The Complete Guide To Champagne Country

WHERE IS CHAMPAGNE COUNTRY?

WHERE IS CHAMPAGNE COUNTRY?

East of Paris. The area is encompassed by the two départments of Marne and Aube. Troyes is the former capital of the Champagne region, but Reims and Epérnay in Marne are the indisputable capitals of champagne wine, and the largest areas under vines are in the Marne. There is a smaller champagne area to the east of Troyes in Aube with some excellent, if lesser-known, producers. Think of a pleasant, gentle landscape dotted with woodlands rather than spectacular rolling hills, and you've got the picture. The Aube has more varied landscapes, thanks to its vast forests and expanses of water. One of the curiosities to be found among the vineyards are the "cadoles", crude dry-stone shelters once used by the wine growers.

WHEN WAS THE DRINK CREATED?

Champagne is a modern wine, developed only three centuries ago. Much of the credit for the great advances in champagne production goes to Dom Pérignon (1638-1715), who was cellar-master at the Benedictine abbey of Hautvillers. He blended wines from different parts of the district, thickened the bottles and used corks held on with string. To qualify and become champagne, the wine must be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grape varieties produced within the Champagne region, thanks to its alchemy of chalky soil, micro-climate and local expertise. A visit to a champagne house reveals just how labour-intensive the production of champagne is at certain stages, such as the removal of sediment by the process known as disgorgement. Harvest time for the grapes is September, and picking is done entirely by hand. Some vineyards allow visitors to become a grape-picker for the day, with training by a regular harvester and a generous lunch, followed by a tasting at the end of the day.

The house of Moët et Chandon is perhaps one of the most recognised and illustrious brands of champagne in the world. Its first recorded shipment dates back to 1743, but the house wasn't celebrated as it is today until the reign of Louis XV when the drink became fashionable amongst the Parisian bourgeoisie. During the First World War, Moët et Chandon delivered cases of its wine to the trenches. The cellars (00 33 3 26 51 20 20, www.moet.com) are open daily for guided tours by appointment. The cost is €7.50 (£5.30) for adults including a tasting, €4.50 (£3.20) for under 16s and free for under 12s.

WHICH TOWNS ARE WORTH VISITING?

The wine of kings apart, Reims is most noted for its Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame, which was begun in 1210 and miraculously emerged largely unscathed from the 25,000 shells that landed on the city in a single week in 1917. Now ranked a Unesco World Heritage Site, the cathedral was the setting for 25 coronations. It was for this reason that champagne came to be known as the royal tipple, rather than any perceived superiority over other wines.

The most celebrated coronation took place in 1429 when Charles VII was crowned under a banner held by Joan of Arc. The most remarkable features are the sculpture-encrusted west front and the stained glass dating from the 13th-century rosé window to three windows by Chagall. The adjacent archbishop's palace displays fabulous early reliquaries. Reims has the great champagne houses of Piper Heidsieck and Taittinger, while Epérnay has Mercier and Moët & Chandon, so tastings can be enjoyed without having to travel too far.

Troyes has produced textiles since the 16th century and remains the centre of France's hosiery industry. Its centre unintentionally takes the shape of a champagne cork and contains the country's most outstanding collection of timber-framed buildings thanks to a plentiful supply of timber and the absence of building stone. The city has nine listed churches and a 13th-century cathedral built by a master-mason from Canterbury. It was in a previous church on the site of the cathedral that St Bernard of Clairvaux in 1128 devised the statutes of the newly established Knights Templars.

ANYTHING ELSE TO KEEP ME OFF THE FIZZ?

The 13th-century St Urbain has more windows than walls and was greatly admired by Ruskin. In the church of St Jean, Catherine of Valois was married following the Treaty of Troyes to Henry V, whose singular wooing of Kate concludes Shakespeare's play. Both Troyes and Reims had notable schools of sculpture, thanks to the fine-grained limestone of the region. Troyes was also famous for its stained glass, and the Aube has the finest collection of church windows in France with 1,160 listed windows dating from 1042 to the 16th century. The art is still practised in a restoration workshop. Hundreds of timber-framed buildings line the pedestrianised, cobbled streets of Troyes' old town - it's like York writ large. There are some spectacular details, such as the shingle-encrusted staircase turret on Rue de Champeaux, and in Rue des Chats the jettied upper storeys are only a foot or two apart.

