Tasting trails are sparkling success

Tasting trails are sparkling success

There are many guide books that list the best houses and times to visit but there are also the Route Touristic du Champagne road signs to guide you.

The Champagne trail idea is great, if a little impractical. I visited one Champagne house – Drappier – and left reeling with facts and figures about the fizzy stuff, never mind the effect of tasting a couple of glasses after the tour. Luckily, I was not driving.

There are seven trails to choose from in the Champagne region, one of which – the Pays Baralbin trail – is in Aube en Champagne.

This is 80 miles long and takes in five Champagne houses – Drappier, Dumont, Charles Clement, Breuzon and Cellier Saint-Vincent. Sights en route include the crystal factory at Bayel (open Monday to Friday; Saturday by appointment); the remains of a Cistercian abbey at Clairveaux; Nigoland, the fourth largest French theme park; and the medieval town of Troyes.

My tour was conducted by Michel Drappier, who spoke good English, and who is also waiting for the day when the British drink as much Champagne as the French.

Both countries have similar populations – around 55-60 million people – but while we consume 30 million bottles a year, the French down 190 million.

CHAMPAGNE is best drunk at 11am, which strikes me as being the key reason you need for making an early start on the Champagne trail.

The trails, put together by the tourist offices in the Champagne region, which covers 30,000 hectares around Reims, Epernay and Troyes, take visitors on round-trip drives of between 45 and 80 miles, through the vineyards with stops at Champagne houses for a tour and tasting.

There are many guide books that list the best houses and times to visit but there are also the Route Touristic du Champagne road signs to guide you.

The Champagne trail idea is great, if a little impractical. I visited one Champagne house – Drappier – and left reeling with facts and figures about the fizzy stuff, never mind the effect of tasting a couple of glasses after the tour. Luckily, I was not driving.

There are seven trails to choose from in the Champagne region, one of which – the Pays Baralbin trail – is in Aube en Champagne.

This is 80 miles long and takes in five Champagne houses – Drappier, Dumont, Charles Clement, Breuzon and Cellier Saint-Vincent. Sights en route include the crystal factory at Bayel (open Monday to Friday; Saturday by appointment); the remains of a Cistercian abbey at Clairveaux; Nigoland, the fourth largest French theme park; and the medieval town of Troyes.

My tour was conducted by Michel Drappier, who spoke good English, and who is also waiting for the day when the British drink as much Champagne as the French.

Both countries have similar populations – around 55-60 million people – but while we consume 30 million bottles a year, the French down 190 million.