Best Champagne Houses to Visit

Any visit to Champagne has to begin with its most ardent and successful marketeer. Moët & Chandon is undoubtedly not only one of Champagne’s most recognized brands, but it’s also one of the world’s most famous wine brands. Millions upon millions of bottles are enjoyed yearly, without detracting from its extraordinary quality and consistency.

Claude Moët founded the house in 1743, and it has since grown into the largest Champagne producer. His successor, Jean-Remy Moët, was a marketing genius who fully leveraged his friendship with Napoleon. Indeed, every owner has left an indelible mark on this house, none more so than Comte Robert-Jean de Vogue, who released the iconic prestige cuvee Dom Pérignon in 1936. Today, luxury goods conglomerate LVMH owns the house, which benefits only Moët.

Like Veuve Clicquot, Pommery owes its incredible history to the might and determination of just one woman. The house was created in 1836 and later came under the control of Louis Alexandre Pommery. After his death in 1858, Madame Pommery took the reins and turned the house into a massive success. Fortunately, she stepped into her husband’s shoes and did a far better job!

Her achievements are numerous, including building an extraordinary cellar and winery. Madame Pommery also pioneered the drier Brut style of Champagne when most houses were slavishly making sweeter styles popular in the 19th century. Over the decades, this grand house has changed hands several times; LVMH briefly controlled Pommery, as did the industrialist Xavier Gardinier. Today its stewardship rests with Vranken, who is doing a fine job. The quality across the range is remarkably consistent, and the house welcomes visitors with open arms.

Ruinart doesn’t court much fuss or publicity. Part of the LVMH empire, Ruinart has always been more ‘discreet’ than Moët or Veuve Clicquot. Aimed squarely at luxury restaurants and independent retailers, these are gastronomic Champagnes for the long haul.

The house is reportedly the oldest in Champagne; Nicolas Ruinart founded it in 1729. After Louis XV authorized Champagne to be shipped in bottles, the house flourished and established a lucrative market in nearby Paris. However, their initial business was in the linen trade; the gesture of presenting bottles of Champagne as a goodwill token eventually became Ruinart’s primary source of income. After some savvy marketing, the house counted Empress Josephine among its loyal clientele. Indeed, Ruinart’s history is as rich as its signature Blanc de Blancs cuvee. When the company’s buildings were destroyed in the 20th century, Andre Ruinart transferred his business underground and established a base of operations in the chalk cellars. This house has known good fortune and adversity in equal measure – all the better for the curious visitor.

Few Champagne lovers aren’t familiar with Veuve Clicquot’s iconic yellow label. Like Moët & Chandon, the brand is owned by the luxury goods group LVMH; however, Clicquot has forged an identity and path that is quite distinct from its competitors. Although Clicquot’s Champagnes are made in quite generous volumes, the quality across the range has remained impeccably high. For this, we must thank ex-cellar master Dominique Demarville, who raised the bar during his tenure. The prestige cuvee ‘La Grande Dame’ has never been more desirable than it is today.

Veuve dates back to the 18th century, founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot Murion. His son Francois married the daughter of a famous baron – the now legendary Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who ran the business after Francois died. Her incredible skill and business savvy turned Veuve Clicquot into one of Europe’s most recognized luxury brands, a legacy LVMH maintains today. Thankfully, the Maison has kept an unparalleled treasure trove of historical artifacts related to her legacy, along with a surfeit of historical documents. This wealth of memorabilia and contemporary facilities are just two reasons why Clicquot is one of Champagne’s top visitor destinations.

Taittinger is a gift to history lovers. Their ancient cellars at Place St-Nicaise contain elements of the 13th-century St-Nicaise Abbey, which has hosted – among others – the Russian Tsar Peter the Great in the 18th century. Today it is used to age Taittinger’s prestige cuvee – Comtes de Champagne. This Blanc de Blancs is routinely considered among the world’s finest Chardonnays. Imagine Montrachet. Now add bubbles.

