Sedan
up to 3 guests · Mercedes C-Class, GLE or Tesla Model Y, depending on availability
- Half day
- €320 (~$360 USD)
Disgorging and dosage, with a grower
In their cellar on the Côte des Blancs, a grower shows you how the yeast sediment is taken out of a bottle of Champagne, and how they decide how much sugar to add. Then you taste the difference. About four hours, from Reims.
- About 4 hoursdoor to door
- 2 hourswith the grower, in a small group
- €320 (~$360 USD)per vehicle, by sedan
Two steps before the cork
Champagne gets its bubbles in the bottle, resting on a deposit of spent yeast, and stays there for at least fifteen months before it is sold. To remove that deposit, it is first coaxed down into the neck by turning the bottles, a little at a time, until they stand upside down. This is riddling, or remuage in French.
Next comes disgorging (dégorgement in French). The usual method dips the neck into an icy bath, and the small plug of ice that has trapped the deposit shoots out when the bottle is opened. The old method, done by hand and called à la volée (“on the fly”), skips the ice bath: the grower opens the bottle in one quick motion, lets the deposit fly out with a little foam, and turns it upright right away.
That leaves a small gap to fill. A little wine is added, sweetened or not: this is the dosage, and it decides whether the label reads brut, extra brut or brut nature. At the grower’s, you taste the wine with no dosage, then the finished Champagnes as they are sold. The difference comes down to a few grams per liter.
- Length
- about 4 hours, door to door
- Pickup
- your hotel, the train station or your address in Reims or Épernay
- Visit
- a grower on the Côte des Blancs, for your group only
- The program
- disgorging by hand, à la volée, which we request for you when we book, then the wine with no dosage next to the finished Champagnes
- On site
- the visit and tasting are paid at the grower’s
From Reims to the cellar, in four hours
Pickup at 1:45 pm, for a 2:30 pm appointment. A morning appointment can be requested when you book, depending on what the grower offers on your date.
- 1:45 pmReims
Leaving Reims
Your chauffeur picks you up at your hotel, the train station or your address. It is about forty minutes’ drive to the Côte des Blancs, just enough time for your chauffeur to explain three words: riddling, disgorging, dosage.
- 2:30 pmCôte des Blancs
In the grower’s cellar
Two hours in a small group: the cellar, the bottles resting on their sediment, then disgorging à la volée done in front of you, if the grower confirmed it when we booked. Then the tasting: first the wine with no dosage, then the estate’s Champagnes. The grower answers your questions all through the visit.
- 4:30 pmOn the way back
A stop, if you like
A viewpoint over the slope, or a stop to pick up a few bottles: they ride home in the trunk.
- 5:30 pmReims
Back in Reims
Drop-off at your hotel, or right at the train station: give us your train time and we will plan the half day around it.
Times are approximate: the grower sets the appointment, and we time the pickup around it.
What the label is telling you
The thresholds are set by European Union rules, in grams of sugar per liter.
| Term | Sugar per liter | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Brut nature | under 3 g | no sugar added after the second fermentation; also labeled “pas dosé” or “dosage zéro” |
| Extra brut | 0 to 6 g | the driest term after brut nature |
| Brut | under 12 g | the term you see on most Champagnes |
| Extra dry | 12 to 17 g | sweeter than brut, despite its name |
| Sec | 17 to 32 g | sweeter still, even though sec means “dry” |
| Demi-sec | 32 to 50 g | the dessert Champagne |
| Doux | over 50 g | rare these days |
What the half day costs
One fixed price per vehicle for the half day, quoted before you book. It stays the same whatever the number of guests, up to the vehicle’s capacity.
Van
up to 7 guests · Mercedes V-Class
- Half day
- €390 (~$435 USD)
- With 7 guests
- €56 (~$65 USD) per person
If the visit runs longer
beyond the planned time
- Extra hour, sedan
- €75 (~$85 USD)
- Extra hour, van
- €90 (~$100 USD)
The visit and tasting are paid separately, directly to the grower: we book the visit for you and tell you the price before you confirm. For 8 guests or more, ask us for a quote.
What is included, what you pay on site
Included in the price
- The car and your chauffeur, from your address in Reims and back
- Fuel, tolls and parking
- Your chauffeur waiting during the visits
- Planning the route and booking your visits with the houses
Paid on site
- The visit, the demonstration and the tasting, at the grower’s: we tell you their price before you confirm
- Any bottles you buy
From Paris
The full day from your Paris hotel
As a half day from Paris, it does not make sense: allow about two hours’ drive each way between Paris and the Côte des Blancs. From your Paris hotel, we suggest a full day instead that includes this visit to the grower, quoted on request.
Questions we often get
Is this too technical for beginners?
No. Everything is shown and explained. In fact, it is the visit we recommend to people who have been drinking Champagne for years without ever seeing what happens at the very end.
Will we definitely see disgorging done by hand?
No. It is a manual technique that depends on the grower and on the bottles that are ready that day. We ask the grower in writing when we book and pass on their answer before you pay: if it is not possible on your date, you find out then, not on the day.
Can we disgorge a bottle ourselves?
