Champagne Moments
‘Come quickly,’ Dom Perignon is said to have exclaimed on tasting the first sparkling wine, ‘I am drinking the stars’. It’s a great line, but the Benedictine monk is unlikely to have spoken it. Ignoring the fact that the sentence was actually dreamed up for a nineteenth-century advertising campaign, the truth of the matter is that sparkling wines had been discovered – and rediscovered – many times prior to the eighteenth century.
The monastery where Dom Perignon made his discovery is located around an hour’s drive to the northeast of La Vallée Village, in Champagne. The famous wine region is at the heart of northern Europe’s trading routes – and its capital, Reims, boasts a cathedral where France’s kings were once crowned.
These days, the attractive cities of Reims, Epernay and Troyes have become synonymous with the production of the world’s most famous sparkling wine. Named after its region of origin, Champagne has long been considered to be a drink for celebrities, royalty and special occasions.
We’re no longer surprised by its bubbles, but it does come as news to most people that this white wine is usually made with a blend of white and red grapes. There are three grape varieties that are key to the production of Champagne: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are famous in their own right for the still wines they produce in Burgundy, while Pinot Meunier, which lends richness and weight to the Champagne blend, is less well known.
The heartland of Champagne lies between the cities of Reims and Epernay, while beneath them lies treasure. The chalky soils of the Montagne de Reims, the Marne Valley and the Côte de Blancs are believed to give the region’s wines their characteristic freshness, so it is here that you’ll find Champagne’s key vineyards. Most of Champagne’s biggest names are based in these two cities – and the chalky soils have been carved into a network of tunnels where the wines are stored for the months and years of their second fermentation in bottle (the process that gives the wines their sparkle).
A visit to one of the big houses is a must if you’re in the area. Champagne Mumm provides visitors with a tour of the cellars and a tasting, while if you time your trip right, a visit to Domaine Pommery will reward you with an art exhibition in the grounds of the château as well as a taste of fizz.
Further to the south, the Aube region, located near the beautiful, half-timbered city of Troyes, is perhaps more scenic than the flatter region to the north – but its wines are less prestigious. As a result, the region is dominated by smaller wineries, and there are bargains to be had. A visit (by appointment, as with the wineries cited above) to the up-and-coming Dosnon-Lepage winery will give you an insight into the reasons why growers’ Champagnes (as the wines of these smaller producers are known) are fast becoming the fizz of choice for connoisseurs the world over.
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- Vineyard in Champagne: © ATOUT FRANCE/Fabian Charaffi
- Close up of grapes and Verzenay windmill: © ATOUT FRANCE/CRT Champagne-Ardenne/Oxley
31-05-2011
