What is champagne ?
« Champagne »… this word sounds like magic to the ears of every wine drinker across the world as it generally implies something pleasant, a celebration… But what is it actually? A wine? A sparkling wine? A region?
Well… the right answer is all of them! Indeed, champagne, the drink, is a sparkling wine made in Champagne, France! The Champenois will be happy to remind you that « Champagne only comes from Champagne ». This means a wine made with grapes grown in a delimited area in this region and its very particular (cold) climate, and following hundreds of rules set by the region winemakers.
What does champagne evoke you?
Big houses of champagne with old history like Champagne Moët & Chandon, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, Champagne Perrier-Jouët? That bubbly and happy drink? The drink of choice off celebrities since the 18th century, from king Louis 14th of France to Napoleon Bonaparte, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill and Jay-z? To hundreds of stories taking place in the cellars from the romans to the middle ages and the 20th century? To the legendary Dom Pérignon? To the cathedral de Reims, place of the coronation of the French kings? Beautiful and picturesque sceneries of vines on steep hills sprinkled by tiny villages? The billions of bottles lying under the ground? A billion dollar industry, the biggest player in the drinks and luxury industry in the world? Or maybe simply by this sentence from Winston Churchill: “I could not live without champagne: in victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it”
The word Champagne can evoke many different things…
Why not going to try a wine tour in Champagne with one of our wine experts guide ? If you do not know this region that could be the perfect occasion to discover those wonderful bubbles. And if you have already visited this part of France maybe there are some secrets that our guides will reveal to you 😉
