Wine has been produced in the Champagne region since Roman times, but "bubbly wine" was not produced until the 1600s. According to legend Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk from Hautvilliers and keeper of the abbey cellar, was experimenting with production techniques and stumbled upon the double-fermentation process that creates all those lovely bulles.
A visit to wine country in November might sound odd, but it turned out to be lovely. It was definitely chilly, but there was also something quite beautiful about the frosty Côtes des Blancs landscape.
We found yet another wonderful, unique B&B in our Sawday book, this time an 1800s farm/manor house located in the teeny-tiny village of Oyes (about 30 minutes south of Epernay).
The B&B is the home/side-business of a charming New Zealand couple whose primary métier is art and costuming for the film industry. Their eye for scene-staging is evident throughout the house, from the beautiful and delicious meals they served...
To the book-lined loft-style room where we stayed...
To the original mason's marks preserved on the old plaster walls.
Even the village itself contributed to the B&B's atmosphere: named Aupres de l'Eglise (literally "Near the Church"), this was the view from our bathroom window. As Glennis (the owner) said, 'Contemplative bathing'.
With such a lovely base from which to venture forth, we set off on a round of dégustations. Armed with recommendations from friends, we visited three small champagne houses. We were definitely the first people EVER to get lost in the teeny village of Romery looking for Champagne José Marc. We circled the village streets a couple of times before the vintners themselves came outside to rescue us. There followed a lovely tasting, complete with appearances from the hosts' daughter and grand-daughter. We had such a nice visit that we completely forgot to take pictures. We also neglected the camera during our second tasting experience, but we did remember for the third small house: Diogène Tisser et Fils, located in the pretty hillside village of Chavot-Courcourt.
Oddly, everyone else in the tasting room at Diogène was Belgian! We met a nice couple from Grimbergen, who left with over twenty cases(!) Needless to say, our purchases were much more modest.
No visit to Champagne is complete without a least a stop in the "capital city" of Epernay. Famous names front the gates all along the Avenue de Champagne, not the least of which is the iconic Moët & Chandon.
We chose the grandaddy of all champagne houses primarily to get a glimpse at its cellars.
Thankfully the visit is guided because the cellars form a subterranean labyrinth. They stretch for kilometers beneath the streets of Epernay and reputedly contain more bottles than there are residents of France!
This cave contained a paltry 8900± bottles, but keep in mind that there are thousands of caves in the cellars.
These turning racks help the sediment to settle near the mouth, making it easier to remove prior to the second fermentation.
Near the end of the tour, we passed an entire cartload of Dom Perignon Rosé Vintage. A bottle of this will run you about $500.00.
We had such a lovely little trip to Champagne, met some nice producers, and came home with a few bottles of the bubbly. All in all, the perfect weekend away. Cheers!
Champagne Photo Album - Click Here
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what a great way to celebrate some well-deserved time off! That B & B with the book-lined room is so incredible.
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