The area makes an easy enough addition to your Western Europe trip, but it requires some preparation, and in most cases, advance reservations. Many Champagne houses have a long and proud heritage with reputations stretching around the globe. The kind of unplanned, "walk in" approach that works fine in many wine regions of the world, can make for a pretty dull and disappointing day here. But why would you be so casual?
The Champagne region centres around two major towns in north-eastern France, Reims and Epernay. While on your France vacation, you can go it alone on a day trip from Paris , just 45 minutes from Reims by train, or 75 minutes from Epernay. Standards for what can be called "Champagne" are extremely specific, hinging on more than just geography. Champagne is in fact five distinct wine regions, no two of which are exactly alike.
Reims is the centre of the Montagne de Reims, which produces full bodied Champagnes designed to be put down for a few years before drinking. Epernay Champagnes tend to be lighter, coming from the Vallee de la Marne, where grape varieties are typically blended, creating unique flavours such as the blanc des noirs.
The magical bubbly itself is produced with two fermentations. The second takes place inside the bottle, which must then sit for a minimum of 18 months to earn its designation as Champagne. Most winemakers prefer to age the bottles for much longer. Only the white flesh is used in the winemaking process however, resulting in the familiar straw colour drinkers know and love. Chardonnay is also accepted as a base grape, and many Champagne houses blend the three varieties to create their own curvee.
Brut , sec , or douce merely refer to the amount of sugar in each bottle, so if you are sampling a range, start with the brut, follow up with sec, and finish with the sweeter wines. Above all, do not simply turn up on the day. Champagne houses are happy to receive visitors, but their tours and tastings are designed to be experienced by appointment, and drop-ins are often turned away.
