Posted by Aparna in September, 2004
Champagne?
"I drink it when I'm happy and when I'm sad.
Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone.
When I have company I consider it obligatory.
I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am.
Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty."
- Mme. Lily Bollinger.
Bright and sunny saturdays, perfect days for a drive to the vineyards..Champagne is just a two hour drive away from where I live- Fontainebleau. It's harvest time right now and the place was abuzz with activity. Just the thought that a tiny area of France produces the world's best known wine is enough to surprise everyone.
The vine growing region in Champagne consists of three primary zones. The Reims Mountain, TheValley of the Marne River and Cote des Blancs The vineyards thrive on hills stretching 120 kilometres in length and from 300 metres to two kilometres in width. Champagne is planted on chalk. The Grand Crus generally are on the mid-slopes. The soil is a unique chalk a bit below the constantly fertilized topsoil. Thanks to this cradle, Champagne offers such lightness and refinement.
Most people don't realize that the invention of Champagne was an accident. Grapevines were planted in the Champagne region as far back as Roman times. Originally called vins diables, or devil wine, champagne evolved to its present incarnation in 1668, when a young, blind Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon figured out how to stabilize it, make it taste better, and keep it from exploding by putting it in a stronger bottle and using a cork. In pre-Dom days, they used to stop the bottles with oil-soaked hemp instead of cork. :-)
We set out for Champagne in the morning, reached the town of Reims early afternoon and decided to take a break there. It's a lovely little town, very upmarket and trendy. I had heard of the lovely touristic route between Reims and Epernay, the other small town in the region. It's a meandering three hour drive if you decide to take this route. The regular freeway between the the two towns is otherwise just a 30 minute drive.
If you're crazy about driving through the vineyards, stopping by a few, tasting the grapes and in no particular hurry to get anywhere, take the touristic route one way. I still can't get over the sight of the lush vineyards, the grape vines pregnant with ripe, inviting grapes...little trucks parked on the edges, waiting to collect the produce and young people picking grapes, joking with eachother across the plantations.. the bon homie about the place was infectious! Before I knew it, I was off the car, and picking grapes with the others! The owners and the plantation help were the most hospitable people I'd met and egged me on to pick the grapes with their special plier-like scissors!
We visited one of the wine houses and were treated to elaborate wine tasting! Here's a bit of stuff I learnt while helping myself to the bubbly:
The basic rules...
- Choose glasses that are tall enough and large enough to allow bubbles and the aromas to develop and rise to the surface.
-the glasses should be spotlessly clean and free of any traces of detergent or rinsing agent that might flatten the Champagne.
-Avoid all forms of perfume (whether room perfume or personal eau-detoilette) and any odours that are likely to interfere with the appreciation of the aromas.
-To ensure that the Chamapagne is at the ideal drinking temperature (8-10 deg cent) chill the bottle for 2o minutes in an ice bucket filled with ice cubes.
-Fill the glass no more than two-thirds full allowing space for the aromas to circulate.
-To bring out the colour of the wine, place a sheet of white paper behind the glass.
-Allow the champagne time to open upand reveal the richness of it's bouquet.
-A Champagne reveals it's personality best on the palate. Dare to roll the wine around your mouth for a few moments...Indulge yourself!!
The visit to the vineyards isn't complete without a trip to the wine making area and to the cellars! So when in France next time, don't leave without a visit to Champagne...
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