Champagne Wine Tour

Indulge in the effervescent charm of Champagne’s legendary vineyards and grand maisons. Savor the world’s most celebrated sparkling wines with your expert guide in ultimate style.

May 19 - 23, 2026

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4 days

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Led by Essi Avellan MW

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Sold Out

Taste Extraordinary Champagnes

Delight in exclusive tastings of some of Champagne’s finest cuvées, including rare and vintage bottles. Savor the flavors that make Champagne a world-class wine region and learn about what sets these sparkling wines apart.

Expert Instruction from Essi Avellan MW

Benefit from the expertise of Essi Avellan, MW, one of the world’s leading Champagne authorities. Through engaging instruction, explore the nuances of champagne, deepening your appreciation for the region’s iconic sparkling wines.

Meet the Chefs de Caves

Go behind the scenes and meet the visionary chefs de caves, the masterminds behind Champagne’s most prestigious houses. Learn first hand about their winemaking philosophies and how truly exceptional champagne is made.

About This Tour

Champagne: the name alone evokes celebration, sophistication and nuance. This world-renowned sparkling wine boasts a rich cultural history, the art of blending, and a distinctive terroir—all of which contribute to its remarkable diversity. The region is evolving, with a new generation embracing sustainability and innovation while honouring tradition.

Join Essi Avellan MW, a leading regional expert, and fellow champagne enthusiasts for an immersive journey through the vineyards, terroirs and Maisons de Champagne. Enjoy exclusive tastings, meet renowned winemakers and deepen your understanding of this iconic region, all while savouring top-rated cuisine and breathtaking landscapes.  

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What's Included

Join Essi Avellan MW, one of the world's leading experts in Champagne as she guides you through the region. 

Expert instruction throughout the tour by Essi Avellan, MW, Champagne expert, author and acclaimed wine educator.

Professional-level tours and wine tastings at some of the most preeminent Champagne producers.

Seamless travel with the guidance of our Tour Manager, Mary Kirk, providing impeccable customer service and logistical support throughout your journey.

4 nights at 4-Star Hotel de la Paix in Reims, (double occupancy).

2 gastronomic dinners, including one Michelin-starred, with expertly paired fine wines and champagnes.

4 gourmet lunches with wines and champagnes hand selected by your tour instructor.

Breakfast buffet provided daily.

Deluxe, air-conditioned motor coach transportation throughout, with bottled water on-board.

Price per person, double occupancy. Single occupancy available with supplement. Download the brochure to get detailed pricing.

Itinerary & Pricing

Join the waitlist!

Enter your name and email to receive an email if a seat becomes available.

What our customers say

Meet Your Expert Guides

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Essi Avellan MW

Your Wine Tour Instructor

Essi is a highly acclaimed author, educator and Master of Wine specializing in Champagne and sparkling wine. She is the co-author of Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wines, Essi Avellan’s Champagne and 1000 Finest Wines Ever Made among others. Essi is the primary organizer of the Grand Champagne Helsinki event and reputed judge and tasting panel member for The World of Fine Wine, panel chair at the International Wine and Spirit Competition’s (IWSC) and jury member at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships (CSWWC). 

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Mary Kirk

Your Wine Tour Manager

Mary is Wine Scholar Guild’s Study Abroad Tour Director. French-American, and raised between Washington State and France, she has been leading fine wine tours in France for over 15 years and has been working with WSG since 2015. Mary’s other activities include teaching Wine Studies at culinary academies in Paris such as the Ferrandi Gastronomic School of Paris. Additionally, Mary hosts educational wine events and consults professionally on French wine throughout the US and European market. She is a DipWSET, FWS, a certified French Sommelier-Conseil and has passed WSG Champagne Masters with Honors. 

Visits include wineries such as:

What Makes WSG Educational Tours Unique?

