Champagne Tasting Guide: From Moët & Chandon to Ruinart

Champagne is a place, a craft, and a story told through bubbles. If you love wine, travel, or simply want to understand what makes this region special, tasting champagne where it’s made is one of the most rewarding experiences in France. Two of the most iconic houses: Moët & Chandon and Ruinart, offer very different ways to explore the world of sparkling wine. This guide will help you plan, taste, and appreciate both as well as discover hidden gems in the Champagne region of France.

Understanding Champagne: Region, Grapes, and Winemaking

All true champagne comes from the Champagne region in northeastern France. The region is divided into key areas: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, and Côte des Bar. Each has distinct soil, climate, and grape varieties. The main grapes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.

The winemaking process, known as the méthode champenoise, begins with a base wine that undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, trapping carbon dioxide and creating Champagne’s signature bubbles. The bottles rest on their lees (dead yeast cells) for months or even years, a stage that imparts depth and complexity. Once aging is complete, the sediment is removed, a dosage, a mixture of wine and sugar, is added, and the bottle is corked.

An understanding of these fundamentals lends greater meaning to any tasting. It reveals why a Blanc de Blancs (made entirely from Chardonnay) differs in character from a Blanc de Noirs (made solely from Pinot Noir or Meunier), how extended time on the lees transforms texture, and how such nuances invite deeper comparisons between the Champagnes of Moët & Chandon and Ruinart.

Planning Your Champagne Tasting Trip

The Champagne region is about 90 minutes east of Paris by train. The two main cities are Reims and Épernay. Most visitors use one as a base. Reims has more dining and cultural attractions. Épernay is smaller but home to the Avenue de Champagne, lined with famous houses.

You can visit Moët & Chandon in Épernay and Ruinart in Reims on the same day if you plan carefully, but most travelers prefer to split them over two days. Book tours well in advance, especially during harvest (September–October) and summer weekends. English-language tours fill quickly.

Moët & Chandon Champagne Tour: Why Visit

Founded in 1743, Moët & Chandon is one of the most recognized names in champagne. It produces over 30 million bottles a year, making it the region’s largest house. Moët’s flagship wine, Dom Pérignon, is one of the most famous prestige cuvées in the world. Visiting Moët offers a look at the scale and precision of large-scale champagne production. Despite its size, the house is deeply rooted in heritage and meticulous detail.

Location and Cellars

The Moët & Chandon estate sits at the heart of Épernay, right on the Avenue de Champagne. Behind its grand 18th-century façade lies a vast network of 28 kilometers of chalk cellars carved into the hillside beneath the town. These cellars maintain a steady temperature and humidity, perfect for aging champagne.

What to Expect on the Moët Tour

Tours start with a brief history of the house and its role in shaping champagne culture. You’ll learn about founder Claude Moët and how his grandson Jean-Rémy Moët turned the brand into an international icon. Napoleon Bonaparte was a frequent guest here.

Next comes a guided walk through the underground cellars. The sheer size is impressive, walls of bottles stretching into the darkness. Guides explain each stage of the process: blending, secondary fermentation, riddling, disgorgement, and dosage. Even if you know the basics, seeing it all in situ deepens your understanding.

At the end of the tour, you’ll taste one or more champagnes, depending on the package you book. Standard tours include Moët Impérial Brut, the house’s classic blend of all three grape varieties. Premium options include vintage champagnes and Dom Pérignon.

Tasting Tips for Moët

• Notice the structure. Moët champagnes often have a bright, fruit-forward style with crisp acidity.
• Compare non-vintage and vintage. Non-vintage blends aim for consistency year after year. Vintage champagnes reflect a single harvest’s character.
• Ask about dosage levels. It helps you understand why one wine feels drier or richer than another.

Booking and Practical Info

• Tour length: 45 to 90 minutes
• Cost: €35-€75, depending on tasting options
• Languages: English, French, others by request
• Tip: Combine the visit with a walk along Avenue de Champagne, stopping at smaller producers for contrast.

Ruinart Champagne Tour: Why Visit

Ruinart, founded in 1729, is the oldest established champagne house. It is smaller and more artisanal than Moët, focusing on Chardonnay-driven wines known for elegance and finesse. A visit to Ruinart feels more intimate, emphasizing top winemaking skills and heritage over scale.

Location and Crayères

Ruinart is located on the southern edge of Reims. The highlight of any visit is the descent into its crayères, ancient chalk quarries that date back to Roman times. These UNESCO-listed cellars, some 38 meters underground, provide a naturally cool, stable environment for aging champagne.

What to Expect on the Ruinart Tour

The Ruinart experience is engaging and atmospheric. Tours begin with the house’s history, from its founding by Nicolas Ruinart to its present-day focus on Chardonnay. Guides explain the nuances of the grape and how it shapes Ruinart’s signature style.

You’ll then explore the crayères. The silence and soft light make this part of the visit memorable. Walls carved by hand centuries ago now cradle rows of aging bottles. The guide explains how chalk influences humidity and temperature, key to the maturation process.

