7th September 2008

Champagne Holidays

Welcome to our section on Champagne-Ardennes

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With our regional information, Holiday Directory and hotel listings, we hope you can find your ideal Champagne holiday here. And you should also pick up some tips and recommendations, to ensure you enjoy your holiday to the full.

Gemma Driver
Editor
FrenchEntrée Holidays

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The Champagne-Ardennes Region

Ardennes, Aube, Haute-Marne, Marne

About the region

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The Region: Most visitors to Champagne go there because of the famous sparkling wine. There are hundreds of small vineyards offering tasters, and many people head for the region to find the right bubbly for their imminent special occasions, or simply to taste a lot of the tipple.

Champagne wine has been a prized luxury for centuries, but only started being sparkling at the end of the 17th century, when it was transported in casks to England. A secondary fermentation caused by the journey made the wine fizzy, and the English, discovering that the bubbles were a good thing, started making it that way on purpose. Then Dom Pérignon, a blind French monk, invented a method for bottling the bubbles.

Other than wine, it can be difficult to find out what the Champagne region has to offer, because the wine is the focus for tourist boards and brochures. However, the region has a long commercial and religious history, which has resulted in impressive architecture and art. There are numerous beautiful buildings and churches to discover, and charming towns to visit. Troyes is off the beaten track, and has a medieval timber-framed town centre, which is well worth a visit. There are also lakes, rivers, canals and forests to explore in the countryside.

Weather: Long, wet winters and cool summers mean that the Champagne region is only just within the climate limits of wine production. They also mean that carrying a waterproof around is a good idea, that the countryside is always green, and that the summers are less fierce than in southern regions.

Gastronomy:The interesting, smokey andouillettes de Troyes (tripe sausages) are not to everyones’ taste, but other delicious dishes include potée champenoise (like pot au feu), and meals made with local game. Champagne also produces wonderful cheeses; Cendre de Champagne, Chaource, Ricey Cendre, Chaumont and Landres. Landres has a dip in it, to fill with champagne or marc.

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