That is not part of this half day: the grower does it in front of you. One house in Reims offers a session where each guest disgorges their own bottle, booked directly with the house. If that is what you are after, tell us: we will let you know which house it is and drive you there.
What if we are a larger group?
The sedan seats up to 3 guests and the van up to 7: the price is per vehicle, not per guest. For 8 or more, ask us for a quote. Growers’ visits are designed for small groups, so tell us your group size from the start, and we check with them before confirming.
What could we do that same morning?
Another visit, or the blending workshop in Hermonville, where you make your own still (non-sparkling) wine. That makes two half days, which we quote together.
How do we book?
Send us the date, the number of guests and your pickup address, through the form or by phone. We reply within 2 hours during the day with the plan and the fixed price. Your booking is confirmed once you sign the quote.
How do we pay?
By card (secure payment link) or by bank transfer, when you book. We do not take cash. We can issue the invoice in your company’s name.
What languages do your chauffeurs speak?
Our chauffeurs speak French and English. A Japanese-speaking guide is available on request, at extra cost.
What if we need to cancel?
Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before pickup. Between 48 and 24 hours, half the price is due, and the full price after that. The houses have their own cancellation terms for their tours. Details are on our cancellation and refund page.
More days in Champagne
- Half day
Wine Workshop in Hermonville
A blending workshop near Reims: you make your own wine and leave with the bottle. €320 (~$360 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Wine Workshop in Hermonville - Full day
Nothing but Chardonnay
A day with the growers of the Côte des Blancs, tasting Chardonnay from one village to the next. €660 (~$735 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Nothing but Chardonnay - Full day
Grape Varieties & Grands Crus
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier, each tasted where it grows best, in one day. €660 (~$735 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Grape Varieties & Grands Crus - Full day
From Chalk to Vine
The morning in a chalk cellar, the afternoon on the Montagne de Reims, by a windmill, a lighthouse and the twisted beeches of Verzy. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day From Chalk to Vine - Half day
Champagne Discovery Tour
A great house in Reims and a family grower, in four hours. €280 (~$315 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Champagne Discovery Tour - Half day
Champagne Crayères Tour
Chalk quarries turned Champagne cellars, listed by UNESCO, in a half day. €280 (~$315 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Champagne Crayères Tour - Full day
From Coronations to Chalk Cellars
The cathedral of kings, Saint-Remi Basilica and the chalk cellars, without leaving Reims. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day From Coronations to Chalk Cellars - Full day
Avenue de Champagne
A day in Épernay: the avenue on foot, the cellars of a great house, a smaller house, then a grower on the Côte des Blancs. €580 (~$650 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Avenue de Champagne - Full day
The Champagne Widows
A day in the footsteps of the widows who ran the great houses, from the chalk cellars of Reims to the Marne Valley. €660 (~$735 USD) per vehicle.
See the day The Champagne Widows - Full day
Under-the-Radar Champagne Growers
Three growers on the Montagne de Reims who make their Champagne from the grapes of their own vines. €560 (~$625 USD) per vehicle.
See the day Under-the-Radar Champagne Growers - Full day
American Sites of 1918
Belleau Wood, Hill 204 and two American cemeteries, in one day from Reims. €530 (~$590 USD) per vehicle.
See the day American Sites of 1918
Each day is priced per vehicle and planned around your dates.
Guides to help you plan your visit
Taste the dosage with the grower who chooses it
Tell us your date, the number of guests and where to pick you up. We reply within 2 hours during the day with the plan and a fixed price.
Google reviews
What our clients say
4.9
★★★★★
53 Google reviews
53 Google reviews
★★★★★ 5.0 on Tripadvisor · 3 reviews
★★★★★
Great experience! Helped us navigate the Champagne region and Paris.... flawless! Cars were mint inside and out! Interactions with Louis were professional and timely. Drivers Omar and Joel were very accommodating!
TGTony Grilli
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
Louis and his team were outstanding! The communication was quick, clear, and accurate. Our driver Abdellatif was on-time and professional. 5-star service. Louis checked in through our day. We will always use VTC Reims for our annual trip…
GCGlen Campbell
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
We had a wonderful experience in September. We decided to visit France for my wife’s bday week on rather late notice. I wanted to include some special visits as we both enjoy champagne. We were able to get a wonderful Dom Perignon tour w…
TDThomas Donahue
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
Thank you to Louis for helping us schedule and to Cyril for giving us the best day trip to Reims/Champagne/Hautvillers. We had 3-4 things we really wanted to do and see, other than that we let them take the wheel (literally), and we had…
NWNikki Wyatt
October 2026
October 2026
★★★★★
VTC Reims is an excellent car service for the Champagne region. I contacted them on the plane to France and received very fast response from Louis. It must’ve been middle of the night for them and yet they were prompt and booked my priva…
WLWendy Liu
September 2026
September 2026
★★★★★
I hosted a group with private transfer from Paris to Champagne and also travel to vineyards all over Champagne. First class service by Cyril and his team. Beautiful vehicles and willing to accommodate some late changes in our schedule. I…
MMMatthew Massey
June 2026
June 2026
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