Champagne

Discover Champagne

   Champagne borders Ile-de-France in the south-west. Its name comes from the Romans who called it Campania, meaning literally "Land of the Plains". The rolling prairies that give the region its name are located in the south between Reims/Epernay and Troyes. Closer to the border with Belgium, the landscape becomes more rugged and deeply forested.

   Champagne, lying south to the east of the Paris region, is one of the great historic provinces of France. As far back as the times of the Emperor Charlemagne, in the ninth century, Champagne was one of the great regions of Europe, a rich agricultural area that was famous for its fairs. Today, thanks to a type of sparkling wine to which the region has given its name, the word Champagne is known worldwide – even if many of those who know the drink do not know exactly where it comes from.

   Champagne, that most delightful of sparkling wines, was not actually invented in the region. According to legend, it was monks who bought the method for making sparkling wine up from the Languedoc, in the south of France; but they soon discovered that the chalky soil and climatic conditions in the Champagne region produced a bright bubbly wine that was in many people's opinion better than the sparkling wines produced further south.

   The traditional French Northern cooking is based on the products of the soil - known as Cuisine du Terroir - and emphasizes the French Art de la Table. You could appreciate an andouillette de Troyes or the Rhetel recipe of boudin blanc, classics of the traditional family meals in the Champagne region. For the vegetables lovers, the typical pot-au-feu-like La Joute is just as delightful.

REIMS, MUMM AND MOËT & CHANDON

Full-day excursion. You will visit the city of Reims, the capital of Champagne and one of its most famous Champagne Houses. After lunch in Reims, you will drive to the outskirts of Epernay to enjoy a visit and a wine tasting at a fabulous Château!.

8:00 am: Be met in the lobby of your hotel in Paris.

   Morning drive towards Reims (2 hour drive), often considered the capital of Champagne, an old French province made world-famous by its sparkling champagne. You may wish to visit the Cathedral classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a 13th–century masterpiece, with 2,500 statues of great interest and quality, including the famous smiling angel. During the morning we will visit the Mumm House.

   The heritage winery GH Mumm has written well before 1827, date of its creation. Mumm family, whose lineage includes barons and knights, dates from the twelfth century. She practiced since 1761 production activity and sales of wines based in Cologne called "PA Mumm" for Peter Arnold Mumm. It is advised that the three entrepreneurs son of Peter Arnold, Gottlieb and Philipp Jacobus, realized the commercial potential of sparkling wine from Champagne in the early nineteenth century. They then took advantage of the "warm peace" between Germany and France to settle in Champagne by establishing a branch in Reims with a Champenois, G. Heuser. You will discover the pleasure of experiencing champagnes in the perfect environment. Enjoy lunch at leisure.

   Begin the afternoon with a lovely ride in the North of Epernay in the Montagne de Reims (known for its Pinot Noir). Enjoy a visit of Moët & Chandon caves. At Moët & Chandon, paradise is underground. Experience the most extensive cellars in Champagne where the soul of champagne has revealed itself for more than 250 years.

7.00 pm: return to your Hotel in Paris.