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Grands Ducs
3 days / 2 nights
from Paris or Reims
2-14 person(s)
Menu
Reims, Epernay and Hautvillers: these cities occupy an inescapable position in champagne mythology.
Reims, the city of sacrament of kings, is home to the most important houses.
Epernay is the capital of champagne.
Finally, Hautvillers is the birthplace of champagne, the city of the Dom Perignon monk, the first who, according to legend, imported the technique for making sparkling wine from Limoux, the champagne method, during the 17thcentury.
A magical triangle for any enthusiast!
Details
Departure & Return Location
Paris or Reims
Departure Time
10:00 AM
Pricing Includes
- Accomodation
- Visits fees
- Transportation in luxury car
- SPA Entrance
Pricing doesn't include
- Restaurants beverages & à-la-carte menu
- Driver, waiters, guides tipping
- Any private expenses
- Room service expenses and tipping
Private experiences
What to Expect
During this three-day trip, you will plunge into the history and culture of champagne. “Grands Ducs de France” is a bucolic journey.
You will be able to visit and taste the greatest grands crus, like those of Maison Veuve Clicquot.
All of these visits will be conducted by chauffeured luxury car.
Each gourmet stop will take place in the region’s best restaurants, and the nights will be spent at the Royal Champagne hotel – a haven of tranquillity – nestled in the Champagne hillsides.
Tours and tastings at Epernay’s avenue de Champagne
2 Michelin-starred restaurants
A tour by helicopter
A tour of the town of Hautvillers
Champagne workshop
2 nights at a 5-star hotel
- Wineries visits : Champagne Dom Pérignon, Champagne Moët & Chandon, Champagne Ruinart
- Restaurants : L'Assiette Champenoise, Le Bellevue, Le Belvédere
- Hotels : Les Crayères
Roadmap
Day 1 : Reims
You will be leaving at 10 o’clock on the first day for a private visit of the Veuve Clicquot estate.
This house, created in 1772, was led, as of 1805, by the young, 27-year old widow Barbe Clicquot Ponsardin, one of the first businesswomen of the modern era, who gave the house her name.
You will then experience the inimitable taste of this exceptional champagne.
You will eat lunch at the hotel des Crayères, a superb dwelling decorated in pure, classical French style. The two-star chef, Philippe Mille, has much delicious produce to offer – including the coated foie gras, that you can order with duck, but also fish, or wild feathered game pâté en crôute…
In the afternoon you will go to house Ruinart, whose cuvées distinguish themselves through their elegance and subtlety.
You will then sample this intense, prestigious champagne at the old chalk quarries.
Then, a tour and champagne tasting at Vranken-Pommery. In the Elizabethan-style château erected by Madame Pommery in 1868 to be a mirror image of the extravagance and modernity of Maison Pommery, you will share a joyous moment – as light as a champagne bubble!
You will dine at the luxurious hotel restaurant, where, thanks to chef Jean-Denis Rieubland, you will have stars in your eyes – and on your plate: caviar, crab, langoustines, turbot, or calf sweetbread, to finish on a delicate and sweet note.
Day 2 - Epernay
The second day will begin… in the air!
You’ll be contemplating the region’s magnificent vineyard valley from aboard a helicopter for the entire morning. More than a visual voyage – you will be flying over centuries of wine-growing history. You will be swept away by your imagination.
You will eat lunch at a château hidden amongst the vines – inventive and generous cooking, reflecting French specialties and terroir, with an extremely advanced selection of wines and champagnes.
The afternoon will be devoted to the prestigious houses of l’avenue de Champagne, the “richest (avenue) in the world”. Named “Faubourg de la Folie” under Louis XV, it became the seat of the greatest champagne houses in the world, and was recognised, in 1994, as a “Site Remarquable du Goût”, raising it to national heritage status.
The story begins at n°20, with Moët&Chandon, the largest champagne house. You’ll discover the statue of Dom Perignon in the courtyard of honour, the Benedictine monk considered to be the spiritual father of champagne. The famous Dom Perignon “cuvée prestige” was created by Moët&Chandon.
It is an unmissable, epicurean stop – your taste-buds will be aquiver.
Two more unforgettable visits will follow.
After this rich day of discoveries, dinner will be served at a Michelin-starred restaurant where you will be offered a vast array of delicate dishes. Fish (lobster, turbot, wild bass…) or meat (saddle of lamb, suckling veal chop, pigeon, beef tenderloin, hare à la Royale…)
A flurry of fine meals, designed with the gourmet in mind.
Day 3 - Hautvillers
The third day will open with a guided tour of the town of Hautvillers, the birthplace of champagne.
It offers a unique panoramic view of the Marne valley and the surrounding vineyards.
You will visit Saint Pierre d’Hautvillers, the Benedictine abbey, constructed in the Middle Ages under the orders of Archbishop Saint Nivard.
It is in this church that the famous monk, Dom Perignon, is buried.
Then you will be able to enjoy a private tour of the Dom Perignon estate, or continue to wander through this mythical town.
Lunch will be served in a local traditional restaurant.
In the afternoon, you will enter into the heart of a sparkling universe, creating your own champagne with a team of oenologists.
End of the trip and return to Reims at 6pm.
Accommodations
Nights 1 & 2
Hôtel Le Royal Champagne
You’ll be spending 2 nights at the Royal Champagne-Ardenne, a superb and spacious 5-star hotel overlooking the Marne valley and its ocean of vineyards. The view is breath-taking, and is part of UNESCO world heritage, under French cultural landscape.This old post house, which served as a stop for the Kings of France on the way to their coronation in Reims, was also visited by Napoleon.Perhaps it is of this glorious past that you will be dreaming of from within its rooms and suites, with their delicate and refined pastel floral motifs.
Options
- option 1 - option 2 - option 3
Good to know
Temperature in cellars can go down up to 50 °F (10 °C), don't forget to take your coat!
Grands Ducs
Grands Ducs
3 days / 2 nights
2-14 pers.
From
3 800,00 € per person
OR
Highlights
Tours and tastings at Epernay’s avenue de Champagne
2 Michelin-starred restaurants
A tour by helicopter
A tour of the town of Hautvillers
Champagne workshop
2 nights at a 5-star hotel
Price Includes
Accomodation, Visits fees, Transportation in luxury car, SPA Entrance
Price doesn't include
Restaurants beverages & à-la-carte menu, Driver, waiters, guides tipping, Any private expenses, Room service expenses and tipping
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