Golden effervescence

Though I have enjoyed the occasional glass of champagne over the years, I can't say I am an expert or a devotee. But my trip to the Champagne region yesterday was interesting indeed! These folks were SERIOUS about their bubbly.






We traveled with approximately 50 people to the region, approximately 100 miles east of Paris. I should have realized early on it was a serious journey for some as a I watched an 80 year old man from Italy battle his way past the guide and the women to be first on the bus. Interestingly, though he HAD to be first in line at every stop along the way, he was LAST to get back on the bus to come home at the end of the day - making us quite late returning to Paris.

Our tour took us to the Mumm's cellars in Reims and Moet & Chandon in Epernay. Both of these villages were lovely and every home seemed to have a well-tended, lush garden. The cobblestone streets were my favorite and I remain amazed each time I see a cathedral or monument and realize how very difficult it had to have been to create these structures stone-by-stone without benefit of modern equipment.

At both champagne houses, we were able to tour the cellars with an informative guide. The
guides explained the tedious process of taking grapes from fruit to bubbly and some of the
reasons a particular champagne is more expensive than another. Moet & Chandon creates Dom
Perignon though, not surprisingly, they did not pop open a bottle for our tasting. However,
there was an opportunity at the end of the tour to purchase a bottle (or two) ranging in price
from 350euros to 6000 euros. As you may have guessed...I passed on that generous offer. As I
mentioned earlier, my interest in champagne has been lukewarm at best and I am not embarrassed
to say it has always included asking for a sugar cube and bitters to make it a champagne
cocktail. But it was difficult not to leave impressed by this process, which is really a
combination of science and art. In many ways, the elaborate process continues to be accomplished without modern equipment and the only slap of reality came in the form of a short film they showed featuring the "face" of Moet & Chandon, Scarlett Johannsen - and her overly sexual descriptions of "golden liquid" and "effervescence".

Susan and I took a walk around Reims - away from the cafes suggested by the guide - and had lunch at a wonderful creperie where no one spoke a word of English, but the food and hospitality were amazing. The waiter was so nice and he was incredibly funny. We had savory crepes made with vegetables and cheese with soft cooked egg in the middle and ended by sharing a pear and Nutella dessert crepe. Excellent. One of the great things about France is the importance they place on food and dining. While many Americans leave thinking the waiters were rude, it is usually far from the reality. In fact, they simply believe you should not rush through a meal and leave you to enjoy your wine, main course, and dessert...as well as an espresso or two afterward.

After the ride back to Paris - and dealing with rush hour traffic thanks to the delays caused by our Italian friend - we were exhausted. Thankfully, the gelato cafe I love is just a few doors down, so We found the energy to stroll over for a cup of pistachio and noisette for our "dinner".

So far, we have met only lovely, helpful people and our neighborhood is friendly and lively with just the right amount of activity mixed with considerable ambience. The best part continues to be our wonderful balcony where we have breakfast each morning and plan to share a
bottle of wine tonight.

I am writing over lunch break today, rather than my usual midnight entry.

Je dois aller manger et en apprendre avantage. I am off to eat and learn.