Champagne Wine Tour

Champagne Wine Study Tour with Essi Avellan, MW

Trip Details:

Dates: June 23, 2020 to June 27, 2020

Duration: 4 days, 4 nights.

Guide:Essi Avelan, Master of Wine

This study trip is now SOLD OUT

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 study trips won't be operating. Study trips will resume as soon as the situation allows. Thank you for your loyalty to the Wine Scholar Guild Study Trips, and please stay in good health!

Embark on our 2020 Piedmont Study Tour with on site professional-level instruction!

Embark on our 2020 Champagne Study Tour with professional-level instruction on site coupled with a certificate program!

Champagne Wine Tour and Study Trip Highlights:

Champagne…the name conjures up visions of a prestigious and celebratory drink. It is a sparkling wine of sophistication, yet also one of interesting styles and nuances. Non-vintage, vintage, zero-dosage, brut, blanc de blanc or rosé champagne are a few of the different styles of champagne. The art of blending, a distinctive terroir and a winemaker's vision are only some of the variables that give rise to a wide range of champagne styles.

Travel with us to the Champagne region to unlock the secrets of this world famous bubbly and experience first-hand what makes this region and its sparkling wine so special.

Discover the Champagne region with your instructor, Essi Avellan, world-renowned champagne specialist, wine author and Master of Wine.
Tour the different sub-regions of Champagne to get a complete and in-depth view of the appellation. Visit the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs, the Vallée de la Marne and the Aube vineyards.
Learn directly from the cellar masters of some of the most prestigious champagne houses as you visit and taste with them
Visit and experience the best Champagne tasting with top grower-producers, located in Grand Cru and prestigious champagne producing villages.
Experience tasting base wines of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Meunier and gain a deeper understanding of the importance and art of blending.
Dine in the region's best restaurants, to enjoy special champagnes paired with the local gastronomy.

Travel with a group of wine students who are serious about wine, either as wine professionals or committed wine lovers. Share an educational, epicurean and unforgettable experience while mastering the world of Champagne. Trips are open to people from all countries, and are held in English.

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Essi Avellan MW

Your instructor & Guide: Essi Avellan, MW

Master of Wine specialized in Champagne
Editor of FINE Champagne magazine
Judge at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships
Author of “Essi Avellan’s Champagne” and co-author of “Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wines”

Essi Avellan MW is one of the world's foremost authorities on Champagne. Her knowledge is prodigious, and she is a gifted teacher and talented communicator. She was incredibly warm, enthusiastic, funny, approachable, inspiring, patient, and easy to talk to, and she got us into places most people can only dream of visiting"

Ed Hodson

Essi is awesome, her knowledge of the region is outstanding! She is well recognized amongst Champagne makers, this is what made the trip so special!"

Elena Kravchenko

Essi Avellan, MW is an exceptional expert on the region, the producers and processes, we were in constant awe! She also answered every single question, and treated us with such respect and courtesy. I can't say enough about her and how valuable she was to the program."

Kristen Rolando

Champagne Wine Tour Itinerary *

Tuesday, June 23 | Reims, Montagne de Reims | L, D

Participants arrive independently this morning at the Reims train station.
Meet instructor Essi Avellan, MW, and visit a top house like Ruinart or Charles Heidsieck. Visit their extensive cellars, housed in Gallo-Roman chalk quarries (“crayères”), followed by an extensive tasting.
Enjoy a lovely gourmet lunch at Le Jardin des Crayères.
Visit another prestigious house this afternoon like Krug, Roederer or Dom Pérignon.
At the Club des Trésors, you’ll have an exclusive tasting of “Special Club” cuvées created by some of the top récoltant-manipulants of the region.
Check in to your hotel, 4-star Mercure Reims Centre Cathédrale.
Welcome dinner at elegant Au Petit Comptoir, paired with great Champagnes.

Wednesday, June 24 | Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne | B, L

Begin the day at one of the top récoltant-manipulant producers like Paillard or Penet.
Visit and tasting at a great house of the Montagne de Reims like Bollinger or Phillipponnat.
Gourmet lunch at Les Grains d’Argent restaurant.
Travel to the Marne Valley and enjoy a visit and tasting at a top producer like Tarlant or Belin.
Return to Reims for dinner on your own with our suggestions for great restaurants.

Thursday, June 25 | L’Aube-Côte des Bars | B, L,

Visit Champagne Drappier, a family estate whose vineyards and cellars date back to the 12th century, and enjoy an extensive tasting of their great champagnes.
Gourmet lunch at a fine nearby restaurant.
Move on to another great Aube estate like Jacques Lassaigne or Devaux.
Explore Reims and its great restaurants this evening.

Friday, June 26 | Epernay or Reims, Côte des Blancs | B, L, D

Start the day at one of the finest venerable houses like Moët et Chandon or Piper Heidsieck.
Move on to the beautiful Côte des Blancs and enjoy lunch at gastro-bistrot Les Avizés.
Visit two great producers like Vilmart, Larmandier-Bernier or Pierre Péters.
Return to Reims for your farewell dinner at the elegant Michelin 1-star restaurant Le Foch, with very special wines and champagnes.

Saturday, June 27 | B

Your study trip ends after breakfast today. We highly recommend that you visit the spectacular Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France held their coronations.

Legend for meals included in your tour: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

* Itinerary subject to change: every effort will be made to keep the itinerary as close as possible to what appears here; however, the final itinerary and estates/winemakers included may vary due to wine producer schedules, availability and factors beyond our control. The wine estates visited during this trip will all be of the highest quality.

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Your 4 Day, 4 Night Champagne Immersion Study Tour includes:

Instruction throughout by Essi Avellan, Master of Wine, Champagne expert and acclaimed wine author and educator
Services of a Tour Manager throughout, to provide customer service and logistics support
The complete Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master Level online course, including the written manual, online webinars and online exam
Deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach transportation throughout, with bottled water on-board
4 nights at 4-star Mercure Reims Centre Cathédrale, double occupancy
2 gastronomic dinners with top-quality wines, with one at a Michelin 1-star restaurant
4 gourmet lunches with top-quality wines
4 buffet breakfasts
All professional-level tours and extensive tastings at top-quality wine producers
All hotel and other taxes, and gratuities for included restaurants

Pricing:

Price per person, double occupancy: US$ 4,350.00
Enrolled Student Price per person, double occupancy: US $ 4,095.00

(Enrolled Student Price is for registrants already fully or partially enrolled in the Champagne Master-Level program**)

Single Supplement: US$ 395.00

Deposit upon reservation: US$ 1000.00 per person, per trip

Get US$ 150 off each additional trip you take!***

NOTE: There are a limited number of twin rooms available (2 single beds). Please let us know if you’d like to share a twin room with another participant to avoid the single supplement and pay the double occupancy price instead.

**The Enrolled Study Price applies to those currently studying in the Champagne Master-Level program or who have completed it. Full registration in the Champagne Master-Level program means students who have previously ordered the Champagne Master-Level study manual, exam registration and online study program.

***After you have reserved your first study trip in 2020 you will receive a discount of US $150 for each additional study trip you take in the same calendar year. This discount will be deducted from the final balance payment for each additional study trip. You must pay for the first study trip in full to be eligible to receive the discount for additional study trips.

Space is limited to 18 participants, so reserve your space today!

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