A Day Trip to Epernay
One of the things I most wanted to do in France was spend some time learning more about french wine. Over the years, I have familiarized myself with California & Oregon wines enough to know my way around a domestic wine list (in other words, I know what I like, what I don't like, and what I can afford!). But when faced with a continental wine list, I'm often in over my head. So, upon the recommendation of some friends who had recently done a rather extensive tour of France, I signed up for a wine and cheese lunch at O Chateau, a wine bar in Paris that specializes in english-speaking tastings, geared towards people who enjoy wine and want to know a bit more (like me!). Our first tasting was a champagne, and upon learning I was in Paris for the rest of the month, our sommelier insisted that I must go on their day trip to Epernay. Well, after one sip of the blanc de blanc champagne he poured us, I was eager to sign up!
About a week later, I was up at dawn boarding a minivan to spend the day learning about, and of course tasting, the bubbly from the only place in the world that makes Champagne. The tour is intentionally kept to a small size - eight people - and is lead by a sommelier. Our guide - Guillaume, a self-professed wine geek - was terrific, giving us just enough information but also allowing us to just enjoy the day. I was the only non-Australian on the tour, but by the end of the first visit was declared an honorary Aussie for the day.
After making great time getting out of Paris, we stopped for croissants and cafe at a picturesque spot overlooking the countryside.
Our first stop was Moet Chandon, one of the largest champagne producers (and one of the few to fully embrace wine tourism). The tour was very informative, taking us down into the caves where they store the champagne, turning the bottles and preparing them for distribution.
Their caves are massive, and their team zips around in little motorized carts, tending to different sections, all marked with road signs. The different batches of bottles were all marked with a "secret" code, known only to the head wine maker.
Next up, we went to the home of a small, independent grand crux champagne producer: Penet-Chardonnet. And when I say home, I mean literally, we were treated to lunch in their family home.
It was an incredible experience, not to mention delicious (and one of the many reasons they keep the tours so small!). We visited their vines, and then went down into their caves where we were treated to a tasting of unlabeled champagne with absolutely no sugar added. It was wonderful. The champagnes we enjoyed with our tasty meal were also fabulous and I wound up buying a bottle.
Our final stop of the day was another small, though not quite as small, producer: Monmarthe. Here we got to again see the caves, and hang out amongst their reserve bottles that are purposefully sitting gathering dust (light is bad for champagne), as well as see part of their bottling process (it was labeling and packaging day when we visited).
We were treated to the last bottle of one of their 2004 reserves, as well as a wonderful blanc de blanc, out in their vineyards.
Was it a fabulous day? Yes! Did I learn anything? Yes! I may not know my way around a full french wine list, but I can certainly pick out a little bubbly when there is an occasion that calls for it (you know, like lunch...) Cheers!