Champagne Masters Immersion in Reims

Master the captivating complexity of Champagne with an immersive experience—dive deep into the regions unique geology, history and tradition while savoring exquisite wines that are destined to bring your appreciation for this world-famous region to new heights.

October 4 – 9, 2026

fas fa-suitcase-rolling

6 days

fas fa-walking

Led by Essi Avellan MW & Peter Liem

far fa-credit-card

Sold Out

Program Overview

Building upon WSG’s Champagne Masters, the most in-depth certification program on Champagne wines, this is an amazing opportunity to supplement your learning and gain hands-on tasting experience in the region itself. 

This in-person course will take place from October 4 to 9, 2026 in Reims, the region’s wine hub. This 6-day intensive classroom, field trip, and tasting experience will be taught by Champagne wine experts and instructors of the Champagne Masters program, Essi Avellan MW and Peter Liem.  

Join us for a complete immersion with structured, in-depth lectures and field trips covering aspects of Champagne wine production, terroirs, houses and growers. This is paired with extensive tutored tastings featuring dozens of top-quality wines, including some of the region’s most iconic houses and producers.  

The course curriculum for this in-person experience has been specially developed to supplement the existing Champagne Masters certification. This experience is open to new students, current students, or past students of the Champagne Masters certification. 

What's Included

Registration in WSG's Champagne Masters certification starting online on February 17, 2026.

18 hours of in-person classroom instruction with extensive tutored tastings of over 40 wines.

Lunch on both field-trip days.

A fine selection of champagne wines served with included meals.

A welcome dinner at a fine restaurant in Reims.

Two full-day field trips with stops in Reims, the Montagne de Reims, the Côte des Blancs, or the Vallée de la Marne.

Farewell lunch on the last day.

Individually-proctored online exam, to be taken up to 18 months from the date of deposit payment. The exam is not offered during the course week in Reims.

Access to the online Champagne Masters certification course, starting on February 17, 2026 will be granted once your deposit is received. Students will have access to the online classroom, course materials, and the ability to complete the online exam for a duration of 18 months. Previously enrolled students and alumni will receive access to the latest, updated version of the online Champagne Masters program.

See what's not included

Itinerary & Pricing

Join the waitlist!

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

About Your Instructors

Image

Essi Avellan MW

Your Wine Educator in Champagne

  • Master of Wine specialized in Champagne and sparkling wines  
  • Author of Essi Avellan’s Champagne
  • Co-author of Christie’s World Encyclopedia of Champagne & Sparkling Wines
  • Judge at the Champagne and Sparkling Wine World Championships 
  • Organizer of the Grand Champagne Helsinki event 

Image

Peter Liem

Your Wine Educator in Champagne

• Author of the award-winning book Champagne
• Author of ChampagneGuide.net, an award-winning online guide to the wines and wine producers of Champagne
• Former senior editor, critic and tasting director for Wine & Spirits magazine
• Contributor to The World of Fine Wine, Decanter, The Art of Eating and The San Francisco Chronicle

Who is this course for?

This course is designed as a supplement to WSG's Champagne Masters certification and to provide a 360-degree view of this famous region. It comprises in-class lessons, tastings led by regional experts and on-site visits to key producers in the region. This study trip is first and foremost an educational trip and intentionally scheduled to take place after students have completed the full six months of online learning. Candidates are expected to have studied in advance and come prepared with a working knowledge of viticulture and winemaking, especially related to Champagne.  

Is this course for you?
Location / Venue:

The classroom study of this immersion into the wines of Champagne will take place in the comfortable and well-equipped conference room of the Hôtel de la Paix. This venue is located in the very center of Reims, close to hotels, shops, restaurants and other sites of interest. Its modern facilities make it the ideal base of operations for this exciting course. Many students also find it easy and convenient to stay in this hotel for the duration of the trip.

