Jesse & I were lucky enough to leave the kids with Mom and head down into France to explore the Champagne region. We started by stopping at Notre-Dame de Reims to see the 800 year old cathedral. Although a typical old European cathedral, the Rose Windows were beautiful and it was worth the stop.
20 minutes later we arrived in Epernay, the capitol of Champagne. I'd booked another Air B&B winner on a houseboat on the Marne River. Although charming, I think my Air B&B days are limited…
Luckily, we took off for our first champagne tasting right away and started at the low end with the House of Mercier. A very touristy tour into the caves aboard a little train and table champagne at the tasting, it was a great introduction to the focus of the region. We bought a case of grand-cry at A. Bergere and then walked around until dinnertime.
Sunday morning we had the best time exploring the hilltop village of Hautvillers, the home of Dom Perignon, the monk who studied and improved the art of champagne making. The village was meticulously preserved, a note to the wealth of the region.
Afterwards, we went back into Epernay to visit the House of Moet & Chandon, also the owners of the brand Dom Perignon. This time the tour was extremely high end luxury focused, with bottles marked over $10,000 in their boutique. It was beautiful and a perfect end of the touring weekend.
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