Champagne
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Undeterred , we speed away from Calais at a civilised time , long after the wild-eyed lorry drivers have screeched off into the petrol-fumed darkness . From Calais , the A26 wings us to Champagne country and the first gastro stop at Troyes , a medieval , half-timbered town where we happily while away a lost weekend . Close to the cathedral , La Commanderie , once a haunt of the Knights Templar , serves a feast beginning with cheese tart and bubbles . We learn that there are over a million bubbles in each flute but are far too tipsy to count .
Southeast of Troyes lies a lesserknown side of Champagne , an arty diversion known as the Renoir trail . Centred on Essoyes , this `artist ’ s village ’ was Renoir ’ s summer retreat after the painter ’ s marriage to local girl , Aline Charigot . Rosy-cheeked and loose-limbed , the country girl was his muse , as was her cousin Gabrielle . The Renoir centre focuses on the life-giving influence of family on the artist ’ s work . Renoir ’ s studio also displays personal memorabilia while the garden depicts his favourite flowers . Essoyes itself evokes the spirit of Renoir ’ s paintings , from the half-timbered houses and flowerbedecked balconies to reproductions of his buxom washerwomen . Several signposted trails reveal the landscapes Renoir loved and painted , with copies of key paintings and murals in situ . The best trails lead down to the River Ource and , with a bit of imagination , Renoir ’ s sundappled views soon spring to mind .
The Champagne vineyards stretch from Troyes to Reims but we decide to call into a niche producer . Dumont & Fils is set near the Benedictine ruins of Clairvaux Abbey ( sadly now a prison , although the cloisters are periodically open ). In itself , this is a reminder that it was the monks who first launched wine-making in the region , and that Dom Perignon , cellar-master of the Abbey of Hautvilliers , is credited with the creation of Champagne in
Above : Renoir ’ s Artworks in the Essoyes Museum . Below : Atelier de Renoir
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