Not far from Paris lies the Champagne region of France. With the grapes of Moet & Chandon, Veuve Cliquot and G.H. Mumm, the vineyards were set high on my list of attractions.
We set off from Paris on the 'Ouibus' to Reims which took less than 2 hours to arrive. Reims is a beautiful town with artisan food stores and great restaurants. Maisson Fossier makes the region famous pink rose biscuits, designed to be eaten dipped in Champagne - bizarre but delicious!
To start the weekend right we had no choice but to pop a bottle of the sparkling stuff at the highly rated Cafe du Palais. It's an excellent people-watching spot which provided good shelter and entertainment while the rain passed through the town.
We arranged a Champagne tasting tour with Vine Escape. We were picked up on Saturday morning and driven towards the nearby town of Epernay to travel along the renowned Avenue de Champagne. The first stop was the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers containing the burial site of Dom Perignon (French Benedicton Monk who made valuable contributions towards the production of Champagne).
We moved on to our visit of a smaller Champagne House of Guy Mea where we participated in tasting A LOT of Champagne followed by a traditional country style lunch. We were served a selection of ham, cheeses; pickles, bread, salads and dessert made with that Maisson Fossier rose pink biscuit. Additionally, dessert was served with housemade Ratafia - a fortified wine made with the leftover grape juice and champagne.
After a delicious lunch we hopped back in the van to explore some more of the region. Stopping at the vineyards on the way, our guide was very informative about the production and rules associated with growing grapes and producing Champagne in the region. It seems like tough work on with all these rules, but I can see now how much effort goes into creating the perfect glass of bubbly!
Our next stop was the Champagne House of P. Lancelot-Royer where we learnt about the process of producing the Champagne, and a tour underground of the extensive chalk caves in which the Champagne is stored, turned and perfected! This Champagne House runs completely by word of mouth as they do not have a website or do any marketing - and their Champagne tastes great, so look out for it next time you are at a bar with an extensive wine list! We, of course, finished our visit with a generous taste of their selection.
With bottles in hand and a warming glow, we completed the tour with our drive back to Reims. Vine Escape provided the perfect small group, small Champagne House experience and I could not rate them more highly. Despite not visiting a major house like Moet & Chandon, the experience was unique and good value, having the whole day to learn all about the production and sip on quality Champagne which I have not been able to taste before, outside France.
It's not just the vineyards that attract people to the area; the Notre Dame de Reims was spectacular! The site of the coronations of the Kings of France, with the stained glass window artworks and 149m tall towers, it was made a UNESCO heritage site in 1991.
A visit to the Surrender Museum was fascinating, and an attraction which is so under visited considering the significance of this place in World War 2. It is the building within Franklin Roosevelt High School in which on 7 May 1945, general Eisenhower and the Allied Forces received the surrender documents from the Germans. The room is predominantly untouched and preserved for the public to view. Copies of the documents are visible to visitors along with other WWII relics. This was one of my history buff partner's highlights!
After a great weekend of Champagne and history, we travelled back to Paris on the fast train, arriving back within a ridiculously short 45 minutes.
Knowing that there are so many great regions in France to travel just like Reims, I cannot wait to further explore these places outside the major cities in the rest of Europe.
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