CHAMPAGNE Welcome Visitors
CHAMPAGNE welcome visitors. in320-odd villages,manyofwhosefamily-runfacilitiesscale vignerons(winemakers) international renown, butmuchoftheregion’s liquidgoldismadebyalmost5000small- name-brand Anumberof villagetothenext. from onepicturesque –andprosperouswine-growing Champagne Route wendsitswaythroughtheregion’s visitors diverse vineyards,taking (the drink,thatis)andisthebestplacetoheadfor with half-timbered houses. picturesque cityofTroyes,hometoseveral exceptionalmuseumsandentire streets lined Champagne. demand), thenagedandbottledaccordingtothestrictest ofrules–canbelabelledas from thisregion –grownindesignated areas (nowbeingexpandedtomeetgrowing here formore thanthree centuries. AccordingtoFrench law,onlybubblyoriginating region andiscelebrated aroundtheworldforsparklingwinesthathave beenproduced Known inRomantimesasCampania, meaning‘plain’,Champagneisalargely agricultural Champagne 354 increasingly respected) Aube, whose Marne, whosemetropolisisthe‘CoronationCity’ofReims,andlessprestigious (though © LonelyPlanetPublications The capitalofChampagne townofÉpernay, 30kmtothesouthofReims,isdefacto The ofthisprestigious production placemainlyintwo sparklingwinetakes
HIGHLIGHTS
POPULATION: 1.3 MILLION Wanderthroughthebackstreets andalleysoftheold Explore therollingvineyardsalongvarious Sipbubblyand nibble ClimbtothetopoftoweratCathédrale Notre France’s flattest province city in ofChampagne’sscenic sections of Champagne’ the endofacellartourin Dame in Europe ( p360 ) bycaroreven bybicycle Troyes Reims maisons ( p366 ), oneofthebest-preserved in
( p357 ) for360-degree viewsacross (literally ‘houses’,meaningChampagneproducers)have achieved biscuits roses Épernay Champagne Route ( p363 ), the‘capital (pinkbicuits)at préfecture (departmental capital)istheancientand (departmental AREA : 25,606 SQKM
dégustation Reims Épernay Troyes (tastingsession).The Champagne Route Champagne Route départements:
CHAMPAGNE 355 (1827). France’s rail lines radiate out from Paris out from Paris France’s rail lines radiate The region’s name has been associated been name has associated The region’s Champagne (www.tourisme-champagne-ar In the commercial centre (north and north- In the commercial centre Orientation Orientation are the cathedral), the main streets west of rue Condorcet and, rue Carnot, rue de Vesle, The train rue de Talleyrand. for shopping, the station is almost exactly 1km northwest of there are pretty good rail connections between pretty are there from Reims and Épernay, the best way to get by bus. Reims to Troyes is REIMS pop 202,600 a millennium (816 to Over the course of – among them 1825), some 34 sovereigns as rul- two dozen kings – began their reigns in Reims’ famed cathedral. Meticulously ers following WWI and again after reconstructed WWII, the city – whose name is pronounced anglicised ‘rance’ and is often something like as Rheims – is neat and orderly, with wide parks. Along with and well-tended avenues of Épernay, it is the most important centre Champagne production. Champagne’)’, to quote Sir Walter Scott in his Sir Walter Champagne’)’, to quote Napoleon Buonaparte, of Emperor of The Life French the Getting There & Around a makes Burgundy, just north of denne.com), driving from far if you’re stopover refreshing eastward to Lorraine northern France or Paris Est Européen line With the TGV or Alsace. ) now up and running, both Reims and p975 ( on a one-day excur- Épernay can be visited from Paris. sion a wheel and, as it so hap- of the spokes like each pens, Reims, Épernay and Troyes are or less). Although (more spoke on a different fairs at which merchants from around Europe from around merchants which at fairs bought as as far afield products from and sold the Mediterranean. when a Benedictine Dom Pierre monk named using a sec- the process of Pérignon perfected ho-hum still wine to make ond fermentation appear to may the province But while sparkle. now, that hasn’t always be living the good life been by the case. is dominated Champagne plain ‘branded for its pov- chalk an infertile with the unseemlyerty and sterility name La Champagne Pouilleuse ‘flea-bitten (literally with bubbly since the late 17th century, 17th century, since the late with bubbly To A4 Ciney
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sur-Marne History History especially Troyes – grew rich from commercial rich especially Troyes – grew kingdom in the late 5th century and began 5th century kingdom in the late holding royal coronations the tradition of – the region in Reims. In the Middle Ages, Christianity was the Merovingian warrior- Christianity was the Merovingian I, who founded the Frankish king Clovis Champagne’s most famous convert to to Champagne’s most famous convert lonelyplanet.com