Champagne is only about a 2 hour drive from Paris. Lucky us! So, with my parents in tow, off we went to explore what this wonderful region had to offer in the unusually chilly March weather. And oh was it worth it. We started off in Reims which is the main city where all the major Champagne houses are located. We arrived ready to taste some world famous bubbly, only to find a rather deserted city. Although we'd done our research, and yes you could visit on Sundays, it turns out, we arrived around lunchtime when they had all closed for lunch. We didn't exactly get the early morning start we had planned on.
In Champagne without champagne. What do to? We decided to follow the 'Champagne route'. Although there are some sides we found ourselves driving through the country side, trying to figure out where to go. It was a lovely drive, a nice change from Reims and a nice break from Paris. Long, winding roads alongside fields with tidy rows of vines, leading to tiny passages, so narrow at points you could touch a building if you put your hand out of the window. Absolutely charming. Amazingly, tucked behind the walls are champagne producers.
We kept seeing one particular sign, but weren't really sure what it was for. Mom chiming in from the backseat - 'there it is again, read it, follow it!' Problem being, the sign didn't actually say much. Was it a producer, a location, an event? No arrows, no indication of what it was, where exactly it was or how to get there. So we kept driving. Another sign, and then another. Finally, a sign with the date one it....it's today! Now to find it. As luck would have it, the signs eventually had an arrow and we found ourselves down a small road that eventually turned to dirt. We parked. Little did we know we had just stumbled on a true gem.
We approached what seemed like someones home, with a bunch of people standing around chatting - they all seemingly knew each other. Truly feeling like outsiders, we ventured a bit further, only to realize we had stumbled on a tasting event. Lucky us! Oh the excitement. It was hosted by the champagne maker, who promptly came over to greet us, and asked if we would like to taste his champagne. Bien sûr! We tasted about 6 of his divine champagnes and Monsieur explained his family's champagne, how he made it, and the differences in each. All in French, mind you. Somehow, I understood and began translating for my parents. Who knew I actually did know some French now!? We all came to the conclusion that this was some of the best champagne we had ever tasted...yes, including Moet, Veuve, Nicolas Feuillatte (my previous personal favorite), or even Dom.
Every month or so, Monsieur and other producers in the area get together and host tasting events, inviting producers from other areas. There were wines from Bordeaux and Provence, oysters, escargot, and fresh smoked salmon, fresh bread, foie gras and even jams. Monsieur invited us to visit the other distributors and have a picnic if we'd like...and so we did. They had set up tables on the grass and in the kitchen, providing utensils and anything else you might need - including a corkscrew! So there in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, we had ourselves a little French feast. Perfect. I'm not sure I've ever seen my dad in such good spirits! He was like a little kid in a candy store.
Rather reluctantly, after we'd had our fill, we carried on to explore a bit more, trying to find a few more producers who might still be open. It really is best to make appointments, but we decided to try our luck. We were invited into a woman's kitchen, where she went to the fridge and opened a fresh bottle for us to try. We bought a bottle and were on our way again.We found a couple more places, but none of the champagne was nearly as good as the first. Contently, with bottles clinking in the trunk, we made our way back to Paris.
What is there not to love about France?
