Everyone knows about champagne - the wine - but what about Champagne, the place, where the wine comes from? Even if you never take a tipple you will enjoy France's most northerly wine-growing region with its graceful vineyards, rolling hills, and pretty villages - some with appropriate names such as Dizy and Bouzy (the significance of which the locals only understood when British troops were there during the two World Wars).
France - The Champagne Region - Reims
As well as being the capital of the champagne region, Reims is a good base from which to tour the area. It is also home to several of the great champagne houses - some offer fascinating tours which demonstrate the process of champagne-making, with a complimentary glass of bubbly at the end.
Don't miss the famous chalk pitsquarried by the Romans to build Reims and used today as champagne cellars. The cellars at the champagne house, Ruinart, are unique; they are the only ones in Champagne to be classified as an Historical Monument and are 200 feet tall. Visits are by appointment only but it is worth the effort of booking ahead. English is spoken.
But there's more to Reims than champagne. The superb cathedral dates from the l2th-century and is where all the kings of France were crowned from 1180 to 1825. One coronation that stands out in history is that of Charles VII, who was brought to Reims in 1429 by Joan of Arc after she had fought her way through the English battle lines.
France - The Champagne Region - The Tau Palace, built in 1690, now houses the cathedral's museum. Original sculptures removed from the cathedral, as well as tapestries and mementos of the many coronation ceremonies are beautifully displayed. Most remarkable is the banqueting room which was used after the coronations.
Other things worth seeing are the French Motor Car Museum with its historical displays of vehicles from 1769 to the present day, and the Hotel Le Vergeur Museum which is a fine mansion dating from the 13th century.
France - The Champagne Region - Epernay
Epernay, a bustling small town about l6 miles south of Reims, is at the heart of the Champagne region and home to world-famous champagne houses. The place to find these is the aptly named Avenue de Champagne which is lined with elegant l9th-century houses - mostly belonging to the champagne barons.
France - The Champagne Region - Mercier is one of the most popular champagne houses, and the most visitor-conscious. A laser-guided train takes you around the vast cellars where, apart from 11 miles of bottle-filled galleries, there are some unusual carvings in the chalk, especially in the Cave of Bacchus.
On display in the foyer is the largest champagne cask in the world, constructed in 1889 with a capacity of 215,000 bottles
The Champagne region tourist route is well signposted and can easily be followed by car. It's fun to stop whenever you feel like exploring the pretty villages, where every second house seems to produce its own champagne and there are signs inviting you in for a tasting - often in the shape of enormous champagne bottles or casks placed outside the front door. The landscape is lush with vineyards , covering every available bit of earth.
France - The Champagne Region - Hautvillers
This was the home of Dom Perignon the l7th-century Abbot who is credited with discovering the technique that put the sparkle into the local wine - transforming it into what we now know as champagne. It's an exceptionally attractive village - take a walk around its winding streets and notice that almost every house has some kind of sign advertising the delights of champagne. There's something about champagne that is special. Even people who normally never drink will sip a glass quite happily.
Cathy Smith - I have Miss McGinn to thank for my becoming a writer. I was in her class for only two years from age nine to eleven. In what we called ...
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