Days 24 and 25 – Champagne

It’s about 330km from Wasselonne to Épernay and I decided to take the Autoroute or routes as I ended up on 3...... and wow, expensive tolls.... It cost just over €20! Having said that, it was a very pleasant experience, mostly 2 lane motorway, and for the most part just me in my car, with the odd lorry to pass.


The views weren’t bad either; fabulous rolling hills, and as the weather was bright and dry, very clear visibility. I was particularly touched by the stretch through the Somme and the battlefields marked and then, almost as an antidote a sign for a town, known as ‘The Town of Peace’.


I made it safely, and in good time, to Champagne and was on my way to Épernay when I decided to turn off at a place called Jalons and ended up, despite my long drive, exploring the “Montagne de Reims”. For those of you unfamiliar with Champagne, the main area can be roughly divided into three portions: Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne and Côte des Blancs, which respectively are mainly planted with: Pinot Noir (and Pinot Meunier), Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay; these are the three main grape varieties used in Champagne.

Anyway, so there I was exploring the Montagne de Reims, the undulating hills, admiring the wooded areas when I spotted what looked to be a lighthouse...... on land..... with no body of water close by, not a river, not a pond, never mind the sea. So, I had to investigate.

Turns out, yes it was a lighthouse, but not for the sea, it was a marketing ploy by one of the champagne houses back in 1909 and later used in the 1st and 2nd world wars for anti-aircraft guns. Anyway, now it is a Museum dedicated to Champagne – incredibly interesting – the vinification process for champagne is different to that for still wine, so there is something different here from the other wine museums. And, being a lighthouse, situated on a rocky outcrop above the village of Verzenay, it had amazing views of the Montagne de Reims in general and across to its neighbouring windmill, now owned by Mumm champagne house.

Verzenay

My drive took me right up to Reims, but this is an extremely busy city and quite honestly after the long drive, negotiating the one-way system of a French city was more than I could deal with, so I turned south, straight back to Épernay. Just on the outskirts, I turned east through Aÿ to the small village of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ (pronounced Ma-roy-ee ..... sir..... Ah-ee) Quite a mouthful, but home of my lodgings with La Famille Guy Charbaut, not only a Chambre d’Hôte, but also a small champagne house and situated overlooking the Aÿ river. The rooms are beautiful – in keeping with the old fashioned building, so no TV or wifi, hence the delay in uploading this post, but what a spot..... and only 10 minutes to the centre of Épernay.

View from my window

After a very sound sleep, I enjoyed breakfast across the courtyard where Mme Charbaut insisted she get her son to show me, and 2 other fellow guests, the cellars. What a treat! We literally crossed the narrow street outside the house, in through a very non-descript door and into the ‘dressing’ area for the finished bottles (corking, wire shielding and foil collars), before moving through to the tanks for the 1st fermentation in the Champagne process. This turns the grape juice to a weak wine – the 2nd fermentation adds the famous bubbles!


Then we were taken down into the cellars of the building...... oh my goodness! Let me reiterate that this is a small family business, run by the son and daughter of Guy Charbaut. There were miles of tunnels, and all packed with bottles and bottles of champagne; in various stages of readiness, but nevertheless, Wow!


The tour took 2 hours – that sounds quite long, but it was absolutely fascinating, and M. Charbaut jnr took his time to explain all the nuances of what is obviously his passion, the production of champagne. He promised us a tasting that evening, so with that to look forward to, I decided to spend the afternoon just exploring the “Vallée de la Marne”.
Driving back along the river towards Épernay, I kept going west on the northern bank of the Marne river and stopped off at Hautvilliers.

This small village, though pretty, is most famous as the resting place of a certain Dom Perignon, the monk credited with coming up with the idea for champagne. He is buried in the Abbey of the village which is built on the spot where he was led by a dove to set up a Christian community.

