A Taste of the Champagne Region

Reims is an easy drive from Paris; it could even be a day trip. I would recommend an overnight so there is enough time to explore Reims city center and also venture to Epernay and perhaps the small towns in the region. Any more than two full days is probably too much because these towns are pretty small and easily covered on foot in a few hours of leisurely wandering. It is a perfect stop on the way to Strasbourg or Dijon, especially if you are doing the wine-thing in Alsace or Burgundy. The route from Reims to Strasbourg passes through many, many WWI battlefields and historic sites. We drove from Strasbourg to Reims, stopping in Verdun for lunch, where we found an abundance of cafes with sunny outside tables. On the way from Paris to Reims, keep an eye out for the town of Soissons, where you will find the Abbaye St. Jean-des-Vignes, 11th-17th century ruins of a cathedral. (See photo)

Quick Tips:

If you are walking down the central pedestrian mall at night, be alert. The local young drivers think it is a dragstrip and, althought it is designated a pedestrian mall, it can be treacherous!

Best Way To Get Around:

Reims is small and is easily covered on foot. There is a bus system, but we never needed it. If you plan to visit Epernay and the smaller towns, perhaps to do some champagne tasting, you will need a car. It may be possible to go from Reims to Epernay by train.

The Garden Court imprint of Holiday Inn designates a privately owned European-style hotel that provides Holiday Inn-style amenities. We have found them to be good value for the money. Our room was small by American standards, but comfortable and adequately equipped -- a queen sized bed, two chairs, a small table and a dresser. It also had a mini-bar, pants press and hair drier. The bathroom was also small, but the showerhead was very good. Towels were bath-sized but very thin. The reception desk staff were friendly and helpful. They provided good directions for us and, when we asked if there was an Internet Café in town, they photocopied a brochure from one and showed us on the map how to get there. Parking is available in their garage for about $6; the driveway is very narrow and if there is no room left on the first floor, you have to drive your car into an elevator to take it to another level! The hotel is walking distance from the cathedral and the central pedestrian mall.

The main drawback of the hotel was that, even though we had a non-smoking room, it was extremely smoky from the air conditioning unit, starting about 10 p.m. and lasting until the next morning. The hotel seems to cater to tour groups (we saw the buses outside) and we assumed that the groups had arrived back from dinner and started smoking in the rooms about 10 p.m.

This restaurant provides good food in a pretty environment at a reasonable price. Although the restaurant looks fancy, some men wore jackets and some did not. A table of eight sitting behind us seemed to be regulars; the chef/owner came out and cheeks were air-kissed all around. The hostess came by to admire baby pictures. Other tables seemed to be filled with locals as well. It is not a tourist restaurant.

There were a variety of fixed-price menus. We both chose the one for 175 FF (about $25). We started with the house terrine, which was mostly liver, studded with pistachios and hazelnuts. We both thought it was well-seasoned and not too salty or fatty. Good cornichons accompanied the terrine. The main course was four nicely cooked tiny lamb rib chops (just past rare) served with mushroom duxelles (finely chopped and sauteed mushrooms) blended with shallots and a touch of cream along with pureed potatoes, also made with cream. My husband wanted to put the lamb bones in his pocket to take back to the hotel to gnaw all the little morsels in private. Dessert was stewed apples with apple ice cream. We ended the meal with coffee served with chocolates. Service was smooth and neither cold nor overly familiar. The meal was good enough that we considered returning the following evening. As it turned out, we had a big lunch the next day (at Les Berceaux), so we skipped dinner; instead my husband had a hunk of sausage and some fruit and I had some yogurt purchased from the food hall at the Galeries Lafayette department store.

By the way, don't confuse this restaurant with Le Vigneron, another restaurant in Reims.

We had a leisurely lunch at this lovely restaurant, which has one Michelin star. They have a casual wine bar, in addition to the restaurant, so if you are making reservations be sure to specify the restaurant. (The wine bar menu featured -- and I'm translating from the French here -- American-style chicken, fries and catsup; we'll pass on that.)

It was a warm, sunny day and the waiters opened the windows in the dining room shortly after we were seated. This not only brought the beautiful day inside, but was a nice bit of thoughtfulness because across the room, three Italians were smoking heavily.

When we were seated, we were presented with the menu and wine list. The wine list had an entire page of champagnes -- about 35 different kinds. Of course, we had to start the meal with a glass of champagne. And this might be a good place to mention the French attitude toward "cocktails." When you have lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant in France, you will almost certainly be asked if you would like an aperitif. The French will drink a glass of champagne, a kir (white wine with a dash of cassis liqueur, or perhaps peach or raspberry), kir royale (kir made with champagne –- delicious) or even an orange juice. They do not drink hard liquor before dinner, believing it dulls the palate. You may be offered a "coupe Americaine," which is whiskey.

