Page 178 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

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A26
8
125 km to F G
349 km to F G / · Tinqueux # \
9
‚
A4
Champagne Vrigny \ # Coulommes-
13 Taster # la-Montagne
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# Jouy-lès- Reims
Pargny-
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lès-Reims # \
‘My only regret in life is that I didn’t drink enough Sacy # \
Champagne,’ wrote the economist John Maynard Ecueil # \
Keynes, but by the end of this tour, you’ll have
drunk enough bubbly to last several lifetimes. \ # Chamery \ #
Starting and ending at the prestigious Champagne Pourcy Sermiers # \
centres of Reims and Épernay, this fizz-fuelled trip 0 ¸
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includes stops at some of the world’s most famous D386
producers – with ample time for tasting en route. Poucy
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Nanteuil-
la-Forêt
St- Imoges # \
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Fleury-la- D951
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Rivière
Champillon
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Hautvillers 4 # # \ #
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D386
# Damery # \
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Cumières # Dizy
producer. One-hour tours \
Marne / ·
D1
explore its enormous cel- \ #
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Vauciennes /· # \
lars, filled with 25 million D3 Magenta
1 Reims bottles of bubbly, and \ # Épernay 5 # # \ #
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There’s nowhere better include tastings of several d'Epernay
Forêt
to start your Champagne vintages.
tour than the regal city of North of town,
Reims. Several big names Taittinger (%03 26 85 45 Vinay Moussy
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have their caves (wine cel- 35; www.taittinger.com; 9 \ # # \ / ·
D10
lars) nearby. Mumm (%03 place St-Niçaise; tours €17-45; Chavot-Courcourt # \ Cuis
26 49 59 70; www.mumm.com; h9.30am-5.30pm, shorter Monthelon \ #
34 rue du Champ de Mars; tours hours & closed weekends #
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6
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incl tasting €20-45; htours Oct-Mar) provides an Morangis # \ # Mancy
9.30am-1pm & 2-6pm daily, informative overview of # Moslins \ #
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shorter hours & closed Sun Oct- how Champagne is actu-
Mar), pronounced ‘moom’, ally made – you’ll leave Forêt de
Brugny
is the only maison in with a good understand- Bois
central Reims. Founded ing of the production D'Argensolle
in 1827, it’s the world’s process, from grape to Gionges # \
third-largest Champagne bottle. Parts of the cellars \ # \ #
Chaltrait Villers-
aux-Bois
176
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