„Bubbles, bubbles
Oodles of bottles with bubbles
Glasses refillable
That shlop up each syllable
With bubbles
Bubbles...”

In short: bubbles, bubbles and again bubbles….of happiness! You must remember the “Merry Paris” and those nosy and funny cats who tasted the elixir (slightly hallucinogenic) called champagne: They knew what was best for them! Long life museum exhibits, exquisite and swanky, feminist and elegant, award-winning and highly idolized, the champagnes are definitely drinks with a solid tradition in France. Ruinart, Mumm, Pommery, Moët&Chandon, Veuve-Clicquot, Taittinger, Castellane, Mercier are about the most important champagne houses in the Champagne region (North-Eastern France), which allow you to make a tour through their twisting cellars and basements and taste the kinds of champagne with an impressive history.

“Colored to-do-list” in Champagne:

    • Dom Pierre Pérignon is the father of champagne. He is the character who discovered the technique of combining the local wines and of bottling them to get champagne. Pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier are the three kinds of grapes which champagne is made from, and its value is given by the quality of the grapes which have been harvested in a certain year, so that there is no need to mix them with wine from other years. Cuvée de Prestige are the most luxurious kinds; this is only a little piece of information from what you can learn about the champagne in Champagne.

    • Stay in a castle in the rural setting, like Château d`Étoges or if you get together in a large group of friends, you can rent one, advantageously, only for you, such as Château de Mairy; if you prefer to stay in the town, you can choose Château les Crayères.

    • Visit some champagne houses-many of them are in Épernay on the so called Champagne Avenue or in Reims.

    • Check the oldest champagne house: Ruinart.

    • Go to a gourmet restaurant, with Michelin stars, especially if you love good food, as the area abounds in them.

    • Madame Barbe-Nicole Clicquot took over the Veuve Clicquot business when she was only 27, after her husband had died, and the widow succeeded in entirely revolutionizing the concept. When you make the tour of the Veuve Clicquot house you`ll find out how champagne came into prominence, because of her.

    • See Reims with its famous cathedral and Palais du Tau, a Gallic-Roman villa, both of them being under UNESCO patrimony.

    • Go for a walk in Troyes, with its splendid old town and its half-timbered houses –made of wood, processed through a special technique and dating back to the XVI th century.

    • Taste the local sweets: the pink champagne cookie; and if it is served with a champagne ice cream, it`s even better. 

    • If you get to Hautvillers, an extremely picturesque, little village, go and taste some champagne at “Au 36’, where you can have some extraordinary snacks beside a big, delicious macaroon with roses and soft strawberry filling (the recollection of it still lasted in my mind and soul..) Colored Advice!

    • The cuisine lovers, that cuisine with chefs and Michelin Stars must book a festive dinner at Moët, suitable for celebrating (be careful, the meal is organized only on Tuesday and Saturday, you have to book in advance, but it`s better for you to check first) http://www.moet.com/News/MOET-CHANDON-AND-YANNICK-ALLENO.

Colored curiosity: Dom Pérignon is buried in the church of Hautvillers, a little town which has a special and charming aura because of this character.