The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Follow that telltale trail of bubbles
and sit, sundowner-style, on the cabin terrace.
Further south, on the gentle chardonnay slopes of the Côte des Blancs, the talk is of elegance. I have, during tastings, chipped in with Madame de Pompadour’s view that “champagne is the only drink which enhances a woman’s beauty”. (“Up to the third bottle,” said my hostess. “Then it’s circus-time.”)
To the east, the Marne river provides the running commentary for vine slopes and independent producers who have been working with pinot meunier since Dom Pérignon was a 17thcentury novitiate. Pérignon maybe didn’t, as claimed, invent champagne, but certainly moved it along, pioneering blending, corkage and thicker bottles that didn’t explode.
Pay respects at his tomb in the church in Hautvillers. Then curve with the river, stopping to taste at domains as you go. Don’t hesitate. As mentioned, we’re great customers. We’re popular. If the welcome is sub-standard, drive on; there will be another soon. Much later curve back to Reims or rival Épernay where the Avenue de Champagne is rich in great names: Moët & Chandon, Perrier-Jouët, Churchill’s favourite Pol Roger.
You might finish with a flourish at the C Comme Champagne bar, a cracking spot that showcases independent producers at 8 Rue Gambetta. Don’t hold back. As Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “Too much of anything is a bad thing, but too much champagne is just right.” Quite.
BARNAUT, BOUZY, MONTAGNE DE REIMS MS
There are three reasons to visit it Philippe Secondé’s family set-up. up. Firstly, the grand cru wines are e terrific and various, reflecting Secondé’s conviction that the appeal of champagne is diversity. His nine cuvées are different expressions of land, character and grape variety. If you don’t believe me, step into his shop in Bouzy, go up to the counter and have a tasting.
This rich, variously stocked domain shop is the second reason n to visit. It means you don’t need to hang about waiting for the winemaker. Someone is always available to talk to and taste with. Should that person be Philippe Secondé or his wife, Laurette, you’ll be with – third reason – the most seriously convivial people in the region. The 100 per cent pinot noir Blanc de Noirs Brut, at £20, would be my choice, notably through a meaty meal.
champagne-barnaut-bouzy.com
VOIRIN-JUMEL, CRAMANT, COTE DES BLANCS
For those who follow Voirin-Jumel closely – and we are numerous – the good news is that Cachou the Jack Russell is still alive, still following co-owner Alice Voirin around and still limping, but only in her presence.
“When he’s not with me, he trots normally,” she says. Other good news is, the family set-up now has an on-site champagne bar in which you may have a glass from £4, any day but Sunday. Should y you wish to taste and talk, staff will be d delighted. If not, sip on.
The final good news is V-J wines remain startling value-for-money examp examples of the Côte des Blancs, with B Brut Tradition at £14 and the top-en top-end 555 at £26.
champagne-voirin-jumel.com cham
CHARLIER, CHA MONTIGNY-SOUSMO CHATILLON, CH VALLÉE VA DE LA MARNE M
Ov Overseeing the valley from the neighbouring village of Ch Châtillon-sur-Marne, the stat statue of Urban II – the local pop pope behind the first crusade – i is th the size of a dozen real-life pontiffs. A good thing?
Best repair to Charlier where the ladies of the house are as charming as if they weren’t called upon to welcome us every working day. They’ll tell you all you need to know about the fruity immediacy of pinot meunier and vinification that takes place entirely in oak vats vast enough to house a student or two. At tasting time, you’ll maybe find Charlier more intense than others. Pinot meunier does that; the oak enhances. This suits me fine. e. I can’t get enough, especially at £14.50 for the Carte Blanche, £15.50 for or the Carte Noire Brut. By the second d glass, the question had been answered: ed: the bigger the pope, the better.
champagne-charlier.com
WAFFLART-BRIET, SACY, MONTAGNE DE REIMS
Most vineyard visits assume you’ll be motoring. But perhaps ps you arrived in Reims by train. . In which case call up Rachel, a Cheshire lady married into the he Wafflart-Briet champers dynasty. She’ll pick you up in n Reims or Épernay and whisk k you to the family’s winery for or vineyard and cellar visits, a picnic or restaurant lunch, tastings, chat and more premier cru champagne. Prices from £148pp for a four-hour, lunch-
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champagne-tribauthautvillers.com