Two canals and the River Marne add to the chocolate box prettiness of the town of Châlons-en-Champagne further north. Even the library is housed in a 17th-century mansion, and the town has a large park known as Le Jard as well as a cathedral and several good churches. Notre Dame en Vaux has a 56-bell carillon, which would stretch the skill of even the most experienced bell-ringer.

WHAT ABOUT THE VILLAGES?

The outstanding architectural sights in the region are ecclesiastical, mainly the extremely rare timber-framed churches around Troyes, such as Bailly-le-Franc, Lentilles, Longsols (the oldest, dating from the late 15th century) and Mathaux, some covered in shingles. In contrast, St Agnès's church in Fontaine-lès-Gres was built in 1956, its striking design based on the triangle while the porch was inspired by the canopies of Champagne barns.

Because Napoleon evicted the monks of Clairvaux Abbey (00 33 3 25 27 88 17) and turned it into a prison, it houses some of France's most notorious criminals. A visit to the older parts of the abbey outside the modern prison is a slightly intimidating experience, but well worth it.

The buildings of the Cistercian abbey date from its establishment by St Bernard in 1115 to the 18th century and still containing the prisoners' cells used until 1972, have an eerie atmosphere. It was the story of one of Clairvaux's inmates that inspired the character of Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Tours take place Wednesday-Friday and Sunday at 2.30pm and 4.30pm and also on Saturday from April-June at 2pm, 2.30pm and 5pm, from July-September on the hour from 2pm-5pm and at 2pm and 3.30pm in October. Admission costs €6.50 (£4.60), free for under-12s.

The village of Chaource, which gives its name to the cheese, has in the church of St John the Baptist an exquisitely carved, painted entombment scene of 1515 with life-sized figures. The church also has stained glass depicting some fantastically gruesome creatures and scenes of violence. You also find another collection of timber-framed buildings near Troyes in Bar-sur-Aube.

ANY MUSEUMS I SHOULDN'T MISS?

Unesco World Heritage status has also been given to Reims's Saint-Remi Museum adjacent to the equally remarkable 11th/12th-century basilica. Besides a regional art collection, the former abbey buildings contain some outstanding tapestries of 1521-31, depicting busily composed scenes from St Remi's life, and a military museum.

The Tool Museum, Maison de l'Outil, (00 33 3 25 73 28 26, www.maison-de-l-outil.com) in Troyes has a display of 8,000 hand tools used on wood, iron, stone, leather and thatch in a courtyard house of 1556. The museum is open daily from 10am-6pm and costs €6 (£4.30) for adults, €4.50 (£3.20) for children under 18 and is free for under-12s.

Troyes' Museum of Modern Art (00 33 3 25 76 26 80) opened in the former bishop's palace beside the cathedral in 1982 and presents its collection in chronological order, beginning with Corbet and Daumier. Besides the largest collection of André Derain's work, the museum has a large collection of Fauvist works and some unusual interiors of armaments factories during the First World War by Vuillard. It opens daily from 11am-6pm, closed Mondays and public holidays. Admission is €5 (£3.60) for adults and free for under-18s.

The nearby Fine Art and Archaeology Museum in the former Abbaye St Loup has earlier works, by Rubens, Van Dyck, Ingres, Fragonard and Wattea Zu and a rare collection of 5th-century gold jewellery.

CAN I EXPECT GRAND CASTLES TO RIVAL THE LOIRE?

Close to Nogent-sur-Seine is the mid-18th-century Château de la Motte-Tilly (00 33 3 25 39 84 54), where Milos Forman filmed Valmont in 1989. The terraced gardens are as impressive as the castle, with ornamental lake and canal, and the Orangery nurtures coffee bean plants and pomegranate trees as well as citrus fruits. The Château is open from 2pm-6pm Wednesday-Sunday and admission is €6.10 (£4.40) for adults and is free for under-18s.

