Champagne, Burgundy & Bordeaux
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08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 79 Chapter Five SHOPPING THE WINE REGIONS: CHAMPAGNE, BURGUNDY & BORDEAUX CHAMPAGNE Champagne is a French département and the name of a very particular drink. By law, if the grapes for this sparkling wine aren’t grown in this region of France, the bubbly ain’t champagne. If it is champagne, then officially it’s capitalized, (making it Champagne). If you look closely at a map, you’ll realize that the départe- ment of Champagne is shaped like the letter C; most of the famous bottlers are to the north, while some are more in the south. There are factory outlets in the south, in and around the town of Troyes (pronounced trois, like the number 3). Locals take day trips from Paris to either northern or south- ern Champagne; there are also tourist overnights and fancy tours that go to Troyes for the shopping and then to Epernay for the tasting. COPYRIGHTEDCharm Warning MATERIAL Before you get all excited about Reims, the capital of the Champagne region, or start wondering how many bottles of bubbly are on the wall, let me warn you that if you are thinking romantic, if you are thinking beautiful, you might want to sit 79 08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 80 80 SHOPPING THE WINE REGIONS down now and try to cope before you are off, running, and daydreaming. Reims is not adorable. It was bombed in World War I (although the vineyards weren’t), and although it has a very nice Gothic cathedral (bombed but not ruined), there is not a lot of quaint charm to win over your heart and head. That said, Reims is a terrific place to have some fun, tour a few caves, buy champagne, and eat gourmet meals. And if you want charm, you can go to Troyes. Epernay is more charming than Reims—and closer. Reims & Surroundings You might not be able to spell it (I thought there was an h in there somewhere) or pronounce it (say Rance), but you do know this town as the heart of the French Champagne district. GETTING TO REIMS Most of the big-brand champagne houses are within the city limits of either Reims or Epernay, but Reims is on the main train line, while Epernay, which is technically closer to Paris, is not. The smaller brands tend to be in smaller towns along the Route du Champagne. Catch the train at the Gare de l’Est in Paris; it’s a 90-minute trip. You can buy tickets ahead of time through Rail Europe in the U.S. (& 877/456-RAIL; www.raileurope.com/us). When the TGV-East opens in 2007, Reims will be one of the stations, accessible via Lille or Marseille. Driving from Paris to Champagne is very easy: Just head out past Disneyland Paris on the A4, pay a few tolls (by credit card, if you like), and pick your exit depending on the houses you wish to visit. As you drive, you can see the new TGV-East tracks and stations as they are being built. GETTING AROUND REIMS The train station is alongside downtown Reims; you can walk just about everywhere in the downtown area, but the cathedral 08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 81 Reims lt 0 0.25 mi To e v rue du Laon e N s Paris Reims o 0 0.25 km Mont-d’Arène Ro F. place de la Jaminbd. e de - Mars ru République rue du Champs - FRANCE Information i bd. To Rethel Post Office Port de ès Railway Mars Lundy bd. bd. Joffre 3 av. Jean-Jaur Gare 2 Centrale bd. Foch 4 rue Cernay place A. de Carteret c 1 place du Briand i Forum Roederer rue Cérès bd. de la Paix rue Clovis irette place rue G. Laurent Général-Lecler Royale bd. L. Voltaire bd. rue Bu place MMuséeusée PPalaisalais Carnégie To Epernay St-DenisSt-Denis rue dduu TTauau av. G. rue de Vesle Chanzy rue Clemenceau rue Barbatre bd. St-Marceaux rue des Capucines rue Clovis rue Libergier rue Gambetta 5 To Soissons de Sillery bd. P. Doumer rue Hafen Canal chauss rue du Jard bd. Pommery ée rue de Venise To Paris rue Simon Moulins HOTELS bd. Dr. Les Crayeres 5 place ru Vesle e rue des Gén.