About the wines tasted:

With their access to many great champagne houses, your instructors have selected wines to be tasted that represent a broad cross-section of different terroirs, winemaking philosophies and styles. The wine selection has been carefully curated to illustrate the key learning objectives of the course. You will taste approximately 15 wines each day in the classroom as well as many more during your scheduled field trip days and during the included meals.

Image

Program Schedule

October 4-9, 2026 in Reims, the region's wine capital.

Date
Morning (9:00am - 12:30pm)
Afternoon (1:30pm - 5:00pm)

Sun, Oct 4, 2026

Students should arrive in Reims no later than 6pm

Welcome apéritif-dinner in Reims

Mon Oct 5, 2026

CHAMPAGNE FUNDAMENTALS

  • Overview of Champagne Master Porgram and how to get the most out of this week
  • Review Champagne fundamentals
  • Understand how to taste Champagne and write an effective tasting note
  • Assess the quality of Champagne

FACTORS AFFECTING HOUSE STYLES

  • Impact of grape varieties
  • Malolactic fermentation 
  • Fermentation and aging vessels
  • Oxidative vs. reductive winemaking
  • Reserve wine programs
  • Dosage

Tue Oct 6, 2026

ALL DAY FIELD TRIP - REIMS

Champagne house visit & lunch at a restaurant (included)

ALL DAY FIELD TRIP - REIMS

Champagne house visit and vineyard tour

Wed Oct 7, 2026

  • Recap: Lessons learned on field trip
  • The evolution of NV to multi-vintage
  • Mapping Champagne house styles
  • Blind tasting

Free time over lunch break

THE CHAMPAGNE REGION: THE BIG PICTURE

  • Climate and climate change
  • Geology, topography, soils 
  • Viticultural practices
  • Champagne terroirs: deep dive part 1
  • Tasting

Thu Oct 8, 2026

ALL DAY FIELD TRIP - CÔTE DES BLANCS

Grower visit(s) and vineyard tours

Included restaurant meal

ALL DAY FIELD TRIP - VALLÉE DE LA MARNE OR MONTAGNE DE REIMS

Grower visit(s) and vineyard tours

Fri Oct 9, 2026

  • Recap: Lessons learned on field trip
  • Climate and climate change
  • Tasting
  • Relevance of the Échelle des Crus today
  • Terroir and the single village
  • Terroir and the single parcel

Free time over lunch break

  • The rise of still champagne
  • Tasting: non-sparkling champagnes
  • Champagne terroirs: deep dive part 2

Late Farewell aperitif with lunch in Reims (included)

Students are free to book their departure travel for after 4:00pm this day or stay in Reims if they wish

About the Champagne Masters Program

The six-day, in-person experience in Champagne was designed to add supplementary material to WSG's Champagne Masters certification, the most in-depth program on the wines of Champagne. Led by Champagne wine experts, this completely revised and updated program will take you deep into an exquisite landscape and an extraordinary winemaking process… all the while tapping into the spirit and mindset of those who found a way to capture the bubble in the bottle. 

Visits include wineries such as:

Study Outcomes

Describe the taste and key structural components of wines from Champagne accurately and articulately.

Evaluate the quality of wines from Champagne and understand how to differentiate the nuances of regions, styles and grape varieties.

Understand how the terroir of the Champagne region influences the style and quality of the wines produced by visiting various vineyards with different terroirs.

Understand how winemaking practices and options influence the style and quality of Champagne by visiting key producers and meeting top chefs de caves.

Complement WSG's Champagne Masters certification through a combination of in-class tuition and on-site visits.

Advocate for Champagne clearly and articulately by establishing connections with Champagne growers, top maisons and industry peers.

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.

2026 Educational Wine Tours - Destinations & Dates

Provence

March 29 – April 3, 2026

Champagne

May 19 - 23, 2026

Rhône Valley

May 31 - June 5, 2026

Mosel

June 14 – 19, 2026

Piemonte

October 4 - 9, 2026

Bordeaux

November 1 - 6, 2026

2026 Masters Immersions - Destinations & Dates

Expand your horizons with wine travel.

Know when seats become available.