Visit Burgundy’s Oldest Winemakers
Maison Champy Wine Tasting Experience
French Hotel Barge Finesse - Burgundy Barge Cruises
Does it get any more indulgent than sampling exceptional wines at the vineyards of Burgundy’s oldest wine company? Since its founding in 1720, Maison Champy has been producing award-winning wines, and it’s the newest stop on
Finesse’s itinerary.
What is so special about Maison Champy?
Maison Champy owns around twenty-one hectares of vines, with most on the Côte de Beaune. This region of France is famous for producing some of the world’s most expensive white wines and for fermenting a tiny proportion of Burgundy’s best reds.
Maison Champy makes both white and red wines, of which the most prestigious is Grand Cru. Another speciality of this experienced wine-maker is Pernand-Vergelesses premier crus, known for its intense ruby color. Planted in 1158 by the monks of the Abbey of Maizières, Le Clos de Bully in this region is one of the oldest in Burgundy. Harvesting is organic to preserve and highlight the true character of the unique terrain where the grapes are grown.
History of Maison Champy
The Champy family established themselves in the early eighteenth century and the French Revolution aided their ambitions to buy more land in Beaune. In 1779, the civil war enabled Maison Champy to expand its influence in the region and the family acquired additional land to plant more vineyards.
Maison Champy prospered again in the nineteenth century after supporting the scientific discoveries of Louis Pasteur. The forward-thinking attitude of Maison Champy meant that their wine cellars were the origin of the invention of pasteurization in the 1860s. Although the pasteurization process is now associated with the dairy industry, wine was responsible for its invention.
However, Maison Champy didn’t limit itself to just winemaking and science. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the company invested in engineering after being inspired by the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1890, a winery, fermentation cellar, and wine cellar were all built in the innovative ‘Eiffel’ style.
Within a decade, Maison Champy was exhibiting its wines at fairs and international exhibitions, gaining a formidable reputation as one of the best winemakers in Burgundy. Maison Champy was recognized with gold medals for two successive years in 1889 and 1900 at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris.
Today, Maison Champy is still a major player in the Côte de Beaune, exporting its prestigious wines all over the world.
New addition to Finesse's itinerary
The new Maison Champy wine-tasting experience, lunch and vineyard tour can be enjoyed on the Finesse classic cruise itinerary, as well as their golf and wine themed cruises. Families can also choose to visit the vineyard, where younger guests are offered a juice tasting.
The visit to Maison Champy starts after breakfast on the Wednesday of every cruise. After a drive through the UNESCO-listed Côte de Beaune vineyards, guests arrive in the capital of Burgundy’s wine country, the town of Beaune. When guests arrive at Maison Champey, Finesse’s captain will escort them through the vineyards, telling them about the surrounding landscape and the vineyard itself. On arrival at the wine house, a wine expert will take over to give a private tour of the wine cellars and a wine tasting experience. Guests will learn about the production of the region’s finest Premier and Grand Cru wines, trying two Premier Crus and three Grand Crus – one of which is from one of their best plots.
A private lunch will follow at CUVE 17. This unmissable and unique dining venue has been created from one of the winery’s historic wooden wine vats, known as “cuves”. An exceptional four-course seasonal lunch (including cheese) is served with wine pairings of Premier and Grand Crus. Guests will choose in advance from a range of dishes on a set menu which changes throughout the year.
Following the Maison Champy experience, guests visit the stunning 15th century Hôtel-Dieu Hospice and return to the barge for an afternoon cruise past the charming little town of Chagny.
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About The French Hotel Barge Finesse
Finesse is a double-decker hotel barge that has been built to exacting standards with luxury in mind, enhanced by her modern public areas and very spacious cabin suite accommodation.
Finesse is the perfect vessel on which to cruise the meandering waterways of Southern Burgundy past vineyards and charming canalside villages, and to discover fascinating places along the way such as Autun, Beaune and Dijon.
Cruise Details:
Cruise Highlights:
- Visit Clos de Vougeot, home of the Chevaliers du Tastevin
- Tour and private wine tasting at Maison Champy, the oldest winemakers in Burgundy
- Visit to Beaune, including Hôtel-Dieu Hospice
- Visit to the ancient roman city of Autun
- Lunch with wine pairings, served in a unique dining venue, created from a historic wooden wine vat
- Excellent opportunities for walking and biking
- "Biking Plus" option available
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