Reims

Sorry it's been a while, my life was kind of stuck in a fastforward motion. But let's get back to it. Aunt Sue and Sally came to visit for a week or so and watch my last 2 football games of the season. It was quite an experience. I got to play tour guide and showed off my new knowledge of Paris and French History. It was exhausting and fun at the same time. We made tracks all across the city and judging by the blisters on Sally's feet, I'd say we all lost a couple pounds throughout the week.

On one side day trip we went to Reims, a city in the Bourgogne - Champagne district of France. It is where all champagne comes from. Our tourguide drove us through the country side and through all of the small vineyards. They were all so beautifully kept and clean and very well taken care of. Aunt Sue marveled on the way the rows were oriented. They all ran from the top of the hills down to the bottom. Which you would assume would cause a lot of the soil to run off through the rains and weather..... Actually we ended up coming right after the region had experienced an incredibly strong thunderstorm.

Anyways as we drove through the small vineyards, each one having a stone with the marking of who owns the lot.... Moet & Chandon, Mumm, etc. We stopped first at the little abbey where Dom Perignon is buried. I think it is also where the monk invinted champagne. The church of Hautvillers was such a small little abbey. We sat on the old pews and looked around at the different relics and history. Next we took off to Moet & Chandon and took a champagne tour.

A picture of the old abbey where monk Dom Perignon is burried.

Most of you will know Moet & Chandon as the maker's of the one and only Dom Perignon. The world class champagne. We walked through the cellars and learned all about the process, time and effort spent making champagne. They keep a lot of their grapes from each year/ from each different vineyard stored in the miles of cellar space. Marked with a very difficult code, that way no one could find their stuff. It is much different however then wine. In that it won't get any better, the longer you wait. As advice they said you should drink your bottle of champagne within 2 years for a regular bottle, 5 for a special bottle, and 8 for a vintage elite bottle. If you let it sit there is a very good chance of having an expensive bottle of vinegar!

Someones bottle of Dom Perignon with my name on it! There where endless quantites of the champagne, and it was tempting not to take one out with me!

They taught us about the process. Some of the more interesting notes where that the bottles are hand turned in very specific ways. I really don't know how many ways you can turn a bottle, but I guess its an art. A turner turns 35,000 bottles a day. Talk about redundant! Another fun fact was the way they get the sediments out of the bottles. First you place them in different tilted angles for maturation from the small angles all the way up to about 75 degrees. Then they freeze the sediments with liquid nitrogen and as the open the bottle, the sediments pop out the top. A lot better then the old day from letting the sediments fall out and losing some of the champagne.

After the cellar we had a tasting. It was really delicicous and I enjoyed the opportunity. After a bit of the bubbly, we then went to the Notre Dame de Reims, the place were all but one of the French kings where crowned. Much larger then Notre Dame in Paris, but very similar architecturally. It was breathtaking, some of the old statues and high, high arched ceilings. It's just incredible how these things were constructed such a long time ago. We had lunch in Reims before heading to another champagne tour.

This time we learned all about Mumm. G.H. Mumm is the brand name most notably recognized by the red slash on the bottle. This tour was similar to the other, however it had a more welcoming feel. They did a great job showing you and teaching you about the process. It was like the tour was designed for the people, whereas the M&C tour was just a glimpse into their everyday operations. Mumm had a lot of the old equipment used in champagne making on display.

Also one of the coolest things from both tours was the extremely old bottles of champagne on display, however locked away in old cellars that resembeled medieval prisons. Some of them dating back to 1893. Old champagne!!!

After the tour we drove back to Paris.