Ruinart Wine Tasting And Private Tour In Champagne

This is a review for Raphael de with Uncorkedchampagne.com tours. I had booked a private tour with the guide alone so my price was a bit higher but totally worth it. Raphael has been doing this since 2010 or so and he knows everyone in town. He really is knowledgeable about champagne and used to sell wine. If you have a bit of background knowledge about champagne this will be interesting for you. Our first stop was Daniel Dumont. A small family run producer. I spent the morning with Benjamin Dumont the owner and grandson of the founder. We really got into the nitty gritty of how the stuff is made. I’m not going to spoil it for you. But we traces every step from harvesting the grapes to pressing to the two stages of fermenting to bottling. The cellar was impressive at 80 feet down. Then we had a tasting and spent some time in the fields looking at the different varietals. Dumont actually makes grafted plants for other farmers to buy. Then to Reims cathedral. Raphael gave a very detailed tour of the cathedral and the history. It’s like getting two tours in one. Not going to elaborate too much here as there was so much. Then lunch at a very nice local spot. Then off to Ruinart. I based on what I heard, Ruinart is the best “big house” tour. I was with a group this time and Eliza was the guide. Very good and informative. This was a very slick well put together tour but very impressive. The cellars were amazing. If you’re a budding champagne enthusiast Raphael is your man. He knows a lot about the wines. This was a great balance between seeing a small producer and a traditional big house. But honestly Dumont was my preference. I liked getting to meet and talk to Benjamin who runs the entire show. I would recommend Raphael without hesitation.