Champagne Tour with A l’Allure Champenoise

France certainly isn’t an inexpensive place to visit, and nothing hammers this home quite like shopping for a Champagne tour. Y’all, they are NOT cheap. Even in the off season, when we planned to visit, the providers that still had tours running were quoting at €200 per person, and up. In a fit of desperation, I moved from searching on TripAdvisor to looking at the Reims tourism website which, in all honesty, is probably where I should’ve started.

I stumbled upon A l’Allure Champenoise, a company that promised intimate driving tours of the countryside, personal experiences at a family-owned domaine (winery) on the Montagne de Champagne, and knowledgeable guides proficient in English and (of course) French. Their prices were extremely reasonable, and the number of tour options (tracks) they offered intrigued me, so I inquired at the email address provided. Within only a few minutes of emailing, Sandrine got back to me, and we easily negotiated a day and time when we could enjoy a No 5 tour.

It was the best decision we could’ve made.

A l’Allure Champenoise’s No 5 circuit

Luke enjoying the scenery from the Citroen 2CV

Windmill remnants outside of Reims

Posing with our Citroen 2CV!

We arrived at the rear of the Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral at 9:30am to find a red and beige vintage Citroen parked alone on the curb. Our guide and driver were peeking into shop windows nearby, and came to join us for introductions near the car. Then, we all piled in to the tiny Citroen 2CV, and off we went.

First, we rode by the main sights in town – the Cathedral, the Palais du Tau/Palace of Tau, Carnegie Library, the Basilica, and the canal – and then headed out of town to the montagne, where the most of the grapes from the Champagne region, especially Pinot Noir grapes, are grown. Even if you visit in winter, when all the vines are bare and hibernating, know that the views are still magnificent! That said, we’d love to get out and about in this area during the summer, as well. We can only imagine it’s even more stunning.

Now this is how everyone should tour Reims

This is really one of the coolest excursions we have EVER done.

A l’Allure Champenoise’s Citroen 2CV with Notre Dame cathedral

We drove up the Montagne and stopped at the top, where we got out to learn even more about the vines and the process of winemaking, particularly as it pertains to champagne. The day before, we had visited Taittenger’s winery in Reims, so we already had a basic understanding of the process, but there’s nothing to compare with actually being out in a field of vines, learning from someone who has grown up in and loves the region.

After our stop in the fields, our guides took us to Champagne Daniel Dumont, a family-owned winery in Epernay.

There, Jean-Michel, the son of the domaine’s founder, showed us their process and their cellars. We learned that members of the Dumont family have been making champagne, in one way or another, since 1950, and Jean-Michel’s father began the winery in 1970. He showed us their press, and explained how the grapes must be pressed very slowly, in order to make sure contaminants from the seeds and skin don’t find their way into the resulting juice and provide bitterness or an indesirable color.

Aging champagne in the Domaine Dumont cellar

Action shot! Tour of Domaine Dumont cellar

Champagne country vineyard views

Then, the wine is settled in steel vats so any additional sediment can sink to the bottom and be removed. After which, it’s moved to more permanent vats and has sugar and yeast added to it for its first fermentation. It stays here for months, until the winemaker can test it and decide on the blend of whatever vintage or mix of vintages he’ll want to create for that year. Finally, it’s bottled, another round of sugar and yeast are added, and it’s sent to age in the cellars.

He showed us down to the cellars, which had been built in the early 1800s and acquired by Jean-Michel’s father in the mid-1900s. If you’re claustrophobic, as Jean-Michel made clear to us, this part might be tough. It’s a tiny, steep, spiral staircase that descents several meters into the ground. All true champagne caves are dug into chalk, as this material helps regulate temperature and humidity for the aging wine. The Dumont cellars, which house some 300,000 or more bottles of wine at any time, are dug into chalk, and the soft rock is reinforced with brick, all the way through. Though, there is a chapel of exposed chalk, into which is carved a likeness of Dom Perignon, who isn’t just a brand, but the monk who made champagne possible.

Boyfriend Perspective: I always love going to the smaller establishments, whether beer, wine, or liquor. There is a personality you don’t get with the larger ones, and to meet the owner and see the passion he has makes it special.

Our champagne tasting at Maison Dumont

Look at that delicious champagne, just waiting to be enjoyed!

Domaine Dumont’s tasting room

Finally, Jean-Michel led us back up the spiral staircase to ground level, and showed us to the tasting room. While we had experienced a tasting at Taittinger, and indeed at many wineries in Virginia, we had never had the priceless experience of being introduced to a wine by the person who essentially creates it.

Boyfriend Perspective: It was really interesting to talk with Jean-Michel about how his family started the champagne business and growing up in it. One of the coolest things was when we said Virginia was well-known in the States for wine, and he paused for a second, then said, “Perhaps that’s why their import taxes are higher.” He went behind the register and pulled out a stack of forms to show us what it looks like financially for French winemakers to export their goods to the US. Talk about knowing the business!

Jean-Michel was a perfect guide through the tasting process, letting us know what notes and flavors to expect in each of the four varieties we tried. He introduced us to Dumont’s Brut Rose, Grand Reserve brut (no vintage), blanc de blanc (Chardonnay-only), and Cuvee Excellence Millésime Premier Cru. Each was fascinatingly different, and we immensely enjoyed talking with him about his family history in the wine business and the differences between the sparkling wines can find in the US and those we found in Reims – all while sitting just under a photo of his entire family, toasting champagne over one of their barrels.

Boyfriend Perspective: While I am still learning about my champagne preferences, all of Dumont’s varieties were delicious and it’s on our list to watch out for in stores back in Virginia.

Back to Notre Dame de Reims

Us with our amazing guides from A L’Allure Champenoise

After an hour with Jean-Michel, our guides from A l’Allure Champenoise returned to pick us up. We said a whirlwind goodbye to Jean-Michel – and thanked him for all his time and attention – and hopped back into the Citroen. I’ve kicked myself more than once for not asking for photo!!

As we drove back to town, we saw the remains of one of what used to be Reims’s windmills – which no longer stand – and we were shown the Vranken-Pommery winery and house, as well as the Veuve Clicquot winery. Both sit in Reims, not far from Taittenger, and both have histories that include significant contributions to the creation of what we know as champagne today.

Finally, we circled back to the cathedral, and hopped out of the Citroen for the final time. I DID ask for a picture this time, and to memorialize the day, and we went our separate ways.

Boyfriend Perspective: This tour was amazing, it didn’t feel like a tour, felt more like a couple of friend were showing you around their home town. It was so casual and such a big difference from other tours that it is a must to do.

Tips and takeaways

Window views! So many tiny, winding streets with lovely buildings

• A l’Allure Champenoise asks that you pay by cash on the day of the tour, so be sure that you withdraw funds before you meet up with your guides.
• If you’re very tall, the Citroen 2CV might be a challenge for your knees, so be warned. For us, though, it was wonderfully cozy.
• Consider making this one of your final activities in Reims. Though the first part of the tour, where your guides drive you around the most significant points in the city, would be helpful at the beginning of your trip, there’s also a lot of benefit in leaving Reims on such an incredible high note.

Have you ever taken a champagne country tour like this? If so, what was your experience like? Share your story in the comments below!

Orrrr, if you’d like to come back to this, pin it for later! 🙂