Champagne
Visiting Pol Roger in Épernay, Churchill's champagne house, and where to stay
Pol Roger does not open its doors to everyone. Here is how to ask for a visit, and where to stay in Épernay and among the vineyards.
11 November 20267 min
Picolo Editorial
In short: Pol Roger
Pol Roger is a champagne house in Épernay, best known for its link with Winston Churchill. Visits are not open to the general public, so you ask the house for an invitation well ahead. La Villa Eugène is the best base in the town. Hôtel Margaux in Épernay and Hotel Castel Jeanson in Aÿ-Champagne are the alternatives.
Our first choice: La Villa Eugène. Check availability and prices at La Villa Eugène
Pol Roger and Winston Churchill
The house was founded in 1849 and is based in Épernay. Churchill's fondness for it led to the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, according to a visitor's guide from En Primeur Club. The United Kingdom remains one of Pol Roger's most important markets.
The cellars run through the chalk beneath the town. The same guide says the tunnels largely survived the First World War and now hold reserve and aged wines.
Can you visit Pol Roger?
Not as a walk-in visitor. The En Primeur Club guide describes the house as open to trade visitors and to people who arrive by invitation. The route in is a direct email or phone request to the hospitality team, sent well in advance.
Give your dates, your group size and the wines you hope to taste. Requests sent in the last week before a visit are likely to be declined, because the schedule is already set. A fine wine merchant or importer that holds the Pol Roger agency can also open the door.
A visit goes down into the chalk galleries, follows the steps from blending to disgorgement, and ends with a tasting of several cuvées. The non-vintage Brut Réserve is almost always poured. Treat it as a working visit and arrive with a question, such as how a particular vintage is developing.
Without an invitation, the Avenue de Champagne is still worth the trip. Several houses along it receive visitors by booking. Our guide to Champagne tours covers them, and the hotels in Reims.
Where to stay near Pol Roger
Épernay is small enough to walk, and most of the hotels below sit within a short stroll or a short drive of the Avenue de Champagne. We have chosen five, each for a different kind of stay.
La Villa Eugène: a five-star house in the historic district
La Villa Eugène stands in Épernay's historic district, close to the Avenue de Champagne and the Hôtel de Ville. The house is Belle Epoque in style. The hotel has a hot tub, a sauna, an outdoor pool, a bar and lounge and a terrace.
Rooms are designed, with pillowtop mattresses, blackout drapes and 24-hour room service. It suits couples who want to walk to the cellars after breakfast and come back to a quiet bar.
Hôtel Margaux: a spa and a restaurant in town
Hôtel Margaux is in Épernay itself. It has a spa, a restaurant, a bar and lounge and a fitness centre. The photographs show a modern dining room with wood panelling and a bar with a stone wall.
Choose it if you want a hotel with its own spa and restaurant rather than a historic house, and the town's streets on your doorstep.
Hotel Castel Jeanson: a quieter stay in Aÿ-Champagne
Aÿ-Champagne is a village among the vineyards, about 2.3 miles from Épernay. The hotel has an indoor pool, a terrace, free parking and free Wi-Fi.
A car or a short taxi ride takes you into Épernay for dinner. Choose it for a quieter stay, at a lower price level than the five-star houses.
Le 25Bis by Leclerc Briant: a stay with a champagne house
Le 25Bis belongs to the Leclerc Briant champagne house. Hotels.com notes free continental breakfast between 8:00 and 10:00, and private tours and tastings for wine lovers. There is a bar and lounge, a terrace and a garden.
It is one of the hotels in our guide to Champagne tours, where it sits beside the other houses on the Avenue de Champagne.
Royal Champagne Hôtel & Spa: the vineyard view
Royal Champagne is a five-star hotel in Champillon, about 3.4 miles from Épernay, with a terrace overlooking the vineyard. It has a hot tub, a steam room, a sauna, an outdoor pool, a restaurant and a fitness centre open 24 hours. Breakfast and parking are free.
Choose it if the hotel is the point of the trip and you are happy to drive to the cellars.
Getting to Épernay
Direct trains run from Paris Gare de l'Est to Épernay, so a weekend works without a car. From London, the usual route is Eurostar to Paris and a change of station. A car or a taxi helps if you stay in Champillon or Aÿ-Champagne.
Our first choice in Épernay
La Villa Eugène
La Villa Eugène is the hotel we would pick for a champagne weekend in Épernay. You walk to the Avenue de Champagne, then return to the hot tub, the sauna or the pool, and in the evening to the bar and the terrace. The rooms have premium bedding and blackout drapes. It is a boutique hotel, so book early for weekends.
Can you visit Pol Roger?
Not as a walk-in visitor. A guide from En Primeur Club describes the house as open to trade visitors and to people who arrive by invitation. Write or phone the hospitality team well in advance, giving your dates, group size and the wines you hope to taste. Requests sent in the final week before a visit are likely to be declined.
Where should you stay in Épernay for champagne?
La Villa Eugène is our first choice, a five-star boutique hotel in the historic district close to the Avenue de Champagne. For a spa and a restaurant in the town, Hôtel Margaux is the alternative. For a quieter stay, look at Hotel Castel Jeanson in Aÿ-Champagne, about 2.3 miles from Épernay, which has an indoor pool.
How do you get to Épernay from Paris?
Take a direct train from Paris Gare de l'Est to Épernay, which makes a weekend possible without a car. If you stay outside the town, in Champillon or Aÿ-Champagne, a car or a taxi helps. From London, the usual route is Eurostar to Paris and then a change of station.
Why is Pol Roger linked to Winston Churchill?
Churchill's fondness for the house led to the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, according to En Primeur Club's visitor guide. The United Kingdom remains one of the house's most important markets, which is why the name carries weight in Britain. The house itself is the best source for the history.
What happens on a visit to Pol Roger?
A visit goes down into the chalk galleries beneath Épernay, follows the steps from blending to disgorgement, and ends with a tasting of several cuvées. The non-vintage Brut Réserve is almost always poured. Trade and collector visits may also include a vintage blanc de blancs or the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill.
Sources
Access, the cellars and the Churchill link come from En Primeur Club's guide to visiting Pol Roger and Billecart-Salmon. Hotel facilities and locations come from Hotels.com. Check the house directly for its current visiting terms.
Enjoy Paris
Picolo Editorial