Welcome back to “When Wine Calls” as we finish our 3-month adventure appropriately in the Champagne capital of the world.
Driving up the motorway towards Paris it was with very mixed emotions. We were very excited to be travelling to the Champagne region and catch up with our friends that were also travelling there so we could have a weekend in the vineyards celebrating Mandy and Dallas’s 30th Wedding Anniversary but also shattered that our wonderful 3-month adventure was coming to an end with this being the last stop prior to heading home.
Mandy and Dallas had selected the spectacular Chateau d Etrigny in the small village Etrigny, about 1 ½ hours out of Paris to celebrate their anniversary and had planned for eight of us to join up for the weekend. They had also organised visits to some spectacular champagne houses and some drinks and canapes on the lawn of the Chateau on the night they arrived. Due to logistics as we travelled through France, we had arranged to arrive a day earlier and when we drove up the driveway of the Chateau on arrival, we could not believe what we were seeing.
The Chateau was absolutely stunning with a moat surrounding the main building and gorgeous gardens across the estate.
Our room was on the top floor of the main building which made our stay so authentic although the staircases to the top floor again tested out the fitness each day like at the Chateau Balleure.
The next morning, we took the opportunity to drive up to Reims (about an hour away) and visit Pauline’s favourite Champagne, Veuve Clicquot. While we could not organise a tour of the Champagne House, we were permitted inside to the Visitors Shop and the Veuve Café and Bar which had been fitted out in the courtyard as a beach club in their bright yellow colour palette -they certainly have their marketing on point no matter where you travel.
After a few champagnes and buying gifts that we could travel home with without exceeding our allowances we headed for the magnificent Reims Cathedral, also called the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims, which is similar but larger than the famous Notre-Dame in Paris.
Historically it was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France from Louis VIII in 1223 to Charles X in 1825, including the crowning of Charles VII in 1429 in the presence of Joan of Arc. It is a spectacular building and one you must see if travelling through France.
When we arrived back to the Chateau the remainder of the gang had arrived from Paris and so we prepared ourselves for a great evening with canapes and champagne in the front courtyard, followed by dinner in the Chateau’s acclaimed restaurant L’Orangerie.
It was a fabulous evening celebrating Mandy and Dallas’s 30th Wedding Anniversary although we still had two days more to continue the celebrations which we cetainly did in style.
On the walk back to our room the Chateau was all lit up and presented an incredible sight.
The next day we had a reservation in the morning at Moet-Chandon Champagne House located in Epernay along the famous Avenue de Champagne.
The tour lasted about 2 ½ hours and was just out of this world compared to any wine tasting we had done previously.
Beside the guide taking us through the history of the family, we also visited their spectacular room of memorabilia including special occasion champagnes such as the 35th America’s Cup, Queen Elizabeth’s II’s Diamond Jubilee and the neck-tie edition to celebrate the first flight of the Concorde in 1969 to name a few.
For me, the most fascinating was the Bicorn Hat once belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte, worn back in 1814.
The tour then continued outlining Moet-Chandon’s champagne process as we explored some of the unbelievable 27kms of underground tunnels where the various vintages and types of champagne are stored and prepared for eventual shipment to all parts of the world.
It was a captivating tour finished off, of course, with a tasting in one of their underground caves. It was hard to comprehend that under a normal looking commercial building located in the middle of town there was such a labyrinth of tunnels storing so many bottles of champagne. It was also enlightening to be told that the House of Moet-Chandon owns 71 individual champagne houses including, most notably for Pauline, her favourite champagne, Veuve Clicquot.
Following lunch in a restaurant nearby and looking at the fantastc views in the various shop windows we headed off to a small family champagne house, Champagne Cazals Claude, located in a little village, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger just outside Epernay that is currently managed by Delphine, the head lady in the family.
There they also crushed the grapes for other Champagne Houses which was interesting to see the production process up close while the grape picking season was in full swing with the grapes being pulped then pumped into tankers for shipment to the various champagne houses for processing. Delphine explained during the tour that due to the extremely hot weather the picking time for the grapes across the Champagne district had been reduced from the usual 22 days to just 12 days
All over the hills scattered through the vineyards were white vans and thousands of pickers as far as you could see attempting to pick the grapes at lightning speed – it was manic in all the villages that had champagne houses with trucks, forklifts, tankers, and workers everywhere.
Our last day in Champagne was a visit to Billiecart-Salmon, a Champagne House located near the River Marne outside of Epernay.
Unlike Moet-Chandon, Billiecart-Salmon was in a small village with the winery comprising of many local buildings centred around a magnificent home and gardens where the family still live today when in residence.
It was a very special intimate tour through the oldest of the vineyards ending with a special tasting for our group in the family dining room and a meet and greet by the CEO, a 7th generation and the youngest of the four generations still actively involved in the House, the oldest being in his late 90’s – what a memory to take away from our last day in this wonderful region of France.
The next day it was time to say goodbye to our dear friends as we all headed off in differing directions with the others continuing their own travels while for us, it was the short drive to Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to drop off the car and board our flight on route back to Australia.
We had experienced a hectic, but unbelievable few days in Champagne and it was such a great way to finish our “The Summer Vintage” adventure although the drive to CDG was an emotionally difficult on so many levels but it was time to say “goodbye, au-revoir” to France and indeed Europe… at least for now!
Well, that is wrap on our When Wine Calls “The Summer Vintage” adventure – we trust you enjoyed reading about our travels as much as we have bringing it to you. It is not entirely over as I hope to post one final blog when we are back in Australia reflecting on the journey over the past 3 months and attempt to capsulate the highlights from what has been an unbelievable trip for Pauline and myself. Until then, safe travels if you are currently on your own adventure.
Pauline and Bruce
When Wine Calls 
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