My husband started his meal with a stuffed pig's foot, one of his favorite things and a specialty of this restaurant. He had a tender braised shoulder of lamb with vegetables for his main course. I started with a large raviolo (singular of ravioli, I believe?) stuffed with tasty shrimp in a sauce made with frogs' legs. I didn't pay attention to the preparation described on the menu, so my husband and I puzzled over what the little tender fishy morsels were -- they tasted like clams but were much too tender and meaty. It wasn't until we looked at the menu posted outside on our way out that I saw they were frogs' legs. (This was no problem; I like frogs' legs.) For my main course, I had roasted St. Pierre fish (also called John Dory). It was simply prepared in a butter sauce and was excellent. We made our cheese selections from a well-stocked cheese cart. For dessert on this late-spring day we both had "red fruits" (strawberries, raspberries, currants) with mascarpone sorbet. I've had sorbets made from several types of cheese -- mascarpone, creme fraiche, fromage blanc, and they are all wonderful. If you've ever had buttermilk sorbet, you'll know approximately what they are like. Lunch finished with coffee, small cookies and chocolates. It was a delightful, relaxing break in the day, the type of meal I heartily recommend to refresh one for further touring and champagne tasting!

The Notre Dame cathedral in Reims was built during the 13th century. Most French kings were crowned there. It is a world-famous example of High Gothic architecture. It sustained severe damage during World War I, but has been restored. Fortunately, many of the stained glass windows were removed and stored elsewhere during WWI so they were not damaged. They were painstakingly reassembled after the war. The two rose windows at the back (western facade) of the cathedral are magnificent. We saw them in late afternoon, when the sun was coming through them. At the front of the cathedral are three windows designed by Marc Chagall. Primarily blue in color, they are unmistakably Chagall, with his dreamlike figures. The cathedral is also known for its lifelike sculptured figures outside, notably the Smiling Angel. Throughout the cathedral are signboards explaining the history of the building and the restoration process; they are in French, German and English. There is, of course, a small gift shop by the entrance where you can buy postcards and slides of the windows.

My photograph of the stained glass window is a bit blurry because it was taken without flash inside, but it shows the vivid colors of even one of the minor windows. This window is on the western facade to the side of the rose windows.

For those who have been wine tasting in the Napa Valley, tasting in France will come as a surprise. Napa is highly commercial and tourist-friendly; the smaller wineries in France (and our experience extends to tasting in the Cote du Rhone, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne regions) can be intimidating, especially if you speak no French because they are so small and informal. Nevertheless, if you dive in and try, you''ll have some interesting experiences and great memories. One tip: be aware that during the harvest season (mid-September to mid-October, depending on region and weather) picking involves all the winery staff at the small family-run places and while they are picking, the tasting rooms (which may be a corner of the storage room) will probably be closed.

The major champagne houses line the Avenue de Champagne in Epernay. They are all imposing buildings of various styles. Don't miss the stylish art nouveau entrance to the Perrier-Jouet house. Stop by the tourist office at 7 Ave. du Champagne for information about the champagne houses, including tour and tasting information. We did not take any of the tours, but saw a large group assembling in the courtyard of Mumm, by the statute of Dom Perignon, for what is supposed to be a very informative tour. Krug has tours by appointment only. In the smaller towns of the champagne region, such as Bouzy, Ay and Villers-Marmery, there are numerous signposts pointing the way to the various wineries. The wineries themselves are also well-marked.

We had a car and ventured into the countryside in search of smaller champagne wineries. We stopped at Champagne Herbert Beaufort and had a very warm welcome. The man in the tasting room readily switched to English as soon as we began to stumble with our limited French. He offered a taste from one bottle that had already been opened. (This did not affect the quality; the bottle was sealed with a special cork to keep it fizzy.) Then he offered another blend and opened a fresh bottle for us. We talked about the differences with him and ended up buying a bottle to take home with us. For about $12 we bought a very nice champagne, which was coddled in our carry-on and now waits for a special occasion when we can remember our tasting adventure. Champagne Herbert Beaufort is at 28 Rue de Tours in Bouzy. The phone number is 03-26-57-01-34. To get there, take the D19 east from Fontaine-su-Ay about 6 km. Follow the signs in Bouzy to the winery. It's easy to spot.