Prestige Reims maison founded in 1843, owned by LVMH, built on a multi-vintage reserve blend across all three main grapes for its Grande Cuvee.
Signature wines: krug-grande-cuvee, krug-clos-du-mesnil
Tip: Each Grande Cuvee release carries an ID code linking it to its blend and disgorgement.
Address: 5 rue Coquebert, 51100 Reims, France, Champagne
Family-owned Reims maison founded 1776, famous for the Cristal prestige cuvee created for Tsar Alexander II and for its estate-owned, partly biodynamic vineyards.
Tasting: Visits by appointment; the family house focuses on private and trade hospitality.
Signature wines: cristal, roederer-collection
Tip: Cristal is made only from estate vineyards, much of them farmed biodynamically.
Reims house founded 1772 and owned by LVMH, shaped by Madame Clicquot, who pioneered the riddling table; known for its Yellow Label brut.
Tasting: Guided cellar tours and tastings; booking required, with a Clicquot Cafe on site.
Signature wines: veuve-clicquot-yellow-label, veuve-clicquot-la-grande-dame
Tip: Madame Clicquot is credited with inventing the riddling rack and the first known vintage rose.
The largest Champagne house, founded 1743 in Epernay and owned by LVMH, with 28 km of chalk cellars on the Avenue de Champagne and the Dom Perignon prestige cuvee.
Tasting: Guided cellar tours and tastings in French or English; book in advance, the cellars reopened after renovation.
Signature wines: dom-perignon, moet-imperial-brut
Tip: The Dom Perignon prestige label is produced here and released only in declared vintages.
Family-owned Reims maison founded 1776, famous for the Cristal prestige cuvee created for Tsar Alexander II and for its estate-owned, partly biodynamic vineyards.
Tasting: Visits by appointment; the family house focuses on private and trade hospitality.
Signature wines: cristal, roederer-collection
Tip: Cristal is made only from estate vineyards, much of them farmed biodynamically.
Family-owned Ay house founded 1829, Pinot Noir-led with oak fermentation and a reserve of magnums; long the supplier of fictional spy James Bond's Champagne.
Tasting: Visits by appointment; Pinot-led house known for barrel fermentation and long lees ageing.
Signature wines: bollinger-special-cuvee, bollinger-grande-annee
Tip: The rare Vieilles Vignes Francaises comes from ungrafted, pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines.
Family-owned Epernay maison founded 1849, Winston Churchill's favourite Champagne, with cool, deep cellars and a prestige cuvee named in his honour.
Tasting: Visits by appointment; family house on the renamed Epernay street, formerly rue Henri Lelarge.
Signature wines: pol-roger-brut-reserve, pol-roger-cuvee-winston-churchill
Tip: The street was renamed rue Winston Churchill in 2025; older sources still say rue Henri Lelarge.
Reims house founded 1772 and owned by LVMH, shaped by Madame Clicquot, who pioneered the riddling table; known for its Yellow Label brut.
Tasting: Guided cellar tours and tastings; booking required, with a Clicquot Cafe on site.
Signature wines: veuve-clicquot-yellow-label, veuve-clicquot-la-grande-dame
Tip: Madame Clicquot is credited with inventing the riddling rack and the first known vintage rose.
Epernay house founded 1811, owned by Pernod Ricard, known for the Art Nouveau anemone bottle of its Belle Epoque prestige cuvee and a Chardonnay-leaning style.
Tasting: Belle Epoque Society tastings and visits at Maison Belle Epoque; reservation required.
Signature wines: perrier-jouet-belle-epoque, perrier-jouet-grand-brut
Tip: The anemone bottle was designed by Emile Galle in 1902 and revived for Belle Epoque in 1969.