The tasting is the highlight. You might sample Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, a benchmark 100% Chardonnay champagne, alongside Ruinart Rosé or a vintage bottling. The wines are refined, mineral, and texturally complex, quite different from Moët’s style.

Tasting Tips for Ruinart

• Focus on texture. Chardonnay brings freshness, precision, and a fine mousse.
• Compare rosé styles. Ruinart’s rosé is known for subtlety and structure rather than fruit intensity.
• Ask about aging times. Longer lees aging often means more complexity and creaminess.

Booking and Practical Info

• Tour length: 90 minutes to 2 hours
• Cost: €75-€120, depending on tasting level
• Languages: English, French
• Tip: Pair your visit with a walk around Reims Cathedral or lunch at a local brasserie.

Comparing Moët & Chandon vs. Ruinart

Visiting Moët & Chandon and Ruinart side by side is like tasting two distinct chapters of Champagne’s story. Moët, founded in 1743 in Épernay, dazzles with scale and spectacle; vast chalk tunnels stretching for 28 kilometers beneath the town, grand halls steeped in imperial history, and bold, fruit-driven wines that range from the classic Impérial to the legendary Dom Pérignon. It’s a house built for first impressions and lasting memories. Moët represents the grandeur and global reach of the region.

Ruinart, born earlier in 1729 in Reims, offers a quieter, more contemplative experience. Its tours lead you deep into ancient Roman-era crayères, where time and chalk shape elegant, Chardonnay-focused wines defined by finesse and precision. The atmosphere here is intimate, the tasting focused, the storytelling deeply rooted in craft. Together, these two maisons reveal the full spectrum of Champagne’s character, one showcasing grandeur and global reach, the other depth and artisanal soul.

Beyond the Iconic Houses

While Moët and Ruinart are essential stops, consider adding smaller grower-producers to your itinerary. These family-run estates often offer private tours and tastings at lower prices. You’ll learn how individual vineyard plots and single vintages influence the final wine. Producers like Pierre Gimonnet, Egly-Ouriet, and Bérêche & Fils are worth seeking out.

Taste Champagne with Winera

Champagne Cuillier - Champagne and Food Pairing (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Champagne Cuillier Estate

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Discover La Cave à Manger, the elegant dining cellar of the Cuillier-De Sloovere Champagne House, where tradition meets modernity. Savor a seasonal menu featuring fresh, local, and homemade ingredients, a starter, main course, and dessert, each thoughtfully paired with the house’s distinctive champagnes.

Founded by two families united by a passion for winemaking and respect for biodiversity, Champagne Cuillier creates its cuvées with a balance of ancestral techniques and modern innovation. This unique gastronomic experience celebrates that heritage, offering a refined journey through taste, terroir, and tradition.

Highlights:

• Champagne and food pairing experience at La Cave à Manger
• Seasonal three-course menu with fresh, local ingredients
• Guided tasting featuring 2 sparkling wines
• Insight into the estate’s winemaking philosophy and practices

Price: Adults: €45 | Children: €35

Domaine Julien Chopin - Enological Lunch (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Domaine Julien Chopin

Duration: 2 hours

Discover the art of food and wine harmony with an enological lunch at Domaine Julien Chopin. Set in a charming, traditional setting, this experience pairs a thoughtfully crafted four-course menu with a guided tasting of three distinguished Champagnes and one Ratafia Champenois from the estate. Each course is carefully designed to enhance and complement the wines, creating a refined gastronomic journey through the region’s flavors and heritage.

Founded on a deep respect for tradition and terroir, Domaine Julien Chopin showcases the versatility and character of Champagne and Ratafia Champenois through this curated tasting experience, an invitation to explore the region’s craftsmanship and culinary creativity.

Highlights:

• Enological lunch featuring a four-course seasonal menu
• Guided tasting of 3 Champagnes and 1 Ratafia Champenois
• Expert pairing of food and wines to enhance flavor and balance
• Highly engaging exploration of Champagne’s winemaking heritage

Price: Adults: €68

Champagne Michel Fagot - Collector's Visit (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Champagne Michel Fagot, Rilly-la-Montagne

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

The Collector’s Visit at Champagne Michel Fagot offers an exceptional introduction to fine Champagne in the heart of the Montagne de Reims. Begin with a warm welcome and a guided tour of the estate, where the Fagot family’s passion and skills come to life.

The visit culminates in a guided tasting of three distinctive champagnes, each selected from the estate’s Signature, Prestige, and Collection ranges. This refined experience is ideal for enthusiasts and curious visitors alike, combining education, heritage, and indulgence in every glass.

 Highlights:

• Guided tour of the Champagne Michel Fagot estate in Rilly-la-Montagne
• Guided tasting of 3 champagnes from the Signature, Prestige, and Collection ranges
• Insight into the estate’s winemaking philosophy and heritage
• Authentic experience at a distinguished family-run Champagne house

Price: Adults: €39

Pol Couronne - The Art of Sabering (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Pol Couronne, Reims city center

Duration: 1 hour

Experience the thrill and tradition of sabering, the ceremonial art of opening a Champagne bottle with a sword. Dating back to Napoleon’s cavalry, the technique involves sliding a saber along the bottle’s seam to cleanly break the top, propelled by the pressure inside.