In a remote wooded spot to the east of Bar-sur-Aube lies Château de Chacenay (00 33 3 25 38 79 46, www.chateaudechacenay.com), which dates from the 11th century though its highly decorated Gothic interiors by Viollet le Duc resemble the colourful work of William Burges at Cardiff Castle. Visitors learn about Chacenay's very own Joan of Arc, Alix de Chacenay, who dressed in a knight's armour and fought in the Crusades. The 14th-century cellars contain an extraordinary collection of manuscripts relating to people as disparate as Eiffel, Rasputin and Einstein. The château is open daily from 1 June until 30 August from 10.30am-12pm and reopening 2.30pm-6.30pm. Admission costs €8 (£5.70) for adults and €6 (£4.30) for children up to 16.

Since the planting of vineyards around Château de Bligny (00 33 3 25 27 40 11, www.champagnemartel.com) in the early 19th century, the castle has combined champagne with history, and is one of only two champagne producers which can be called Château as a consequence. After tasting the local products, visitors can explore the 18th-century house which has a large collection of historic and modern wine glasses. Opening times are 10.30am-6.30pm daily, closed Sunday. Admission is €3 (£2.10) for all.

IS MILITARY HISTORY VISIBLE?

Napoleon's links with the area are the subject of a museum in the old military school at Brienne-le-Château, which lies within the Forest of the Orient regional park. He was a student at the military preparatory school from 1779 to 1784, and returned to the area to fight one of his last battles, in 1814.

The two First World War battles of the Marne are commemorated by a colossal memorial near Dormans, west of Epérnay. The view from the tower is well worth the climb. To the south east of Reims lies Fort de la Pompelle, built in defence of Reims in 1880-3 and now a museum devoted to the First World War.

In a former technical college behind the railway station in Reims is the map room of General Eisenhower's headquarters in which the German unconditional surrender was signed on 7 May 1945. It was kept exactly as it was on the day the Third Reich ended and now forms part of the Museum of the Surrender (Musee de la Reddition) (00 33 3 26 47 84 19). The exhibition also covers the American role following D-Day. The museum is open daily, except Tuesday and public holidays from 10am-12pm, reopening 2pm-6pm. Admission costs €3 (£2.10) for adults and is free for under-16s.

HAS THE AREA INSPIRED ARTISTS?

The small two-storey studio built by Renoir in the grounds of the house he bought in Essoyes can be visited (00 33 3 25 38 56 28). He was very attached to Essoyes, spending 25 summers in the village. Nearby is the cemetery where the painter is buried. There is a network of footpaths around Essoyes, taking in places associated with Renoir. The studio is open daily from 2pm-6.30pm and admission is €2 (£1.40) for adults and free for under-12s.

WHAT FESTIVALS MIGHT I ENJOY?

Reims's Johann Festival (00 33 3 26 82 45 66, www.reims-fetes.com) is held on the second Sunday in June with 2,000 participants in medieval costume, and more than 150 concerts, from classical to jazz, are held during the Summer Music Festival in July and August. Troyes' history makes it an obvious choice for a month-long medieval fest in June, with exhibitions, concerts and conferences (00 33 3 25 49 99 28). Over 100 concerts are held during the city's Ville en Musique festival, covering two months from the end of June (00 33 3 25 82 62 70, www.ot-troyes.fr).

ANY NOTABLE GREEN SPACES?

The Aube Regional Natural Park of the Orient Forest covers 70,000 hectares. Within the park is a bird sanctuary where 265 species of bird have been recorded, spring and summer being the best time for bird-watching. Cycling, horse-riding, sailing, windsurfing and golf are available (00 33 3 25 42 50 00).

Further east lies Lac du Der-Chantecoq, France's largest lake and the largest man-made area of water in Europe, built to regulate the River Marne. Around the 77km lakeshore are museums of agriculture, natural history and buildings, bike trails and facilities for sailing, swimming and water skiing.

HOW EASY IS IT TO VISIT THE VINEYARDS AND CELLARS?

