About 90 minutes by car, or less than an hour by the new TGV high-speed train line, Champagne is one of the closest wine regions to France's capital, and well worth a visit.
Champagne's "Grandes Marques" are some of the most recognizable brands in the world - Moet, Taittinger, Mumm and the like produce top cuvees, and are easy to find in any decent wine shop. Some of these are great places to visit, both for tasting and the fascinating history of ancient families and colorful characters. However, there's a lot more to the region than just these famous names.
Just as in Bordeaux, Burgundy or indeed any other region, the real challenge is in finding something the rest of the world doesn't know about. Small independent producers are the connoisseur's secret in Champagne. Not only are the visits more personal than a huge corporate organization, but the wines tend to be more personal also.
We include both kinds of producer in our tours, of course, and our guests remember each for its own reasons - it's great to see the fabulous Gallo-Roman "Crayeres" cellars of Ruinart (which happens to be one of our favorite visits) or learn about the unique barrel-aging philosophy of Bollinger, and to compare them with family operations like Vilmart, Geoffroy or Autreau.
We typically stay out in the country at a fabulous B&B on another premium family estate, close enough to Reims to be able to run in for dinner or to visit the historic center and magnificent cathedral, where all the kings and queens of France were crowned since the time of King Clovis who was baptized there in 498. Even Jean d'Arc managed to get Charles VII crowned here, before she met her own untimely end in Rouen.
The wine
Although not part of the Burgundy region, Champagne shares the same chardonnay and pinot noir varietals, as well as pinot gris. Blanc de blanc champagne is made from just chardonnay grapes whereas blanc de noir is white champagne made from pinot noir - the color is removed by filtration during the winemaking process. Rosé champagnes of course also use the pinot noir grape to give them their pink color.
Champagne is made by fermenting grapes to produce still wine which is then blended and aged as it would be in any other wine region - the difference in Champagne of course is the bubbles! These are created by a second yeast fermentation which is achieved by adding a small "dose" of sugar syrup to the bottle of wine. The fine lees (dead yeast cells) produced by this second fermentation are gradually worked to the neck of the bottle by the famous riddling process. Traditionally this was done manually, with a quarter turn of the bottle each day, as it was gradually tilted from the horizontal to vertical position. These days riddling is almost always done by machine except for some very special cuvees.
Champagnes are named according to their degree of sweetness, and it is the amount of sugar in the dosage that determines the type of champagne - demi-sec is the sweetest, sec (dry) is less sweet and brut is what we think of as dry champagne, but there is also extra brut which is even drier. Brut is actually the term the French gave to champagne ordered by the British in the 19th century because they considered it too dry for a refined palette and only suitable for the "brutish" Englishman's taste.
Reims itself goes back far beyond the time of Clovis, and some of the most interesting remnants are the chalk mines of the Gallo-Roman period, which descend deep into the ground around the city. Some of the most impressive wine aging caves in the world are found here, such as Pommery, Ruinart and Taittinger, whose cellars are built from these conical excavations dating back to the 2nd Century AD.
Epernay, about 20 minutes south of Reims, is a small town but many of the major champagne houses are located here, particularly along the "Champagne Alley" that runs through the center of town. Aside from the famous large houses, there are many small independent Champagne producers, whose wine is often known only to connoisseurs and represents some of the most interesting - and often best value - champagnes. Most of these are located in small, picturesque villages on the rolling hills of this beautiful region, and some can be quite a challenge to find!
In especially good years Champagne producers have the option to declare a vintage, but for non-vintage wine the production from different years and different vineyards is blended by the cellarmaster to produce a consistent style of the house. Thus, the production can be continued throughout the year as the market demands, and the consumer can always rely on the character of his favorite brand.
One of the most unique wine-growing regions of the world, with history, delightful countryside and villages and the world's most popular festive beverage, Champagne is an easily-accessible region that any wine lover finds hard to resist when in Paris!