As I made my way along the northern banks of the Marne and looped across the river and back towards Épernay, every few hundred yards, one has the opportunity to stop in a little champagne house, taste the champagne and buy. I didn’t...... purely and simply because unlike the Domaines in other parts of France, I really couldn’t walk in and out again without buying, so I have enjoyed a day of appreciating the countryside, seeing the vines on the sides of the road, including the stone markers advising the property of the famous big champagne houses.

I stopped off at Reuil, purely for its picturesque views on the river before crossing a little further downstream at Dormans, before driving East again towards Épernay.

If you look at one of the pictures of the valley, you will see a château on the opposite bank – this is the Château de Boursault, a gift for the Widow “Veuve” Clicquot. It has been passed down the female line, so not part of the Veuve Clicquot brand, and produces “Blanc de Blancs” Champagne. This is champagne made strictly from Chardonnay, i.e. white champagne from white grapes.

Similarly, “Blanc de Noirs” is white champagne made from black grapes, either Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier.


Anyway, back for my tasting... and just in time as the heavens opened after a heart-stopping thunder and lightning show. M. Charbaut offered us 4 champagnes:


1. Champagne Sélection (Brut) – a blend of all 3 grapes. The nose was quite raspberry and the taste to match, with excellent acidity. The fizz was persistent, but very pleasant.


2. Champagne Cuvée de Réserve Premier Cru (Brut) – A third Chardonnay, two thirds Pinot Noir. The nose on this was red fruits with just a hint of citrus, while the flavour was immediately toastie, from the 4 years on the yeast, quickly followed by strawberries, rhubarb, a little blackberry.


3. Champagne Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru (Brut) – All chardonnay, and the nose reflected this with a real smell of citrus. The flavour on the palate was grapefruit and again yeastie, though more bread than toast. This was finer and more elegant, but for my personal preference, lacked the depth provided by the black grapes.


4. Champagne Rosé Premier Cru (Brut) – 90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. So, those of you who know me well, know how much I really enjoy pink champagne. And this was just delightful. The nose was fresh blackberries, maybe wild strawberries and the taste was all blackberry and raspberry, very little discernible yeast.

I wasn’t sure what to expect...... I know that I have my favourite labels from the well-known champagne houses; I’m not usually a big fan of the very yeastie champagnes and I’m partial to a bit of pink.

Well, this was a very pleasant surprise..... The pink was as lovely as any other I have tasted, and I was completely converted to the Cuvée de Réserve Premier Cru, even with the toastie yeast flavours – I had always thought I liked the Pinot Noir favouring champagnes better, and this proved me correct..... but more than that, hugely impressed by the knowledge, care and attention paid by this champagne making family. If I do end up back in London, this will be an annual trip to stock up on champagne, no more ‘brands’ for me!

The only downside was that I had hoped to be able to drink these, as we were to enjoy a champagne dinner straight after in the main house. Alas, a change of plan meant I would have to venture out in the car afterwards, so more spitting, and the dinner will have to wait till tomorrow evening!

So, out to Épernay for dinner....... and back in the driving rain and at night...... another first in the aptly named ‘little boat’; French drains just can’t cope with more than a few spots of rain. But back safe and sound and ready for the big names tomorrow in Épernay, before a little drive down the Côte des Blancs.

Day 23 - Alsace Wine Road - Bennwihr to Marlenheim

Another day and more rain..... Thankfully not the torrential rain of Monday, but wet nonetheless!

I rejoined the Wine Route and made my way through Bennwihr and Mittelwihr to Beblenheim and the Espace Alsace Coopération. It is made up of 17 co-operative cellars and offers not only wines, but liqueurs, sweets, cheese, linens, pottery....... anything really that's locally produced, but just outside they had planted lines of the 7 Alsace grapevines.

