Postcards from Champagne Country travels

Last month my Spaswinefood travels took me to France where a friend and I toured the Champagne region. We soon discovered that it is hard to beat visiting Champagne in the spring time. Our week began in Reims, and ended in Epernay, both cities lay claim to being the Champagne city for the region. Honestly, I think the claim is fair for both. In addition, to spending time in both cities, we toured the region by car, thoroughly enjoying those Sideways moments. While out and about we (an obsessed wine blogger and a friend) visited both large Champagne houses and small producers. 

Cramant Vineyards, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood

It was easy to fall in love with this amazing wine region. Interacting one-on-one with the people of Champagne, eating freshly prepared food at local bistros, picking up fruit at the local markets, and of course discovering the various Champagne styles, is what makes Champagne wine country travels so very special. 

Postcards from Champagne Country

I look forward to writing future posts on Champagne Country however, first let me share a a few postcards:

Travels in Champagne-Ardene, France © Spaswinefood

Reims

We began our wine country travels in Reims. By coincidence one of the first places we stopped was Taittinger, where I met up with a #winelover friend.

Tasting Champagne at Taittinger © Spaswinefood

Champagne Taittinger is a showcase for one of the region’s most respected viticultural names. They offer hour-long tours, which includes a visit to their cellars, followed a tasting session.

Champagne Taittinger © Spaswinefood

I strongly recommend that you pop into the nearby Abbey of Saint-Remi to get a sense of the rich history of this wine region.

Abbey of Saint-Remi © Spaswinefood

While in Reims we checked out a few wine bars, sampled wines at local restaurants, and explored nearby villages. 

Reims wine bars are a must. From all reports Au Bon Manger tops the list. Regrettably, we dropped by on short notice and was unable to get a table. I would suggest making a reservation well in advance to make sure.

Au Bon Manger © Spaswinefood

We did manage to get a table at Le Wine Bar by Le Vintage.

Le Wine Bar, Reims © Spaswinefood

Throughout our travels, beyond discovering Champagne types, my focus was primarily on tasting Vintage Champagne, and those Champagnes made with 100% Pinot Meunier, one of the three grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier), used in the making of Champagne. When we dropped by Le Wine Bar I order a bottle of Pinot Meunier, a still wine, to help me develop an understanding of this grape variety's characteristics. 

Pinot Meunier Time, Le Wine Bar © Spaswinefood

Le Wine Bar © Spaswinefood

If you are looking for further historical and cultural insights into Reims, then the Cathedral of Notre Dame Cathedral is a must while in town.

Reims Cathedral © Spaswinefood

We ate at a number of local restaurants, of which the historic Cafe de Palais, was definitely a favorite.

Cafe de Palais © Spaswinefood

Villages and Vineyards
Our countryside explorations were great opportunities to explore nearby villages and vineyards along the way. 

Vrigny Vineyards, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood

Champagne LeLarge Pugeot, Vrigny © Spaswinefood

We did tastings at local wineries, and ate lunches in the villages. One of our Champagne tastings took us to Louis Casters in Damery.

 Royal Moments, Champagne Louis Casters © Spaswinefood

Yes, we toasted the royal couple with Louis Casters Champagne.

The Royal Couple © Spaswinefood

After a most delightful wine tasting at Louis Casters we traveled onto Boursault for lunch.

Le Petit Boursault © Spaswinefood

When your tour Champagne in the springtime you can not help but feel inspired.

Champagne-Ardene Wine Country Travels © Spaswinefood

Avenue de Champagne

After four days, using Reims as our base, we relocated to Epernay. If you have only one day to visit Champagne from Paris, most likely you will visit Epernay’s Avenue de Champagne. Avenue de Champagne is home to major Champagne houses. In fact visiting Avenue de Champagne is often a day trip from Paris.

Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood

Fortunately our stay was long enough to not only could we drop by major Champagne houses like, Moët & Chandon, but also visit nearby villages to discover smaller producers, and visit the vineyards. The vineyards of Champagne are quite stunning in the springtime.

More Villages and Vineyards

Indeed, we could not stop exploring nearby villages and vineyards. One of those villages was Hautvillers.

Vineyards, Hautvillers © Spaswinefood

We toured this beautiful small town, stopping for a wine tasting at Champagne G. Tribaut, a family winery.

Champagne G. Tribaut, Hautvillers © Spaswinefood

After the tasting we ate lunch at Cafe de Hautvillers.

Cafe de Hautvillers © Spaswinefood

Obviously, we were inspired to visit more vineyards and wineries. For now I will highlight a few stops we made to the south of Epernay.

Mareuil-sur-Ay, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood

We loved our explorations in and around Avize. We did a most delightful tasting at Le Brun Servenay in Avize.

Le Brun Servenay, Avize © Spaswinefood

Le Brun Servenay Champagne © Spaswinefood

I do not know why I waited so long to visit this wine region. Yes, Champagne is classy, both the region and its wines. We would like to thank Claire Sarazin for being a wonderful host, not only during our visit to Taittinger, but also offering advice on things to do and see. I invite you to join me in my travels in the Champagne Region, France and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon

Reims, France

May 2018

© Spaswinefood

Spring Vines, Champagne © Spaswinefood

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