Top 5 Champagne Brands - Explore France (2024)

Moët & Chandon has been cultivating the ties between “Champagne and celebration” since its founding in 1743.

The LVMH brand is one of the best-selling champagne brands and is the largest Champagne house in the world, producing close to 30 million bottles annually.

The Moet estate is located in Épernay and has more than 17 miles of underground wine cellars.

Did you know, it’s the first champagne to start the tradition of spraying after a big win?

Dan Gurney, an American racing driver, was handed the Magnum of Moët et Chandon after he won the LeMans race in 1967. Gurney immediately shook the bottle and sprayed its contents on himself and the entire crowd, starting the now-timeless tradition. Here is an actual footage of him doing it.

For a unique experience, visit the Moët & Chandon wine cellars, the largest in the Champagne region. Discover endless underground galleries, filled with history, and round off your visit with a tasting of champagne!

This champagne brand can be paired with a classic roast chicken or served with cheeses like slightly aged goat cheese.

With Usain Bolt as the CEO, G.H. Mumm is the fourth highest-selling brand, producing approximately 8 million bottles each year.

A champagne synonymous with adventure, victory and pushing the limits, the G.H. Mumm maison is located in Reims where the bottles are housed in the 25 kilometres of cellars below the region.

This bubbly wine with its iconic red ribbon graces the podiums of Formula One races for ultimate celebration as well as sponsors other luxury sporting events.

Enter the luxury and refined world of Champagne in the legendary G.H. Mumm House and learn about the expertise that has defined the identity of Mumm wines: from vineyard operations to bottling, from the art of blending to aging and traditional methods combined with cutting edge techniques.

After the cellars tour, taste one of it’s unexpected cuvées and live a sensorial experience.

This champagne brand performs admirably as a pre-dinner aperitif, yet it pairs really well with fish or seafood, a simply prepared entrée of oysters, sashimi or sushi, and/or even with a selection of cheeses such as Roquefort or Comté.

Veuve Clicquot and its distinct yellow label evokes a sense of luxury and rich winemaking heritage. It is certainly one of the most well-known Champagnes in the market today, selling over 1.5 million cases of champagne each year.

Literally meaning “Widow Clicquot”, this brand is named after the first woman to run a champagne house, Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, one of the world’s first international businesswomen, who took over the family's champagne house in the early 19th century and transformed the champagne brand into an international powerhouse.

Veuve Clicquot was the first to produce Rosé Champagne by adding still red wine to its sparkling. Up until then white wine had been coloured with berries to give it its unique pink hues.

Visit the champagne house in Reims and experience high-quality wine tourism in the white limestone tunnels, known as crayères, and follow in the footsteps of Madame Clicquot.

The visit concludes with a tasting of an emblematic champagne, the Brut Carte Jaune, the vintage created in honour of la grande dame, Madame Clicquot. To magnify the champagne’s freshest notes, pair it with cheeses like Tomme de Montagne’s. This bubbly also goes well with dried fruit, hazelnuts and almonds.

One of the few and most famous family-run Champagne houses, Taittinger’s high percentage of Chardonnay blend is what really sets it apart from the rest. This champagne brand’s sparkling wine delivers a fresh, crisp palate of citrus and mineral notes which is a perfect complement to fresh oysters!

The Champagne house, in Reims, is one of the region’s largest producers, producing approximately 5-6 million bottles annually.Another interesting fact about Taittinger is that it is James Bond’s preferred Champagne.

In “Casino Royale,” the first in Fleming’s series, Bond describes Taittinger as “probably the finest Champagne in the world.”

Visit the Taittinger Champagne House, to discover a Real-Life Treasure Cave.All year round, guides welcome you to discover the art of Champagne making, with the inclusion of a tailor-made tasting session as part of every tour.

Champagnes with a higher proportion of Chardonnay in their blends can be particularly versatile when it comes to food pairings.

The champagne brand Taittinger pairs perfectly with an icy plateau of shellfish like chilled lobster, crab or grilled & roasted white meats, canapés, smoked salmon and oysters. It can also be served as a perfect aperitif.

Madame Pommery, another woman who has made her mark in the history of Champagne, launched the successful Pommery champagne.

Located in Reims, Pommery invented the Brut category onto the Champagne scene. The Pommery style is described as “full of finesse and cheery lightness”. In 2017, Pommery was the seventh best-selling champagne brand worldwide.

With 259 hectares of vines, Pommery’s annual sales average just under 4.5 million bottles.

The Pommery Champagne House offers an unforgettable tour of its cellars, in addition to unique experiences, ranging from walking the cellars with augmented reality to wandering the estate.

Champagne, when light, dry, and acidic, elegantly cuts through the spices in Asian food; dishes with nuts bring out the nutty flavours in the Pommery. This sparkling wine also pairs well with canapes, light salads, croquettes and crab cakes.

By Redaction France.fr

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