Meet Laura
Founder of Travel & Champagne | Champagne Expert
Laura VillanuevaI create bespoke private Champagne experiences for travelers who want to discover the region with greater depth, access and personal attention.
Based in Reims, I personally curate and guide private experiences throughout Champagne, from historic Champagne houses and independent growers to Grand Cru villages, exceptional tastings, fine dining and multi-day stays.
Every experience is designed around you. I don't follow fixed itineraries or combine guests into groups. Instead, I take the time to understand what interests you, how you like to travel and what you want to discover in Champagne.
No two experiences are the same.
My Story
Originally from California, I built my life in France around a deep appreciation for Champagne, French culture and the art of hospitality.
Before creating Travel & Champagne, I spent more than seven years with Rosewood Hotel Group, working in luxury hospitality and developing a deep understanding of what makes an experience truly exceptional.
That experience taught me that luxury is rarely about excess. It is about attention to detail, thoughtful recommendations, genuine relationships and making everything feel effortless for the guest.
Over time, my passion for Champagne became much more than a personal interest. I wanted to understand not only the wines themselves, but the people, places, history and traditions behind them.
That passion ultimately became Travel & Champagne.
Today, I bring together my background in luxury hospitality, my Champagne expertise and my knowledge of the region to create private experiences that allow clients to discover Champagne in a more personal way.
A Specialist in Champagne
My expertise extends across Champagne, from the region's historic Grand Maisons and prestigious cuvées to independent growers, Grand Cru and Premier Cru villages, terroir, vintage expression and the lesser-known varieties that form part of Champagne's history.
I hold the Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master certification and a WSET Diploma, and I have also earned the Weinakademiker qualification.
My academic work took me particularly deep into one of Champagne's lesser-known stories: its rare historic grape varieties.
For my Weinakademiker thesis, I explored Petit Meslier, Arbane, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris — four historic varieties that represent only a very small part of Champagne's vineyards today.
These varieties are a particular passion of mine. They offer a fascinating connection to Champagne's viticultural history and provide another perspective on the diversity of wines that can be produced in the region.
Whenever I have the opportunity to taste, discover or share a Champagne made with one of these lesser-known varieties, I am reminded that there is always another story to uncover here.
Champagne is far more than its most famous names.
Why Private Matters
Champagne deserves time.
Time to sit with a winemaker.
Time to compare vintages thoughtfully.
Time to understand why a village, vineyard or grape variety expresses itself the way it does.
I don't combine guests into groups or follow fixed routes. Every experience is created entirely around you.
Your day might include a prestigious Champagne house, an independent grower, a Grand Cru village, a private tasting, a long lunch or a bottle that has been waiting years to be opened.
The itinerary is designed around what interests you — not around a predetermined route.
Discover Champagne Your Way
Whether you are visiting Champagne for the first time, returning to explore it more deeply or looking for something you simply cannot find through a standard itinerary, I would be delighted to create a private experience around you.
From an afternoon discovering Grand Cru villages to a multi-day Champagne journey built around exceptional houses, growers, dining and rare wines, every experience is personally curated.
Tell me what brings you to Champagne, and I'll take it from there.