Day 2
Tuck into breakfast in the dining room of your hotel this morning, before meeting with your Champagne wine guide. Today you’ll embark on a Champagne tour of the beautiful Montagne de Reims. You’ll travel down the scenic Route du Champagne, meander among the vineyards and picturesque villages, and gaze unto the charming bucolic landscape. The tour begins with a walk in the vineyards with a glass of champagne alongside your guide, followed by a visit to Champagne Ayala, one of the most exciting stories in Champagne today. The sister house to Bollinger, Ayala is one of the original twenty-six Grandes Marques. Ayala produces fine and elegant champagnes, epitomised by the elegant Brut Majeure NV. Enjoy a wonderful private tour and tasting of the full range of Champagne Ayala: three non-vintage and two vintage champagnes.
Next up, you’ll visit a distinguished family producer and enjoy a highly personal tour of the Champagne house with the owners of the estate (Ployez-Jacquemart, one of the best-kept secrets in the realm of world-class bubbly). Enjoy an exclusive private tour and vintage tasting at this small, quality-driven Champagne house that only works with grapes grown in Grand Cru & Premier Cru villages. It’s also one of the last of a dozen Champagne houses still running extra ageing of its bottles on point (upside down).
Following the tour, enjoy a tasting of three champagnes (followed by a fourth served with lunch). Unwind with a Champenoise buffet lunch paired with one of the estate’s speciality champagnes which are partially aged into oak barrels. Late afternoon transfer back to the hotel to relax and enjoy the city of Reims.
SmoothRed will include a list of recommended restaurants to enjoy tonight (dinner not included).