Champagne
A Taste ofChampagne
GETTING THERE : By Ferry : Brittany Ferries : Portsmouth-Caen / Cherbourg from £ 215 return ( with cabin ); P & O Ferries : Dover-Calais from £ 50 return ; Langan ’ s Brasserie on board . Start as you mean to go on , with brunch in the best restaurant on board . By Road : route planning , including tolls : www . viamichelin . com & www . autoroutes . fr . From Calais to Reims ( 300 kilometres ) takes two and half hours on the A26 ; to Troyes ( 430 kms ). By Rail : Eurostar to Paris Nord - then TGV Paris Est to Reims ( 45 minutes ). Railbookers : bespoke holidays by rail ( from £ 229 pp ) for 3 nights in Reims . WHERE TO EAT , DRINK & STAY : Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours : the best Champagne tours , even Champagne weekends and festivals , www . winetours . co . uk , tel : (+ 44 ) 01730 263111 . Shopping around can justify your trip : you can even bring back 36 bottles , often sourced at only € 13 per bottle . Champagne houses : list of great names www . maisons-champagne . com Dumont & Fils : family producers , www . champagnedumont . fr Epernay Champagne tips : www . ot-epernay . fr Hostellerie La Montagne : Colombey-les-deux-eglises : www . hostelerielamontagne . com La Commanderie : La Maison de Rhodes , Troyes , www . maisonderhodes . com , tel : (+ 33 ) 03 25 43 11 11 , rooms from € 165 . Royal Champagne : for grand rooms and Michelin-starred Champagnematched gourmet cuisine near Epernay , www . royalchampagne . com Taittinger wine cellar tour : 99 Place St-Nicaise , Reims , www . taittinger . com , tel . 03 26 85 84 33 . Also visit Krug ( www . krug . com ), Lansin and Veuve Clicquot , close to Reims Cathedral ( Reims tourist office : www . reims-tourisme . com
WHAT TO DO Abbaye d ’ Auberive : www . abbaye-auberive . com Langres : www . tourisme-langres . com Memorial Charles de Gaulle : www . memorial-charlesdegaulle . fr Renoir Museum and Essoyes : www . renoir . aube-champagne . com and www . essoyes . fr Reims , regional capital of Champagne : www . reims-tourisme . com . Events : Reims Beaux Arts museum stages a major exhibition on the influence of Champagne on the arts from 17th Century to modern times ( until 26 May 2013 ), www . expo-champagne . reims . fr Greeters ( free walks with locals ): www . greeters-en-champagne . com Champagne-Ardenne : further information on www . tourisme-champagne-ardenne . com . and a cellar of almost 300 vintage Champagnes . There really is no escape for the weak-willed or the abstemious .
Heritage , craftsmanship , creativity and superlative quality are the hallmarks of the leading Champagne brands , but the novice is often no wiser , except at the very top end . Although few of us can put it into words , Champagne aficionados claim to detect aromas of candied limes , zesty mandarins , dried nuts , salty butter and bitter marmalade in a few of the best bubbles .
Most non-vintage Champagnes are a composite of several different years but the leaders , such as Krug , can rely on nearly 200 options . This prestigious brand was beloved by Ernest Hemingway , John Le Carré and even the late Queen Mother . Krug cultivates its myth-making carefully . In accordance with Krug family tradition , Olivier Krug even had a sip of champagne as a newborn baby , before tasting his mother ’ s milk .
Snobbery permeates the world of Champagne but can be pleasurably amusing in small doses .
Krug may be one of the finest Champagne marques but Olivier Krug still remembers his grandfather scorning rosé Champagne as only fit for “ birthday cake and girly clubs ”. Paul Burrell , the late Princess of Wales ’ s butler , pronounced that when you open a bottle of champagne , “ it should sound like a mermaid ’ s sigh ”.
28 | EuroTravel