Explore the famous French region’s cellars, tasting a few glasses of bubbly along the way WORDS Janine Jorgensen
Sitting round an elegant table, I’m admiring the tiny bubbles floating
to the top of my glass and anticipating my first drink of the day. It’s
probably a bit early – 10.30am – but when in Champagne …
We’ve just driven through green vineyards and villages, past shuttered
stone houses and blue-capped men on bicycles. It all seems very
romantic in an open-top, vintage-car way – only we’re in a bus with a
French pop star belting out a soppy ballad. But as the corks pop at
Maison Bonnaire – first stop on our champagne-tasting tour – and we
enjoy a few glasses, the drink’s allure and effect are all too evident.
Making champagne is a complicated process as Julien, our guide at
Bonnaire, explains. From the grapes being hand-harvested (by law) to
the bottles being corked, it takes about two years. And that’s if
you’re lucky enough to have a good harvest. Some big champagne houses
buy their grapes, but at Bonnaire they grow their own and it’s a family
affair, run by Jean-Louis Bonnaire.
A few glasses later, we’re driving down Avenue de Champagne in Épernay, one of the most expensive streets in the world according to Jean-Yves, our guide. Why? Because beneath it are the cellars of houses including Moët et Chandon and Mercier, storing millions of bottles of champagne.
While enjoying a four-course lunch, Jean-Yves explains what glasses to drink champagne in.
“Tulip-shaped or flute with a long stem, which enhances the flow of aromas and bubbles and your hands don’t warm the drink,” he says. “It’s best not to have your glasses too clean, as the bubbles need a rough surface to form.”
So why is champagne so expensive? Apart from the hard work and skill – choosing grapes, blending wines, fermenting, disgorging, and corking – there’s also the branding. At Mumm in Reims we’re led underground into its chalk cellar and told how many celebrities have drunk “only the best” made here.
The slick visit to Mumm is different from our previous stop at William Saintot in Avenay Val D’or, where the family are in the courtyard, tucking into baguettes.
Daughter Nathalie leads us into what looks like a garage but is, in fact, the cellar. Everything here is done by hand by the family, and there is great pride in their product.
“When do you drink champagne?” Julien asks us at the start of our day. Glitzy functions, celebrations, and if you’re feeling flush, we answer. But perhaps we should take a lesson from the French attitude to bubbly, where appreciation for the drink makes mid-morning as good a time as any.
Visiting Reims
Notre-Dame Cathedral: One of four Unesco World Heritage Sites in the city, this Gothic masterpiece was the site of 25 coronations.
Museum of Fine Arts: A former abbey, the museum houses an extensive collection of 17th century art.
Drouet d’Erlon: A pedestrianised street of cafés and bars – enjoy a home-made pastry at Waïda at the top end of the street.
» Janine Jorgensen travelled with Grape Escapes (08456 430 860), which offers guided Champagne weekends from £299 and tailor-made tours for all budgets