There are six signposted trails totalling 600km with 80 welcoming places to stop, but it isn't necessary to leave the two cities: Epérnay has 90 million bottles in store in 64 miles of tunnels, and Reims's cellars proved invaluable sanctuary during the First World War, when only 2,000 of the city's 14,000 houses remained standing.

To appreciate the contrast between the producers, visit a medium-sized vignerons such as Drappier (00 33 3 25 27 40 15, www.champagne-drappier.com) in Urville near Bligny, which produced General de Gaulle's favourite champagne. Bottles of Cuvée Charles de Gaulle have a picture of the general printed on the glass. Tours can be arranged by appointment. Or a small producer such as René Jolly (00 33 3 25 38 50 91, www.jollychamp.com) at Landreville south east of Troyes, producing award-winning champagne since 1737. Tours are free for groups up to 10 in number and can be taken from 10am-4pm Monday-Saturday.

I THINK I SHOULD LINE MY STOMACH

Some champagne sorbet, or sauces made with champagne perhaps? These are an inevitable element of many menus, but the region has other delights. Its principal cheese is Chaource, used in the speciality of mushroom fondue. Cooked meats are common, notably the Andouillette de Troyes, a pork chitterling sausage seasoned with onions.

Besides champagne, the rare and pale Rosé des Riceys is produced around Les Riceys which has the distinction of being the only place in France that produces three Appellations d'Origine Côntrolée wines, the third Coteaux Champenois. The market in Troyes has a daily display of seafood, meat, cheese, wine, fruit and vegetables.

SOME GOOD PLACES TO STAY?

The restaurant of the elegant Château Les Crayères in Reims has two Michelin stars, and the sumptuous hotel (00 33 3 26 82 80 80, www.relaischateaux.com/crayeres) with just 19 rooms is located in 17 hectares of parkland within the city. Doubles from €265 (£190) excluding breakfast. Closer to the centre of Reims you'll find the Hôtel Continental (00 33 3 26 40 39 35, www.grandhotelcontinental.com), occupying an imposing 19th-century house on Place Drouet-d'Erlon. Doubles here start from €65.50 (£47) with breakfast.

The historic centre of Troyes has some enchanting hotels, notably two hotels that occupy neighbouring 17th-century half-timbered houses under common ownership, La Maison de Rhodes (00 33 3 25 43 11 11, www.maisonderhodes.com) and Le Champ des Oiseaux (00 33 3 25 80 58 50, www.champdesoiseaux.com). Both buildings have been superbly restored to conserve and enhance their architectural features. Doubles from €98 (£70) and €95 (£68) not including breakfast.

HOW DO I GET THERE AND AROUND?

By car, Calais is the obvious gateway, with a fast autoroute link to Reims. By rail, try a combination of Eurostar (08705 186 186, www.eurostar.com) from London to Paris and a train from Gare de l'Est to Troyes in 90 minutes or Reims in a little more. Public transport is sparse. Some cyclists go on champagne crawls: the terrain is seldom more than gently undulating, and a traffic-free cycle path has been built to the east of Troyes, following the canals that lead to the Regional Natural Park of the Orient Forest. Rent a bike from Aventure Evasion (00 33 3 24 40 44 45, www.aventure-evasion.com), the Centre VTT at Sedan's tourist office (00 33 3 24 27 73 73) and P'tit Mousse (00 33 3 25 92 20 51) in the forest.

Arblaster & Clarke Wine Tours (01730 893344; www.winetours.co.uk) arranges two-night Champagne Weekends for between £299 and £569 per person, based on two sharing. This includes return rail travel from London Waterloo, two nights accommodation with champagne breakfasts and four cellar tours with tastings and one evening meal.

AND FOR MORE INFORMATION?

Aube Tourist Office (00 33 3 25 42 50 00, www.aube-champagne.com); Marne Tourist Office (00 33 3 26 68 37 52); Reims Tourist Office (00 33 3 26 77 45 00, www.tourisme.fr/reims); Troyes Tourist Office (00 33 3 25 82 62 70, www.tourisme-troyes.com).

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