Epernay Champagne Tour: Vintage Van & Cellar Tasting

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/8

Duration3h

GroupUp to 7

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Ride Through Champagne Country in a 1970s Minivan, Tasting as You Go

You ride through Epernay's famous avenue and two Champagne villages in a restored 1970s minivan, stop in a working vineyard to learn the year-round work, then descend into a family producer's cellar to see how Champagne is made. You taste three glasses at the estate before heading back, and the whole thing takes three hours with a local guide who knows the region's history.

Step-by-step itinerary

Champagne tour from Epernay to Oger

Start tour at Avenue de Champagne
Pass famous Champagne houses in Epernay
Visit village of Aÿ-Champagne
Stop in vineyard near Aÿ-Champagne
Discover village of Oger Grand Cru
Visit family Champagne producer cellar
Learn Champagne making process
Taste 3 glasses of Champagne

The Experience

The Estafette's engine ticks as it idles on Avenue de Champagne, and you realize you're about to spend three hours in the exact kind of van that carried French families on holiday fifty years ago. Moët & Chandon, Pol Roger, Mercier — the names are on the buildings around you, and your guide knows which cellars run beneath the street. Under Epernay alone, there are 100 kilometers of tunnels stacked with millions of bottles, and you're about to see one of them from the inside.

The route takes you out of the city first, past the village of Aÿ-Champagne where Deutz and Bollinger sit among the vines. You'll stop in the middle of a working vineyard to see what the year looks like from ground level — the pruning, the spacing, the work that happens long before harvest. Your guide explains it all in real time, not from a script. Then it's on to Oger, classified Grand Cru, where you'll walk into a family producer's cellar and watch the process unfold: the machines, the racks, the chalk walls that keep everything cool without electricity. The tasting comes at the end — three glasses, one estate, no rush.

What makes this different from a standard wine tour is the van itself. You're not in a coach with forty people; you're in something that feels like you borrowed a friend's vintage car and they happen to know everyone in the region. The Estafette holds the group small, and the pace stays loose enough that you can ask questions without holding up a schedule. The 3-hour window means you're done by early afternoon, which leaves the rest of your day open.

What’s included

Transport in a vintage Estafette minivan, a drive through Avenue de Champagne with commentary on the major Champagne houses, a stop in the Aÿ-Champagne vineyard to see the work of the season, a visit to a family producer's cellar in the Grand Cru village of Oger with a full explanation of the Champagne-making process, and three glasses of Champagne tasting at the estate.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by My Vintage Tour Company

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see how Champagne is actually made without spending a full day in cellars, and prefer a small group in a character vehicle over a standard coach tour. The 3-hour length and vintage van keep the experience intimate and leave your afternoon free.