The modern Taittinger story began in 1932, when Pierre Taittinger and his brother-in-law Paul Evêque acquired the historic Forest-Fourneaux house. The family has run this venerable house ever since, bar a brief period when Starwood Capital owned Taittinger. The house owns several ornate and grandiose châteaux, including the Château de la Marquetterie and its beautiful residence in Reims. But Taittinger isn’t a stickler for tradition alone: Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger was one of the first pioneers to invest in sparkling wine production in England. Their ancient cellars and beautiful premises make Taittinger a must-visit on any Champagne itinerary.

Mercier is ahead of the curve; this venerable house welcomed visitors long before Champagne became trendy. Mercier wrote the book on educating and entertaining Champagne lovers.

But the firm’s history is just as impressive as its contemporary sheen: Eugene Mercier founded the house in 1858 and merged five producers into one major brand. A born marketeer and natural showman, Mercier is famously remembered for using 24 oxen to haul a gargantuan cask of Champagne through Paris’s streets in the late 19th century. Eugene’s spirit and legacy live on today.

Anselme Selosse is a living legend. He turned the concept of grower Champagne – as opposed to a Grande Marque – into a luxury commodity and not merely a local curiosity. Indeed, collectors will pay handsome sums for Selosse’s range of low-yield, biodynamic Champagnes. They are staggeringly complex and full-bodied – Anselme himself regards them as the ultimate gastronomic wine pairing.

But there is another reason to love Selosse. In 2008, the family purchased the Bricout-Koch castle and cellars and decided to move in. They spent vast sums turning the dilapidated castle into a fairytale boutique hotel and restaurant. The ‘Les Avises’ kitchen is one of the finest in the Côte de Blancs!

This small, family-run house offers a very different experience to the lavish hospitality of the Grande Marques. No luxurious tasting rooms, no multi-million-dollar winery designed by Frank Gehry. Yet De Sousa has charm in abundance. For a start, visitors receive a warm welcome from the family: Erick De Sousa took charge in 1986, while the next generation — Charlotte, Julie and Valentin — has carried the domaine forward since 2020. The chalk cellars, located directly below the village of Avize, offer a spectacular introduction to the mysteries of grower Champagne. After an extended tour, you can expect a detailed exploration of each cuvee produced by this sorely underrated grower. The family owns around 10 hectares of prime vineyards in Avize, Aÿ, Oger, Mesnil, and Chouilly. Farming biodynamically, Erick prides himself on cultivating parcels of old vines that lend the Champagnes a complex, earthy minerality. Tasting the range in De Sousa’s magnificent old cellars is a rare treat and should not be missed.

Another of the region’s most famous and iconic houses, GH Mumm, was founded in 1827 by three brothers and their two business associates. Its signature label, ‘NV Brut Cordon Rouge’, launched in 1876, remains one of the world’s most recognized brands. French authorities sequestrated the firm during the First World War, when they treated its owners as enemy nationals, and it changed hands several times over the last century before international corporation Pernod Ricard acquired it. Its reputation as a genuinely great Grande Marque took over 160 years to build, and its current owner has lovingly maintained it. They’ve invested significant resources into creating a visitor experience worthy of the brand. Champagne and art come alive at GH Mumm.

The Larmandier family are stringent devotees of biodynamic viticulture. No man arguably understands the terroir of the Côte de Blancs with more depth and nuance than Pierre Larmandier. His ancestors have been making Champagne since the French Revolution; Pierre carries on the family tradition of producing high-quality, terroir-driven Champagnes in the Burgundy mold. They are a passionate family, and it shows in any bespoke visit to the premises. Visitors can also explore the surrounding biodynamically farmed vineyards before returning to taste their range of superlative Champagnes. Vieille Vigne de Cramant is an extremely rare Blanc de Blancs made from old vines in the village of Cramant. It is rarely seen outside France, so any opportunity to taste this refined, exquisite Champagne is one not to be missed.