Champagne Cycling Holiday

The story around the wines of Champagne is much more interesting than you think.

Everybody's heard of Champagne.

Of course we're going to be exploring the wines of Champagne on our tour - we'll learn about the origins of Champagne, what Dom Perignon did do, and what he definitely didn't do. We'll separate the myths from the facts, and we'll discover what grapes they're allowed to use, and where they grow. Our teachers will be the winemakers in our schedule of vineyard vineyards over the course of the week.

But what about the region, and the cycling?

The appellation is the largest in France, and the grapes are spread across 3 ranges of hills, the Massif de Saint Thierry, the Montagne de Reims, and the Cotes des Blancs. Some of these sound a bit grander, a bit higher, a bit tougher than they really are. Fear not, there's nothing too scary here, but grapes do best on gentle slopes that face to the south and East, so there are definitely hills. Our job is to get close enough to get in among the vineyards, without having to slog up too many hills!

We'll also explore Reims, not just the capital of Champagne but also the city where all of France's Kings and Queens (and one emperor) were crowned. We'll visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the spectacular Cathedral of Our Lady of Reims and the Basilica of St Remy, where the first King of France, Clovis I, was converted to Christianity. This is also where the Second World War ended. Absolutely true.

The cycling's good, too. The vineyards look particularly beautiful among the rolling hills of the Montagne de Reims and the Cotes des Blancs. And we'll cycle along the Marne Valley, with the vineyards of the Rive Gauche and Rive droite on either side of us.