Just south of the Aube on the same Kimmeridgian seam, Chablis makes the world's benchmark steely Chardonnay. A natural extension for anyone touring the southern Cote des Bar, swapping bubbles for taut still white.
Tip: The Kimmeridgian chalk links Chablis to the Cote des Bar; taste a Chablis Premier Cru to see the shared seabed terroir as still wine.
Perched above the Marne, Hautvillers is where Dom Perignon worked as cellar master and is buried in the abbey church. The hillside village, part of the UNESCO listing, is ringed by Meunier vines and small grower cellars.
Pours: Vallee de la Marne Meunier, Brut non-vintage, Coteaux Champenois
Tip: Visit the abbey church to see Dom Perignon's tomb, then taste a Vallee de la Marne Meunier from a village grower.
Reims sits 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, making the capital an easy day out or arrival point. Pair the trip with a Champagne-focused Paris wine bar to see how the region pours in its biggest market.
Pours: Champagne by the glass, grower fizz, vintage Champagne
Tip: The Reims to Paris-Est TGV runs in 45 minutes; an easy day trip in either direction with a glass of Champagne at each end.
Reims is the Champagne capital, home to the great houses Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart and Pommery, many touring their Roman chalk crayeres. Pair cellar visits with the UNESCO coronation cathedral and the Saint-Nicaise hill.
Pours: Brut non-vintage, prestige cuvee, Blanc de Blancs
Tip: Book the big-house cellar tours in advance; combine Taittinger or Ruinart with the cathedral in a single day on foot.
Epernay's Avenue de Champagne lines the grandest houses, Moet et Chandon, Perrier-Jouet and Pol Roger, above more than 100 km of chalk cellars. The half-hour hop from Reims makes the two capitals an easy combined trip.
Pours: vintage Champagne, Brut Imperial, Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill
Tip: Walk the avenue end to end, then drop into a champagne bar like C Comme or Le 25bis to taste growers between the big houses.
The southern Aube, on Kimmeridgian chalk near the Chablis and Burgundy border, is Champagne's grower heartland, home to Cedric Bouchard, Fleury and Vouette et Sorbee. Pair tastings with the half-timbered medieval old town of Troyes.
Pours: Pinot Noir grower Champagne, Rose des Riceys AOC, Coteaux Champenois
Tip: Combine a Cote des Bar grower visit with the rare still Rose des Riceys and a wander through Troyes's medieval centre.