While there, I was offered a taste of some of the 'Vendanges Tardive' wines I had mentioned yesterday:

1. AOC Alsace - Muscat 2005 - VT (Jean Geiler, Ingersheim) - On the nose, the now expected raisin, but with apricot and floral notes. And to taste..... wow ripe peaches bursting in your mouth with flavours of honey and raisin.
2. AOC Alsace - Pinot Gris 2005 - VT (Cave de Turckheim) - Floral and raisin aromas on the nose and luscious honey, apricots and a hint of floral to taste.
3. AOC Alsace - Gewürztraminer 2004 - Lune de Miel (Cleebourg) - This was not a Vendanges Tardive, but the lady serving me suggested I try it. It's from the very, very north of Alsace, not on the Wine Route, so I won't be visiting there, so I was delighted to sample a wine from there. Anyway, on the nose it was quite subtle - more white peach and the ripe peach. Ooh, but the flavour, as the name suggests was all honey - peaches and apples, a little bit floral, a little bit spicy, but unctiously sweet..... And not VT. It was explained that while these were not left on the vines, they were left to dry on straw after picking to concentrate the sugars and give them the sweet flavour.
4. AOC Alsace - Gewürztraminer 2007 – VT (Cave d’Obernau) – On the nose this was very raisin – imagine opening a new bag of raisins and that waft you get – that’s what this smelled of. The taste was honey and raisin, with the tropical lychee flavours, floral and spice..... but overall sweet.

So, with those luscious flavours still in my mouth, I drove on to Riquewihr.....

A very pretty town, but in my opinion ruined by tourists....

Don't get me wrong, there were all the ingredients of a beautiful town: cobbled streets, artisan shops, a miniature train, but it didn't feel real - did the inhabitants live here, or just stay here to serve the tourists......

I couldn't put my finger on it, but it wasn't for me.

So back in the car and I passed through Zellenberg and Hunawihr (where I didn't stop at the Stork sanctuary - The Alsatians seem to have a real thing for storks, but there were a couple of things I really wanted to see, so I'm afraid the storks got dropped!)

When I looked at yesterday's blog, I felt a little guilty at the number of pics - I hope I didn't bore you, but it's just that every village is just so pretty, but with a fresh eye and to a stranger, they probably all look much of a muchness, so I've been a little more strict with myself today! What I will say is that, unlike Provence, where one rounded a bend only to be faced with a rocky tower and a village perched atop of it...... In Alsace, the drive is over and through undulating hills at the base of the beautiful Vosges and invariably one reaches the top of a hill only to look down into a valley and be greeted by a church spire and the familiar high pitched roofs covered in small red tiles and brightly painted 'Hansel and Gretel' style houses nestling within the vineyards. Every one is beautiful..... And common to many is a single car width arch at each end of the village to drive through, similar to the one above in Riquewihr.

Ribeauvillé

Bergheim

Châtenois

On I drove through so many beautiful little villages until I came to Obernai, birthplace of Kronenbourg beer. I didn't sample the beer, but I did stop off for some lunch and a wander round the town. It has a beautiful church to Saint Peter and Paul..... a welcome to the endless list of towns with a church of Notre-Dame! And is also famous for its Corn Exchange dating from 1554.

Corn Exchange

13th century bell-tower

As I left Obernai, after a really lovely veggie lunch (Yay!!), I had hoped to stop in Ottrott to taste a speciality of the village, a Pinot Noir, known as Rouge d'Ottrott, but alas, there were roadworks in the village and by the time I navigated round the diversion and back onto the Wine Route, the village was far behind.

Just a random statue in a field along the road!

Back on the Wine Route, I was keen to stop in Molsheim..... During the 1920s, Ettore Bugatti had a factory there and now there is a museum of several of the models built between the two World Wars. So, while it was a little bit tricky navigating into this quite large town, it was bound to be worth it...... Well, if they didn't randomly close on Tuesdays...... and not have a notice on the gates....... So I had to walk in circles to find the Tourist Office to find out the story! Hmmm, I have to say I had a 'Beaune' moment...... The girl went through all that was exhibited in great detail and with great enthusiasm before dropping in at the end that it closed on Tuesdays...... And did I want all the details, so yes, through somewhat gritted teeth, I said, No thank-you, (yes, I did say thank-you), but I'm only here today and I came specially to visit the museum....... And then I flounced, (yes, I know, very mature) out of the Tourist Office.

Pretty Molsheim

The shut Bugatti Museum!

