Visiting Champagne with a Dog

Martynt74

Martynt74

Martynt74

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Joined
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
We're driving back home from Spain at the start of June. It's my wifes birthday on the day we set off and i've added an extra day to the journey we did out here to try and make it more of a relaxed journey, with the aim to stop over in Epernay for some Champagne house tours/drinks.

The plan is to set off from here on the Friday, drive up to Girona/Narbonne depending on how we feel. Then on the Saturday drive to somewhere just south of Reims. Stay overnight there, and then wake up Sunday morning. Drive for around 2 hours to get into Reims and visit 1 or 2 Champagne houses, then finish off driving up to a final stop in Calais ahead of an early tunnel crossing on the Monday morning.

My initial plan was to aim for Gosset, it's our favourite champagne, and we had it at our wedding. However, i'm now realising that not many places are going to welcome a dog sniffing around their wine cellars. Even if he is a French Bulldog and has every right to go wherever he wants in France!

I've dropped Gosset an email to see if dogs are allowed on the grounds at all, on the basis that just going for a drink would be nice for us, but does anyone know of any places which might be more accommodating?

Otherwise i might consider a change of route and possibly try and head up the west side of France, and check out San Sebastian and Bordeaux and sack off Reims altogether and try and see more of central Spain

Paging @taB and @randomshenans who might have more knowledge than most.
 
You're going to visit the champagne houses and then drive to Calais for the overnight stop?

Are you sure you don't want to have the overnight stop where the champagne houses are, so you're not driving after you've just imbibed a load of free samples?

I know I was on the tipsy side after visiting the Veuve Clicquot house a few years back! :D

I'm afraid I don't know about their attitude to dogs though.
 
Well that was initially the plan, but then i realised i'd been stupid and booked a 9am crossing. Reims to Calais is around 3 hours drive, and assuming i need to be there at least an hour before for checking the dog in at passport control, that'd mean leaving around 5am which would be less than pleasant!
 
Veuve Clic site:
"The site will not accept animals inside. We meet standards related to our food safety certifications and cannot accept animals throughout the visitor centre".

Veuve Clicquot - Visit our Cellars

Discover the remarkable heritage of Veuve Clicquot in the heart of Reims with one of our once-in-a-lifetime tour and tasting.
www.veuveclicquot.com www.veuveclicquot.com

I'd presume most places are the same... unless you're rich/famous and expect to buy a LOT of stuff while you're there.
 
been here - Monbazillac dordogne - if you had wine with your desert
Les chiens en laisse sont autorisés à l'extérieur du château, mais pas à l'interieur. Si c'est un petit chien que vous pouvez porter dans les bras pendant la visite, alors ça ne pose pas de problème. Sinon, il faudra trouver une autre solution pour qu'il reste à l'extérieur du château. Nous n'avons pas d'endroit pour le garder.

otherwise go red ? Pommard
Puis-je venir au Château avec mon chien ?
Nos amis à quatre pattes sont les bienvenus tant qu'ils sont tenus en laisse.
 
Martynt74 said:
Well that was initially the plan, but then i realised i'd been stupid and booked a 9am crossing. Reims to Calais is around 3 hours drive, and assuming i need to be there at least an hour before for checking the dog in at passport control, that'd mean leaving around 5am which would be less than pleasant!
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I'd say you need to change your itinerary to get to Reims a day earlier then and have a stop there and in Calais.

The alternative seems to be to drive the 3 hours from Reims to Calais half tanked...
 
Ian_Eb said:
Maybe there are some local dog places that might take them for single days?
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Good shout, although with it being a Sunday i'm not sure. I think we'll just sack it off most likely and drive up the west coast, stopping off along the dordogne which should make for a more scenic route.

I wasn't really planning on getting tanked, just going for some lunch having a glass, maybe 2 and then picking up a few bottles.

Stupid dogs ruin everything!
 
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Martynt74 said:
I wasn't really planning on getting tanked, just going for some lunch having a glass, maybe 2 and then picking up a few bottles.
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You say that now, but when you get to the end of the tour and they plonk 5 glasses of different champagnes in front of you to sample you might change your tune! :D
 
bazzabear said:
You say that now, but when you get to the end of the tour and they plonk 5 glasses of different champagnes in front of you to sample you might change your tune! :D
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Indeed, only noobs and alcoholics drive to tasting sessions.
 
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sigma said:
Indeed, only noobs and alcoholics drive to tasting sessions.
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Nonsense. Just don’t swallow. Spit it out. Then you can taste-test a dozen or more wines. Back in the 90s and 2000s I used to travel in France and taste 50+ wines a day for a fortnight. But you have to be religious about spitting it out. (I wasn’t good at wine-tasting; I have a poor sense of taste but I just enjoyed it and it helped me with my French.)
 
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Quartz said:
Nonsense. Just don’t swallow. Spit it out. Then you can taste-test a dozen or more wines. Back in the 90s and 2000s I used to travel in France and taste 50+ wines a day for a fortnight. But you have to be religious about spitting it out. (I wasn’t good at wine-tasting; I have a poor sense of taste but I just enjoyed it and it helped me with my French.)
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Tasting = drinking to me, evidently :p
 
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