Now that summer is in full swing my thoughts quietly return to that avenue in the Champagne wine region, home to that wonderful bubbly wine, by the same name. These beautiful summer days are Champagne days for sure. Let's take a stroll down Avenue de Champagne (Champagne Avenue), Epernay where you will pass by major Champagne houses. Travelers, who have only one day to visit the Champagne wine region from Paris, are most likely to visit Avenue de Champagne. Those with a longer stay will find Champagne wine country exciting to explore. Yes, let's begin our Champagne wine country explorations by taking a walk down Avenue de Champagne.
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| Avenue de Champagne Moments © Spaswinefood |
Our recent wine country travels took us to Epernay, one of the two commercial centers (Epernay and Reims), in this wine region. We were most fortunate to have three days to explore the Epernay area. Our visit, just before the tourist season, was perfect timing to escape the crowds. After all this region is one of the most popular tourist attractions in France.
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| Hotel de Ville (City Hall), Epernay © Spaswinefood |
Epernay is located in the historical province of Champagne in northeastern France, which is best known for the Champagne wine region. Epernay lays claim to being the Capital for the region. No visit to Epernay is complete without a walk down Avenue de Champagne. During our visit we walked down the avenue at least twice a day. During our walks, besides seeing the Champagne houses, we also noted other significant buildings along Champagne Avenue.
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| College de Garçons, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
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| SGV, Syndicat General des Vigerons de la Champagne, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
Some of the Champagne houses we saw along the route included:
1. Champagne Collard-Picard
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| Champagne Collard-Picard, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
2. Champagne A. Bergere
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| Champagne A. Bergere, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
3. Champagne Perrier-Jouet
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| Champagne Perrier-Jouet © Spaswinefood |
Then of course you will most likely want to visit one or more of the Champagne houses. Champagne houses typically offer cellar tours, share a few stories about their history, and explain the basics of Champagne making, such as the three types of grapes (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier) used in the making of Champagne. They offer a glass of Champagne to taste at the end of the tour. One of the houses we visited was Moët & Chandon.
4. Moët & Chandon
Moët & Chandon, one of the most prestige's and largest champagne house, was founded by Claude Moët in 1743. It was known as Moët until 1833 when it was renamed Moët & Chandon. It took the name Moët & Chandon when the grandson of Claude Moët, Jean-Remy Moët added his son in-law (Pierre-Gabriel Chandon) name to the company's name.
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Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood
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During our visit we toured Moët & Chandon cellar.
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| Wine Cellars, Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood |
At the end of the tour they offered a glass of their
Imperial Champagne. Their Moët Imperial Champagne label is their largest production.
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| Moët & Chandon, Imperial Champagne © Spaswinefood |
As their display indicates it is available in many bottle sizes.
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| Sizing up Moët & Chandon, Imperial Champagne © Spaswinefood |
Their Vintage Champagne concept was introduced in 1840, with 1842 being the first vintage.
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| Moët & Chandon, Vintage Champagne © Spaswinefood |
Let me not forget about Dom Perignon, their most prestige cuvée. Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk, is known as the Father of Champagne. They began the production of Dom Perignon Champagne in 1921, with first release in 1936. This Champagne needs 12 years to produce its silky finish. As you enter Moët & Chandon there is a memorial to Dom Perignon.
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| Pom Perignon, Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood |
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| Dom Perignon Display © Spaswinefood |
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| Dom Perignon Rose © Spaswinefood |
When you visit a Champagne house you may want to taste more than that one glass available at the end of the tour. I would recommend that you schedule a special tasting to get to know the types of Champagne they produce. During our walks along the avenue and around town we loved viewing the Champagne displays in wine shop windows. After all it is not everyday that I have the opportunity to do so.
Champagne Perrier-Jouet
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| Champagane Perrier-Jouet Wines © Spaswinefood |
Champagne Louis Roederer
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| Champagne Louis Roederer © Spaswinefood |
Champagne Ruinart
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| Champagne Ruinart © Spaswinefood |
Epernay is indeed fun town to just hangout. We certainly enjoyed exploring during our visit.
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Champagne de Castellane, Epernay © Spaswinefood
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While in Epernay we choose a small hotel located at the end of Avenue de Champagne, not far from Champagne de Castellane. Those choosing to stay in Epernay will find a number of accommodation options. I would recommend staying on, or near the avenue because it makes it easy to explore the champagne houses, and city center. We loved exploring Epernay. It's small town charm is amazing. In addition, to spending time in Epernay, we would also recommend touring the region by car. We thoroughly enjoyed those Sideways moments.
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Cramant Vineyards, Champagne-Ardene © Spaswinefood
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Fortunately our Eperney stay gave us time to, not only drop by major Champagne houses, but also visit nearby villages. Champagne’s vineyards are especially beautiful in the springtime. Sure, I loved seeing the big names in the Champagne world, but perhaps the springtime vineyards most captured my attention. Our Champagne-Ardene wine country travels took us to the nearby towns of Avize, Cramant, Mareuil-sur-Ay, and Vertus.
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| Mareuil-sur-Ay, 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.
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| Avenue de Champagne, Epernay © Spaswinefood |
Do take that walk down Epernay's Avenue de Champagne but also get out and see Champagne's countryside. Our travels in Champagne's wine region, home to the most famous sparkling wine in the world, all led to amazing discoveries both in Epernay and nearby villages. I invite you to join me in my travels in the Champagne Region, France and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.
Sharon
Epernay, France
May 2018
© Spaswinefood
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| Spaswinefood, Moët & Chandon © Spaswinefood |
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