When I was in Reims, one of the things that I wanted to prioritise (other than visiting a vineyard) was visiting some of the champagne houses for a tour. After doing a lot of research, the Ruinart tour – though one of the more expensive ones- seemed to be the best. And it absolutely was.
One the tour you visit the Maison Ruinart historical cellars, ancient white chalk quarries listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the end of the 18th century that the Ruinart family, as a pioneer, had the intuition that the white chalk quarries were capable of offering optimal conditions for wine ageing.
Dug into the subsoil of the Champagne region, at a depth of nearly 40 meters, the chalk quarries of Maison Ruinart, about twenty, extend over two levels and 8 kilometers. These chalk cathedrals, which are still active, are the only ones in the city of Reims to be both listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and classified as a historic site.
Maison Ruinart says “To explore the chalk cellars, also called crayères, is to discover the Maison history and meet its ancestral know-how. A unique immersion into the beating heart of the Champagne region, where the most emblematic sparkling wine is born and aged.”
There are only 12 places per tour so the tours feel very intimate and you spend hours down in the caves hearing about the history of the area, Ruinart and the art of champagne making. The tour ends in getting to taste two cuvées.
Tickets are €75 per person and you must book in advance. Maison Ruinart is located at 4 Rue des Crayères, 51100 Reims, France.
Have you ever visited a champagne house in Reims?
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