Top wine industry professionals and regional experts as instructors

Service of tour manager offering customer service and logistics support during the trip

Professional-level visits with educational objectives

Tastings of dozens of top-quality wines during estate visit and included meals

Opportunity to meet the producers and local specialists

Access to wine estates often closed to the public

Join a community of fellow wine professionals and serious enthusiasts

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You’ll learn so much more than you would on your own! During WSG tours, our internationally renowned instructors are always with you; providing fascinating information, answering questions, and clarifying facts and figures to ensure understanding of the nuances and subtleties of each region and its wine styles.
  • Camaraderie! And the experience of exploring new wine regions with other like-minded individuals who are just as passionate and obsessive about great wine as you are!
  • Access to amazing wine tastings and estates you would not be able to visit on your own. With personal and long-standing relationships in each of the regions we operate, WSG has some of the highest-level contacts in the industry. As a WSG study abroad participant, you will have the opportunity to taste incredible wines at each estate and will be welcomed as an honored guest everywhere you go.
  • All our WSG instructors have lived or worked in France, Italy, Spain, or other countries in which we operate, for many years. This has allowed them to cultivate extensive experience and contacts within the region. You’ll get expert information about the wine business, and an insider’s take on local culture.
  • Avoid taking chances on hotels or restaurants you don’t know.  With more than a decade of experience, our guides use first-hand knowledge to select the best hotels and restaurants for your enjoyment.
  • Make the most of your travel time! Our itineraries minimize driving to ensure you receive a thorough overview of the region, taking in the breathtaking landscapes and amazing wine culture of each respective region.
  • Avoid driving, navigating or directions. Feel free to relax and enjoy wine your meals in the comfort of a safe and carefully curated learning environment.
  • Your WSG instructor and Tour Manager will translate for the group at all times, eliminating communication or language barriers, as many winemakers in France, Italy and Spain may have limited English proficiency.

Preparing for the trip

Please ask the instructor if there is enough time before the end of the visit for you to make your purchase without impeding the progress and timing of the trip.

It is very rare that estates offer international shipping. If you would like to purchase wine, we recommend that you ask your government’s customs office for their rules and regulations if you intend to bring wine back into your country, or have wine shipped to you. You always have the option of bringing wine home with you in your checked luggage. A specialized wine suitcase is perfect for this. Depending on your home country, this amount will vary.

You may have to pay some amount of duty on your wine when you go through customs. Therefore, it's best to check with your local authorities for further information.

TRANSPORTATION, FOOD & LODGING

We choose 4- and 5-star hotels to ensure a high level of comfort, including en-suite bathrooms, WiFi and air conditioning.  It’s very important for the hotels to be well situated in the region, to keep driving time and distance to a minimum. We want to make sure you are as close as possible to the vineyards and other local sites of interest. The hotels we choose must also be large enough to accommodate groups.

We thoroughly check each hotel before including it in a WSG tour or program. In wine regions that are large and spread out, you may change hotels once or twice during a week-long stay in order to keep driving times to a minimum each day. In other regions, there may be only one centrally located hotel.

Organizers & Instructors

Our tour instructors are among the most renowned and respected wine professionals in the wine business. They are also professional wine educators who are absolutely passionate about the region and its wines. You can see a full biography of the instructor for each trip on the corresponding page, so you can know exactly with whom you'll be touring and learning. Most are native English speakers (American or British), and all other instructors speak English fluently.

Our instructors have that special combination of high-level wine expertise, personal warmth, friendliness, and excellent leadership skills. They'll accompany you every day, throughout the trip, and will be able to answer all of your questions about the wines of the region you’ll be visiting (and about wine in general).

Booking a trip

Yes, we strongly encourage you to purchase a very comprehensive travel insurance package once you have paid your non-refundable deposit for a Study Trip. Note that many plans require you to purchase the insurance very soon after your deposit payment (some require it within 14 days). There are any number of things that can happen that can cause cancellation or interruption of package travel, and travel insurance can help cover the costs you incur as a result.

You can find travel insurers easily and there are sites where you can compare policies (for example, Insure My Trip). Be sure to read policies very carefully before you purchase. Include your airfare, train fare, and any other expenses you will have in addition to the price of the study trip itself. We highly recommend getting a “cancel for any reason” policy, which offers the best coverage. Travel experts say “if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,” so don’t skimp on this important coverage!

Have a different question? Feel free to contact us.

See Our Other Destinations

Our industry-recognized educational wine tours offer intensive, professional-level education within wine regions of France, Italy, Spain and beyond. Led by prominent wine professionals and journalists, our itineraries and curricula provide a backstage pass to the most celebrated wine regions.

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