Through Westhoffen and Wangen (note the afore-mentioned archway!)

I made my way to the end (or start, depending on your direction of travel!) of the Wine Route at Marlenheim.

I called in at Artur Metz winemerchants and they were kind enough to offer me a taste of the 'Rouge d'Ottrott' that they carried:

AOC Alsace - Rouge d'Ottrott 2009 - Pinot Noir (Michel Léon) - A floral cherry nose and to taste, yes, cherries again, but with a perfume and quite an unbalanced tannin. Not for me, or maybe I was spoilt in Burgundy!

The night's repose was only a few kilometres further in Wasselonne before the big drive tomorrow to Champagne.

Day 22 – Alsace Wine Road – Thann to Sigolsheim

Monday morning in Thann and it was absolutely tipping it down. I had checked the weather last night and it forecast rain for this afternoon, not the morning.



And to make matters worse, I discovered there is a small hotel in the soft-top, just enough to let in a little bit of water!


I was actually quite surprised because everything I had read about Alsace had told me that by nestling in the foothills of the Vosges, it was protected from the rains that make its next door neighbour, Lorraine (aptly), the most rainy department of France.


But, I was here to taste wines and that’s what I was going to do...... I hoped to stop at the Cave Vinicole du Vieil-Armand in Soultz-Haut-Rhin (Soultz for short), so I started off by following the Wine route signs...... until I saw a sign for Vieil-Armand – it wasn’t quite the direction I thought I should be going, but a sign is a sign.......


Turns out the cellars are named after a mountain, which I decided to wind my way up in a leaking sports car in torrential rain! And then as my mistake slowly dawned on me...... had to wind my way down....... would have made a great little route for one of the Top Gear challenges, but for me, it ate an hour into my day.

Having looped back to where I made the fateful turn, I continued straight ahead only to be met with a reassuring sign for the Wine route. At this juncture, I would like to wholeheartedly congratulate the Alsatians on their sign-posts – perfectly placed and easy to follow (unless you just decide to climb a random mountain!) Other regions have had sign-posted wine routes, but none as efficient and clear as here (might I suggest it could be the Germanic influence??)

So, I made it to Soultz and the Cave Vinicole du Vieil-Armand. Downstairs was a little wine museum – quite interesting, and worth having a look if this is your first wine museum, but as it was probably about my 7th..... I did a quick circuit and came upstairs for a tasting. Alsace wine Appellations are not classified by villages or areas, so you just want to taste the different grapes, though all AOCs are ‘mono-cépage’, i.e. 100% of a particular grape.

The girl who offered the tasting could not have been more helpful...... She walked me through the 7 wines and chatted about them, the area, soils, etc and generally seemed to take pleasure and pride in showing off her region’s wines..... a theme repeated throughout the day. The Alsatians are a very welcoming, friendly and down-to-earth people, and it has been a delight to talk with them today.


Anyway, back to the wines:


1. Crémant d’Alsace (an AOC in its own right, just for sparkling Alsace wines) – Brut – This sparkling wine, made in the Traditional method, (i.e. the same as Champagne) was 100% Pinot Blanc. On the nose, again the raisin smell, with a little white peach. The foam, like the name was a creamy mousse, not to weak, and certainly not the aggressive pin-pricky fizz you sometimes get with sparkling wines. The taste was quite tart... green apples with a hint of apricot. Very refreshing and ideal as an apéritif.


2. AOC Alsace 2009 – Riesling Médaillé – On the nose: raisin and white peach; on the palate, raisin, sweet apples with a hint of apricot.


3. AOC Alsace 2009 – Pinot Gris Médaillé – Again, raisin on the nose with a slightly apple smell. On the palate, quite different...... bags of fruit – apricots, honey..... delicious.


4. AOC Alsace 2009 – Gewürztraminer Médaillé – The nose on this, while keeping the raisin had more blossom notes, a little apple and peach, though quite subtle. In the mouth a beautiful, almost tropical fruit medley – yes, the apricot and honey, but layered with pineapple and lychee..... and then a little kick of spice at the end – more nutmeg than cinnamon.


5. AOC Alsace Grand Cru Ollwiller – Gewürztraminer 2007 – This Grand Cru was literally 5 minutes drive away and produced a drier wine than that above due to the calcium-rich soil. On the nose, it was passionfruit, peach and honey, while the palate embraced succulent fruit flavours of passionfruit, lychee, apricots and spice. This is where the tongue test comes into its own...... With all the unctuous fruit flavours, it was hard not to fall into the ‘sweet’ trap, but touching the wine on the end of the tongue produced virtually no sweetness – it was drier than the previous wine.


6. AOC Alsace Grand Cru Spiegel - Gewürztraminer 2008 – This Grand Cru is in Guebwiller (further north). The more gravelly soil produced a wine with a finer nose of raisin, spice and lychee. The taste, again fruity, was sweeter – more honey and apricots. The nose on many of these Alsace wines can be slightly deceptive. Previous regions, the nose almost tells you exactly what you will get in the mouth..... Not so here – they can be very different!


7. AOC Alsace 2008 - Sylvaner Médaillé – This is a grape quite particular to Alsace, but not very well known, so I asked if I could taste it..... A little out of turn, but anyway..... The nose was again raisin, white grapefruit, with a floral hint. In the mouth subtle raisin and mildly citrus flavours...... I say subtle, and maybe having tasted the sweeter wines before this dry wine influenced me, but I might go so far as to say bland!

Soultz

So, back into the car and I made my way through village after pretty village..... It got to the point that I was really tempted to try biting one of the houses..... just in case it was made out of gingerbread! Very Hansel and Gretel...... but the lush countryside and abundance of wild flowers and those cultivated in window boxes made me feel like I was in a fairytale. The pictures don’t really do them justice..... yes, due to my amateur photographic skills, but also I think due to the very dull weather. It did dry up, but remained very warm and humid.

Guebwiller

Soultzmatt

Rouffach

Notre-Dame de l’Assomption at Rouffach

The Witches Tower in Rouffach – used to imprison women accused of withcraft!

Gueberschwihr

And in between, spectacular views....

Husseren-les-Châteaux – highest point of the Wine Route

Wettolsheim – birthplace of Alsatian wine

Turckheim – It has been bugging me all day why Turckheim means something to me...... I still have no idea...... If anyone knows of a reason why it may be famous, please let me know! It is, nevertheless, very pretty indeed.

View back to Turckheim

 I did a little bit of wandering around these villages; none of them are very big and most of them have some form of hike or walk going up into the Vosges from them..... You really could spend a week just exploring the area around the route I took today, and with the people so friendly and the setting so beautiful, I’m sure it would be a wonderful experience.


My next stop was Kaysersberg;

Aside from being another very lovely town, I really wanted to take some time here as it was the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, the doctor, humanitarian who also won the Nobel Prize. Within the house where he was born is a very moving museum dedicated to his work and the small €2 admission fee also goes to continue his work. Beside the house is a statue in his memory.

The next village, almost undivided from Kaysersberg, is Kientzheim, where I stopped off at the Cave Vinicole de Kientzheim-Kaysersberg. There I was offered 3 wines to taste:


1. AOC Alsace – Muscat réserve 2008 – The nose on this wine was really vibrant raisin, white peach and sweet apples. The taste was so appley, with just a hint of spice and peach.


2. AOC Alsace – Riesling réserve 2008 – The nose was raisin with subtle blossom notes. On the palate, fruity raisin and nectarine.


3. AOC Gewürztraminer 2007 – “Vendanges Tardive” – These are wines made from grapes picked later (VT means ‘late harvest’). They are naturally higher in sugar content and therefore alcohol. The intensity of the aromas of this wine on the nose was amazing – apricots and a slight paraffin note (not unpleasant). Amazing flavour intensity on the palate as well..... Honey, apricots, lychees, a little spice. Just delicious, mouthwatering, moreish.


The next village on the route was Sigolsheim, where I turned off to Katzenthal, my home for the night..... and another Hansel and Gretel village!