- d e Henrot CHAMPAGNEplace SHOPSGouraud C Bocquaine o St-Niçoise ur A4 Champagne Selection 3 lan av. P. cy La Boutique Champenoise 2 Marchandeau Les Delicesplace ChampenoisesDiancourt 1 To Verdun Le VintageDroits- bd.4 de-l’Homme is across town. There are taxis waiting at the train station, and some drivers will make a deal for a day of sightseeing. To call a taxi 24 hours a day, dial & 03-26-47-05-05. If you’re going for a simple overnight and a little sightsee- ing, eating, and sleeping, you do not need a car. If, however, you want to really see the area and the vines, you do need to drive. SLEEPING IN REIMS Most of the famous kitchens in Reims also have rooms, since people like to linger over a gourmet dinner or want to drink. LES CRAYERES 64 bd. Henry Vasnier, Reims. Not only is this the number-one choice for all discriminating visitors, but it is often named one of the top five hotels in the 08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 82 82 SHOPPING THE WINE REGIONS world. Although the formal name of this restaurant and hotel is Les Crayeres, most people call it Boyer, in honor of the famous chef who is now retired from the kitchen. Located across the street from the Pommery château and almost in the heart of town, this manor house is set in a small park and comes complete with so many luxuries, you’ll have to pinch yourself to make sure it’s all real. Rates begin at 265€ ($305) and go up to about 500€ ($575). And that doesn’t usually include breakfast. Book in the U.S. through Relais & Châteaux (& 800/735-2478). Local phone & 03-26-82-80-80. Fax 03-26-82-65-52. www.relais chateaux.com. ROYAL CHAMPAGNE Champillon-Epernay. Royal Champagne is for those who prefer to be closer to Epernay than to Reims, more out on the Route du Champagne; it’s also a tad closer to Troyes. (Troyes is slightly more than an hour from Epernay.) This lush property was created from a former post house. The rooms are huge and really nice—and each has a sweep- ing view of the vines. The feel is not as grand manor house as Boyer, but it is very, very nice and quite plush, with decora- tions in the local rustic style. Again, there’s a famous chef and good eats to be had here. There are 27 rooms; rates begin around 250€ ($288), but there are promotional deals. From the U.S., call Relais & Châteaux (& 800/735-2478). Local phone & 03-26-52-87-11. www.relaischateaux.com/royalchampagne. SHOPPING IN REIMS SHOPPING HOURS Most stores in Reims are open from 9am to noon and 2 to 7pm. The hypermarchés (modern dry- goods stores) are open nonstop until 9pm. (Frankly, though, they don’t have that much good champagne, and their prices aren’t much lower than anyone else’s.) Some stores open at 10am 08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 83 Champagne 83 and remain open during the lunch hours. Monday mornings are slow. REAL-PEOPLE SHOPPING In keeping with the feel of the town, the real people’s “downtown” shopping district isn’t very cute, either. The main drag is Victor Hugo, where there’s a decent branch of Galeries Lafayette (with supermarket). You’ll find more commercial shopping and mass-market brands (and Monoprix) at place d’Erlon. MARKETS & FAIRS Markets are open in Reims from 6am to 1pm every day except Sunday. On the first Sunday of every month, except in August, there is a flea market from 8am to 7pm at the Parc des Expositions. Galerie Jamin (6 rue Jamin) is open Monday and Friday from 2 to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm. FINDS Because most people go to Reims partly to see the incredible cathedral, it’s important to know that you can gawk, worship, and then go shopping all in the same space. There are a handful of excellent wine shops here that sell many, many brands and offer great gifts. Almost all the shops sell chocolate champagne corks, which make a super gift. I’m also big on small bottles of champagne for the folks back home, so that they can taste a range of bub- blies, and I love the fact that a few houses (Moët in particular) make six-packs of small bottles. Another novelty item comes from Pommery—it’s a small (200ml) bottle of champagne called Pop. It was designed for teens and tweens, to be drunk with a straw and to teach them the taste of fine champagne. CHAMPAGNE SELECTION Face à la Cathédrale. This store does not sell champagne. Rather, it makes custom champagne corks, so you can get ones that announce the baby or celebrate a big birthday. You can provide a photo of the cel- ebrant to be imprinted on the metal top that goes over the cork. The minimum order is 250 pieces, which costs about 87€ 08_556916 ch05.qxd 10/6/04 9:20 AM Page 84 84 SHOPPING THE WINE REGIONS ($100).