domaine Sacret in Aÿ we drove for 20 minutes through the beautiful Champagne vineyards, to the small village of Tauxières-Mutry, in the foothills of the Montagne de Reims. We were here to visit a champagne grower called ‘Banette’, on the recommendation of a friend who happens to be a friend of the Banette family. 

About the Banette Champagne estate - a ‘champagne grower’

Banette is a great example of one of the 16,000 or so family-owned ‘champagne growers’ in the Champagne region. It is a 4th generation family-owned farming and champagne business, which today is managed by brothers, Thomas and Loïc. The family own and manage a total of 60 hectares, of which approximately 12 hectares are under vine and the rest produce a variety of grains. Their vineyards are located in the top terroirs of Valeurières-Mutry, Louvois, Bouzy and Aÿ and produce Pinot noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Banette champagne

Banette makes their own brand of champagne, producing about 25,000 bottles per year,  for direct sale in France and increasingly across Europe. They hand-pick their grapes, press them and make their wine in their nearby winery, which is also a cooperative winery for other growers, then age the bottles underground in their cellars. 

Banette also sells the juice from their grapes to 3 top champagne houses - Lanson, Laurent Perrier and Veuve Clicquot, who then use it to make their famous brand champagnes. This is a very typical example of a champagne grower- selling their precious juice to the big brands, but also making their own branded champagne.

Banette produces Brut, Demi-sec and Rosé cuvée champagnes. The typical blend is 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot noir grapes, but they also produce a 100% Chardonnay - Blanc de Blancs and a 100% Pinot noir - Blanc de noirs champagne. The wines are typically aged for 6 years in the cellar, longer than the minimum ageing time specified for champagne.

Our visit and tasting at Banette

The first thing that struck us when we arrived at Banette, was the incredibly warm welcome we received by Thomas. He accompanied us on a walk around the winery to see where the grapes are pressed and around the underground cellars, explaining the winemaking processes and the family philosophy behind farming grapes and making champagne.

We then spent a very enjoyable hour tasting the different champagnes - it was just a shame one of us had to drive (and it wasn’t me!). We were really impressed with the champagnes and took some bottles away with us to bring home. We were also blown away by the passion and pride demonstrated by Thomas - about his land, his family tradition and his wines - and justifiably so.

Banette is very happy to welcome visitors - see here for information.

This experience really highlighted to us how the Champagne region is not just about the big champagne houses and brands - to get the most from a wine tour of Champagne, you really need to ‘look behind the label’ to the growers actually farming the vineyards and producing the grapes. Here it’s not about branding and marketing, it's about hard work, and passion for the land and tradition. It also demonstrated to us how buying a ‘champagne grower’ champagne, direct from the producer, represents excellent value for money! 

Lunch at Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa

We left Banette and headed across the stunning Montagne de Reims, through it’s world-famous vineyards to the charming village of Champillon and our lunch destination - the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa. This was another recommendation and wow, were we impressed! The setting of this hotel is simply incredible, looking over the valleys of the Montagne de Reims and Epernay. The hotel is a very modern structure, which to be honest we found a little jarring to the eye, amidst the wonderful vineyards and agricultural land - however the views from the terrace, the interior design and our meal, more than made up for this!

If you get the chance to visit the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa - if not for a luxury stay, perhaps lunch as we did, or just a glass of champagne - then do it!! 

We followed the recommendation of taking the lunch set menu, which we found incredibly good value, for the experience we had. The food, the wine, the setting, was all truly memorable! What a way to complete our 2 days in Champagne!

Useful information for visiting Epernay in Champagne

Epernay lies at the beating heart of ‘Champagne country’ and is an ideal place to stay for a couple of days to really experience this amazing, world-famous wine region. Explore Epernay itself and its famous ‘Avenue de Champagne’, but take time to explore the surrounding villages to get the full ‘Champagne’ experience! 

How to get to Epernay

Epernay is easy to get to by car. It is at the crossroads of two major roads: the RN 51 and the RN 3 - and two motorways - the A4 Paris-Strasbourg and the A26 Calais-Dijon. It is located 6 km from Hautvillers, 28 km from Reims and 140 km from Paris.  

Epernay has a train station, which has good connections with Reims and Paris. The train journey direct to Epernay from Paris takes just 1 hour 40 minutes. You can also take the fast TGV train to Champagne-Ardenne in Bezannes, which is 25km away from Epernay. 

Where to stay in Epernay

There are lots of options for accommodation, both in the town Epernay or in the surrounding countryside. See here for some ideas.

What to do in Epernay

Epernay’s main attraction is of course the famous ‘Avenue de Champagne’, with its magnificent mansions occupied by the celebrated Champagne Houses. Wander down the 1.5km avenue and gaze at the mansions, the courtyards and the gardens. Visit a famous champagne house and explore underneath the famous Avenue, where some 200 million bottles of champagne are stored!

You can explore by foot, but also by bike or by ‘tourist train’! Take time to enjoy a glass of the celebrated champagne, or some local dishes at one of the many champagne bars and restaurants. Learn the story of the Champagne region at the beautiful Champagne Wine & Regional Archeology Museum, which is also located on the prestigious Avenue de Champagne.

Above all, take time to soak up the atmosphere of this very special avenue - here are some ideas about how you can enjoy it to the full!

Visiting Epernay’s surrounding villages

Lying between the champagne towns of Reims and Epernay, nestled in the beautiful Marne Valley and the Montagne de Reims, amongst vineyards, agricultural land and forests, lie some beautiful villages, which deserve to be part of your Champagne region experience!

These champagne villages include Aÿ, where we stayed at Domaine Sacret, Champillon, where we had lunch at the Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa and Tauxière-Mutry, where we visited Banette (see earlier). Also, the aptly-named village of ‘Bouzy’ and beautiful Hautvillers.

Hautvillers and Dom Pérignon 

We spent some time driving around this area and fell in love with the countryside and the charming villages. One that really stands out is Hautvillers and we recommend you visit.

Known as the ‘birthplace of champagne’, it was here in the ancient Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers that the monk Dom Pérignon discovered the champagne wine-making process in the 18th century. Dom Pérignon's tomb rests today in the chancel of the Saint-Sindulphe abbey church. 

You can enjoy amazing views over the Marne Valley whilst exploring Hautvillers and take time to wander its little streets, visit its tourist information centre and do some champagne tasting at the wonderful tasting bar/shop called ‘36’!

Explore the Montagne de Champagne

Try to make time to explore the ‘Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park’, a natural park, with vineyards, rivers, valleys and forests, sprinkled with some 65 rural, wine-making villages. There are some 300 km of marked walking paths as well as cycling routes. For more information see here.

Cycling around Epernay

By bike is one of the best ways to explore the beautiful countryside around Epernay, in the heart of Champagne. See here for information about routes through the villages and vineyards, including the famous ‘Côte des Blancs’ and some tips on bike hire.

Here are some more ideas for days out in Champagne, around Epernay.

For more information about what to see and do in Epernay, contact the Epernay Tourist Office and also the Hautvillers tourist office.

Conclusion and personal highlights

A weekend or a couple of days in the beautiful Champagne region is a must for wine lovers - and it’s within easy reach of Paris or Calais, for those travelling from England. The wines and the food of course are wonderful, but the rural scenery, the tradition and the history of this wine region make it truly special and memorable. We love to visit the large champagne houses, but there is nothing quite like spending time with a champagne grower and people who have farmed the land and tended the vines through the generations. Driving away with some top quality, great value champagne in the boot of the car, was of course a bonus!!

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