Avenue de Champagne, Épernay
A last minute trip to Paris, gave me the opportunity to visit a part of France I had never been to before and to check one more item off of my bucket list…the Champagne region. I wanted to visit several of the oldest champagne houses in Reims and Épernay, France, such as Moët & Chandon, Taittinger, and Ruinart.
However to taste the delicious bubbly from the larger houses, you usually have to book weeks to months in advance. In addition, renting a car to make your way around the region or booking a tour through companies like Viator.com give you the best opportunity to see visit as many houses as possible. I did not have time for either during this trip, and considering I usually plan my trips months to a year in advance, I was tempted to put off going to the region until I could do it the way I wanted to. Instead, I booked a last minute trip to Épernay, also know as Faubourg de la Folie (“crazy suburb”), which is only a little more than an hour train ride outside of Paris. I chose Épernay because the Avenue de Champagne provides an array of champagne houses, large and small, where you can taste without a reservation.
When you first arrive at the Avenue, it does not look like much more than a quiet street, but it is really charming. Of note, several of the champagne houses are open seasonally and many are closed between 1130-1400. Not to worry though, you can arrive in Épernay at 1000, do several tastings, eat lunch, and head back to Paris by late afternoon.
My two favorite houses were Collard-Picard and Paul Etienne Saint Germaine. Both houses are small and quant and can only fit a hand full of people at a time. Lucky for me, I was there slightly off seasons and did not have to fight the normal crowds. Both houses offer two different tastings of three types of champagne, to include a Rosé that turned out to be my favorite tastings of the day of the day. I bought a bottle at both spots to enjoy this summer!!
