DAY
(8) Saturday
Wine in this region dates back to Gallo
Roman times. The vineyards
were developed in the middle ages
by the clergy of Reims and Chalons.
In the late xv, it acquired the name of “vin de Champagne”, but only
in Paris; in this region, the word “champagne” was describing a very
poor soil, good only for sheep grazing.
In 1670 don Perignon, a Benedictine monk from
the abbey d’Hautvillers is the first to mix
cépages to
improve quality; he also introduces the cork, held to the bottle by a
string of oiled hemp and promotes the use of thicker glass, avoiding the
common bottle explosion.
Bubbly
making stayed quite empirical for centuries until the work of Louis
Pasteur on fermentation during the 1800's.
Morning visit to Gosset in Ay, the oldest "Maison de Champagne" established in 1584.
After lunch, back to Reims for our last visit: Roeder or Bollinger; this Maison, enjoying the highest reputation of traditional quality, produces perhaps the most magnificent "Special Cuvee" an assembly of great quality bottled in magnums.
Dinner on your own
Night in Reims.
B
- L
Sunday - DAY 9
Bus ride or morning train to CDG airport (45 minutes only).
Flight back home for arrival home same day, in the afternoon.
