Drive from the UK to Reims, taking the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais. You are free to choose your crossing time and we have included Eurotunnel crossings as part of this package. Upon arrival in Reims, check into your preferred room grade at the 4* Hotel de la Paix, located in the heart of the city centre just off the main square. The hotel has its own secure underground car park and we will reserve a space for you. Parking can be paid for directly at check out. After checking in at the hotel, you will be welcomed at a tasting bar owned by a local Champagne House in the city centre. Here, enjoy a fun and insightful introduction to Champagne, with three tastings, served alongside a cheese platter. The remainder of the evening will be free for you to do as you please.

After breakfast on day two, you will be collected by a pre-booked, pre-paid taxi, which will take you the short distance out into the Champagne vineyards. Here you will be welcomed as the guests of a boutique Premier Cru Champagne maker where a unique opportunity awaits you! The Champagne maker himself will escort you around his vineyards, explaining the work he does and the history of his vines. After this, you will tour his cellars and production site, where he will explain the full Champagne-making process, from vine to bottle, which means that you will gain a full and excellent understanding of the practice. Following the extensive tour, you will then have the opportunity to participate in a blending lesson with the winemaker. During the lesson you will have the chance to taste a selection of still base wines (Chardonnay/ Pinot Noir/Meunier); these base wines will have been vinified in either stainless steel vats or wooden barrels and you will taste examples of both, in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the different methods of vinification and its effects on the end product. You are then able to create and bottle your very own perfect Champagne, mixing your own personal blend, tailored to your specific tastes.

Of course, no visit would be complete without a tasting of the Champagne House’s own Champagnes, so having created your own, you will be welcomed to taste the Champagnes produced at the estate by the winemaker. After you leave the estate, the winemaker will age your unique Champagne in his cellars for a minimum of fifteen months. At each stage of the wonderful transformation from still wine to Champagne, he will send you photographs and any news relating to your bottle. Once ready, the Champagne maker will create a personalised label for your bottle with your names on and two to three years following your initial visit, you can either return to the region to collect your creation, or he will arrange for the Champagne to be sent to you in the UK.

You will be taken back to Reims after the activity, and you will have some free time for lunch. In the afternoon, you will have the chance to visit your favourite Champagne Houses in Reims for a tour and tastings. Subject to your dates of travel/availability, options include Taittinger, GH Mumm, Pommery, Ruinart and Veuve Clicquot.

Please note that some of these Houses (particularly Veuve Clicquot and Ruinart) are very popular and offer very few tours, therefore early booking is essential. You will be taken back to your hotel by a pre-booked and pre-paid taxi at the end of the tour. In the evening, a three-course Champagne tasting dinner will be served in a cosy restaurant located ten minutes’ walk from the main square. Each course will be accompanied by a different glass of Champagne.

After a leisurely breakfast, check out of the hotel and drive back to the UK, taking the Eurotunnel from Calais to Folkestone. Before leaving the region, you may wish to take the time to explore Reims, the city of Kings and the gateway to Champagne. Reims is home to no less than three UNESCO world heritage sites including one of the finest gothic cathedrals in northern Europe where 25 Kings of France were crowned. If you would like to make your Grape Escapes holiday even more special, there are a number of additional activities that we can arrange for you. To complement the experience, these could be arranged to fit in around your current itinerary or we can arrange additional nights at your hotel as well as a stop-over on your way home and even a visit to another part of France.