30 Apr 2023
There turned out to be only two of us signed up for this tour, but our guide Raphael was happy to continue (despite the minimum number normally being three). Our thanks to him for that. What an interesting guy he proved to be. He told us he had previously been the sommelier at Le Grand Vefour which is probably enough to establish anyone's credentials as a wine expert. Essentially this tour takes the form of an introductory champagne tasting (at Les Editeurs in this instance) accompanied by what amounted to a tutorial about the history and process behind champagne. Having been primed with a load of new knowledge you are then taken on a walking route stopping at various locations to pick up bread, cheese, and pastries, ending up in a wine shop to consume the above and enjoy several champagne tastings. We learned a lot and enjoyed the trip immensely. The fascinating thing is that although the walking route took us to places with which we were very familiar, having visited them many times over the years, Raphael's commentary opened our eyes to lots of things we previously knew nothing about. His knowledge and understanding of the place and the history was as impressive as his appreciation and knowledge of wines. The tour took a generous four hours and was not rushed in any way. There was a fair bit of walking involved but much less than we would anticipate for a normal day wandering around Paris. If you don't enjoy urban walking or don't have comfortable shoes, this is probably not for you. If you genuinely want to learn more about champagne and want the opportunity to compare grape mines etc, then this is for you. Having experiences this trip we are tempted to explore the day trip options out of town.