Today, we took the short drive over to Épernay to visit the champagne caves of Moët & Chandon. Being a Sunday, many things are actually closed in France (especially the smaller towns), but we knew that there were a few champagne houses that were open for tours. Here, in the Champagne region, you can visit everything from small, family-run operations to the big houses that ship Champagne all over the world. Moët & Chandon, one of the largest, is one of those that you do not usually need advance reservations to visit. We arrived in late morning, and were able to get into the next tour (which was in about an hour). For about €30 each, we chose the tour which included two tastings.
The Hôtel de Ville (French for City Hall) in Épernay has a gorgeous monument to the local soldiers and casualties of WWI. We cooled our heels for a while at the park at the Hôtel de Ville before the tour. We didn't get a good photo, but there was a little Mallard family (mom and five babies) having a great time in this pond.
Time for the tour! First, the guide takes you to one of the rooms in the estate where the family would have received important guests. The family Chandon still owns the estate, and there are buildings across the street which still serve as the family's home.
Claude Moët founded the champagne house back in 1743, during the reign of King Louis XV. Demand for champagne increased under this king, and Moët became the supplier to French royalty and aristocracy, as well as to nobles throughout Europe and even to the American colonies. The operation was further expanded and the brand became even more widely known after Claude's death in 1792, when his grandson, Jean-Rémy Moët took over the business. Moët purchased the vineyards which had belonged to the Abbey in Hautvillers, where Dom Perignon had spent most of his life. At his retirement in 1832, management of the house was given to Jean-Remy's son, Victor Moët, and his son-in-law, Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles. With the addition of Pierre-Gabriel, the name of the business was eventually changed to Moët & Chandon.
In 1810, Napoleon and Josephine (and their entourage) visited the house of Moët & Chandon. They brought a gift of this enormous oak barrel (filled with wine, of course, as champagne is fermented in the bottle). Empty now, it still sits in a place of honor in the caves. The limestone caves, by the way, stretch for almost 20 miles in an underground labyrinth. They are a constant, cool temperature, and a bit humid.
(Thanks, SnapCollage!)
(
At the end of our tour, we were taken to a tasting room. The two tastings we had were a full glass each of the Moët & Chandon Imperial and Imperial Rosé. I hate to say it, but I only drank about half of my glasses, or I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon!
As with any proper tour, you exit through the giftshop!
Can you hear me now?
How about a bottle of Moët, decorated with gold leaf and in its own wooden box for 680€?
After the tour, we walked around Épernay a bit, enjoying the architecture, river, and flowers.
Here I am, standing on the sidewalk of the street where many of the champagne houses of Épernay are located.
Later that afternoon, we made a stop in the small village of Hautvillers, the birthplace of champagne. The abbey here is where Dom Pérignon worked and is now buried. Surrounded by vineyards, Hautvillers is quite charming. I would choose to stay here, if we are lucky enough to visit this area in the future.
Mark and I on a hillside, overlooking the vineyards of Hautvillers. We met an expat couple on this road with their two little dogs. Originally from America, they were living in Scotland, and had come down to France on holiday. Funny thing: they'd purchased a dumpy old car on the internet to drive around as cheap transportation for their visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment