a bubbly story.
It’s not only about the magic bubbles or the different grapes this nectar is made of. It is also not in particular about the tying of the vines or the terroir they grow on. It’s our story, the story of 2 Belgians that bought a ship, started cruising the champagne area and fell in love with it. Almost every day we learn something new, hear interesting stories, taste new wines or just enjoy spending a day in this wonderful region.
Part 1
It all started some 5 years ago. We had wine growers of Epernay staying in our B&B in Bruges and we started talking about cruising in the Champagne area the next year. They invited us to stay a couple of days with them in spring so they could show us the region. Uppon arrival in Epernay, they offered us a glas of their champagne Saint Gybryen. For us, being used to drink champagne only on festive occasions, this was a nice surprise. We toured the whole area, looking for moorings, places of interest for our guests, etc… Returning home in the evening, we were served champagne with dinner. “Champagne with dinner ?!?!?!” we had never seen that. “Oh yes, this is another champagne. It goes well with a meal”… So the first thing we learned is that champagne is not just a bubbly wine served at special occasions. You can in fact pair it with food.
Part 2
Looking for wine growers to visit, we asked the local tourist offices for information on wineries that could also give a tour in English for our guests. We got a whole list, and one of them also showed a film… So we visited the website of Dom Caudron and found out they also offer a champagne and chocolate pairing. Being Belgians, we just Looove chocolate, so off we went. We met Victor who showed us round in the small museum, told us the story of the coöp and a lot about champagne making. After the interesting film and a visit to the production site, we could at last taste the 3 different champagnes with the selected chocolates. It is amazing that 3 champagnes, all made of the same kind of grape (Meunier), can taste so different! The combination with 3 selected chocolates is just Devine! This is an experience jou shouldn’t miss! At Dom Caudron, we learned that in Champagne, there are marvelous gems to discover. Our quest had just begun…
Next time, I ‘ll tell you more about our champagne discoveries…