Champagne

Endearing Glimpses

Champagne

« Vast, bare yellow plains whose golden locks have just had their July trim ; immense, soft waves of earth whose crests of undergrowth quiver like vegetal foam. » That is how Victor Hugo described the Champagne area.

Bubbles and Sainte Ampoule (the holy vial) make it the cradle of wine and the anointing place of our kings. Hillsides stretch as far as the eye can see and there are kilometres of wine cellars. Cathedral spires and the smile of an angel as well known as that of the Mona Lisa can also be spied. Marked out in chalk and made famous by Clovis and Dom Pérignon, the Champagne area can also come into its own as a terra incognita for those who, at the pop of a cork, are keen to discover it.

For a start, where exactly is this part of France whose name is universally known for its produce, which is transformed into a magic flute ? Does it spread over the four départements : Marne, Aube, Haute-Marne and the Ardennes, following the regional division ? Or is it narrowed down to a little more than the first two, by nibbling a part of Aisne and Seine-Maritime and conforming to the viticultural geography ? The spirit in the Champagne area ignores administrative borders, preferring to hug the curves of the slopes. This Champagne is « bunched up ». This secret Champagne area, behind the showcase of the « great houses » in Reims and Epernay and the well-known cellars of the Côte des Bar and Sézanne, hides some marvellous little châteaux, manor houses, traditional winegrowers' homes and architects' contemporary residences. It is home to enthusiasts and to artists.