Champagne Pol Couronne offers this spectacular tradition in the boutique or, weather permitting, outside with the Notre-Dame Cathedral as a stunning backdrop. The experience concludes with tasting the freshly opened bottle of Champagne.

Highlights:

• Learn the ceremonial art of sabering Champagne
• Guided tasting of 1 sparkling wine
• Enjoy the boutique’s historic setting or an outdoor view of Notre-Dame Cathedral

Price: Adults: €52

Champagne Louis Brochet - Behind the Bubbles (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Champagne Louis Brochet Estate

Duration: 2 hours

Explore the heritage and artistry of Champagne Louis Brochet, a family-owned estate with four generations of winemaking tradition. The guided tour covers the entire production process, including the traditional press, vat room, aging cellar, disgorging, and labeling areas, offering a close look at the skills behind each bottle.

The experience concludes with a tasting of three distinctive Champagne cuvées from the Héritage, Signature, and Éphémère collections, paired with panoramic views over the surrounding vineyards.

Highlights:

• Guided tour of a family-run Champagne estate
• Explore the production process: press, vat room, aging cellar, disgorging, and labeling
• Tasting of 3 Champagne cuvées from Héritage, Signature, and Éphémère collections
• Panoramic vineyard views during the tasting

Price: Adults: €32

Champagne Rédempteur - Champagne Heritage and Tradition (Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Champagne Rédempteur Estate

Duration: 1 hour

Discover the heritage and winemaking traditions of Champagne Rédempteur. Meet Claudy, Cédric, and Vincent, descendants of Edmond Dubois, “The Redeemer of Champagne,” and learn about their family’s history and legacy.

The guided tour covers the estate’s facilities, including a mini-museum, grafting area, press, vat room, and oak barrels, one of which is exquisitely carved. Traditional techniques such as hand riddling on wooden racks highlight the family’s dedication to historical methods and sustainable practices. The experience concludes with a tasting of two selected wines in a charming reception room overlooking the vineyard and Marne Valley.

Highlights:

• Meet the Rédempteur family and learn about their legacy
• Guided tour of the winery, mini-museum, grafting area, press, vat room, and oak barrels
• Experience traditional winemaking techniques, including hand riddling
• Tasting of 2 sparkling wines with panoramic vineyard views

Price: Adults: €20 | Children: €10

Château Comtesse Lafond - Sabrage & Tasting in the Cave & at the Château

(Champagne, France)

Where: Champagne, France - Château Comtesse Lafond

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Experience the thrill of sabrage and the elegance of Champagne tasting at Château Comtesse Lafond. Under the guidance of a House ambassador, learn the ancient art of sabrage, a tradition dating back to Napoleon’s era, and saber your own Champagne vintage.

The tasting journey begins in the Cave Comtesse with the refined Champagne Comtesse Lafond Extra-Brut, followed by a tasting of the Blanc de Blancs in the majestic Château Comtesse Lafond in front of the Comtesse’s portrait, connecting guests to the estate’s heritage. The experience concludes in the Caveau du Château with the Vintage 2014, showcasing the estate’s commitment to excellence. The journey can be complemented with a selection of exquisite still wines from other regions.

Highlights:

• Sabrage experience under the guidance of a House ambassador
• Tasting of 3 Champagnes: Extra-Brut, Blanc de Blancs, and Vintage 2014
• Explore Cave Comtesse, Château Comtesse Lafond, and Caveau du Château
• Optional tasting of still wines from other regions

Price: Adults: €65

Making the Most of Your Champagne Tasting

• Book ahead. Especially for Ruinart, spots can sell out weeks in advance.
• Time your visits. Morning tours are quieter; late afternoon tastings pair well with a leisurely dinner.
• Take notes. Record impressions of aroma, taste, and texture. They’ll help you choose bottles to buy.
• Don’t rush. Allow time between tours to reset your palate and absorb what you’ve learned.
• Consider a driver or tour service. Champagne tastings involve alcohol, and rural roads can be tricky.

Bringing Champagne Home

Most houses ship internationally, but if you prefer to carry bottles, check airline luggage allowances. Vintage champagnes and cuvées sold only at the estate make the best souvenirs. Store them upright and away from light during travel.

Final Thoughts: Planning the Perfect Champagne Tasting

A Champagne tasting trip is far more than a day of sipping sparkling wine, it’s a journey into history, geology, winemaking techniques, and regional culture. At Moët & Chandon, visitors witness the power and prestige of Champagne, exploring monumental cellars and tasting globally celebrated cuvées. Ruinart offers a contrasting experience of quiet elegance, guiding guests through ancient crayères and revealing wines defined by finesse, purity, and subtlety.

Thanks to Winera, planning and booking these experiences has never been easier. The platform allows wine lovers to discover, compare, and reserve visits to Champagne houses or wine tours in just a few clicks. From prestigious estates to intimate family-run wineries, Winera ensures that every visitor can access authentic experiences, creating great memories with convenience and confidence.